Chapter Summaries

When Guo Sufi discovered that Grandmother had coughed blood onto her quilt, the family quietly faced the possibility that she was dying and gathered around her in the sunshine. Grandmother spoke of her acceptance of death and urged Guo Sufi to consider a match between Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian, but an unexpected declaration interrupted them.

• Guo Sufi found blood on Grandmother's quilt and told Zhang Xiaohua that Grandmother had coughed it up; Zhang Xiaohua vowed to find immortals to save her.
• Guo Sufi quietly showed the bloodstain to the family, and they gathered around Grandmother as Zhang Xiaohua brought her water.
• Grandmother realized the family was hiding her bloody cough and spoke with Guo Sufi about accepting death and trusting Zhang Cai to care for the family.
• Grandmother urged Guo Sufi to find out whether Liu Qian liked Zhang Xiaolong, and Guo Sufi said she would ask Liu Qian to return home the next day.
• Two people arrived at the courtyard gate and overheard the conversation, before someone ran in and announced that Qianqian was not going home.

Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian agreed to marry, and Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaohua traveled to Baligou to discuss their engagement with the Liu family. They also learned from Zhang Xiaohua that Grandmother was growing weaker, leaving the family eager to settle the marriage before her condition worsened.

• Zhang Xiaolong announced that Liu Qian would not be going home, and Liu Qian confirmed she wanted to stay with him.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Guo Sufi that he could sense Grandmother growing thinner as something drifted away from her.
• Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi decided to propose marriage to the Liu family, and Liu Qian agreed without hesitation.
• Zhang Cai took Zhang Xiaohua and gifts to Mr. Liu's home in Baligou to discuss the engagement.
• Liu Kai welcomed Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaohua while Mr. Liu remained busy in his study, and Zhang Cai said he had something to discuss with Mr. Liu.

Zhang Cai asked Mr. Liu to consider a marriage between Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian, but Mr. Liu raised concerns about their different interests, Xiaolong’s lack of education, and Liu Kai’s unmarried status. Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaohua left without a decision, while Liu Yueyue confirmed that Liu Qian liked Xiaolong.

• Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaohua waited for Mr. Liu and were greeted by Liu the Butcher.
• Zhang Cai proposed that Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian marry because they loved each other.
• Mr. Liu questioned whether the couple’s feelings and different backgrounds were enough for a lasting marriage, and noted that Liu Kai was still unmarried.
• Zhang Cai could not answer Mr. Liu’s objections, and the family postponed the discussion to share lunch.
• Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaohua left Baligou, and Liu Yueyue told Mr. Liu that Liu Qian had mentioned liking Zhang Xiaolong.

Zhang Cai returned from Baligou with Mr. Liu’s plan to take Liu Qian home, leaving the Zhang family worried that she and Zhang Xiaolong would be separated. Liu Qian affirmed her wish to marry Xiaolong, while Guo Sufi agreed the family would try to persuade her father when he came.

• Zhang Cai told the family that Mr. Liu planned to bring Liu Qian home in a few days because he believed the Zhang family could not offer her a suitable life.
• Liu Qian said she did not understand her father’s intentions and would ask him directly when he came, then nodded to reassure Zhang Xiaolong.
• Grandmother told Guo Sufi that the family should let the children follow fate and trust that Liu Qian would join them if she was meant to.
• Guo Sufi explained that Mr. Liu might want Liu Qian to marry an educated man, but Liu Qian insisted she could be happy with Xiaolong and teach him to read and write.
• Guo Sufi said she and Zhang Cai would use the silver from the bully to reassure Mr. Liu, but Liu Qian warned that cashing the banknote could expose them to a trap.
• Guo Sufi and Liu Qian agreed to wait for Mr. Liu’s visit and ask him about his intentions, while Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaolong lay awake worrying.

Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian decided to go to Baligou together and speak with her father before he came to fetch her. They arrived at Liu Qian’s home, where she reunited with Mr. Liu.

• Liu Qian reassured Zhang Xiaolong that she intended to stay with him, and they agreed to visit her father together.
• Zhang Xiaolong told Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi that he planned to accompany Liu Qian to Baligou, and they approved.
• Zhang Xiaolong, Liu Qian, and Zhang Xiaohu set off after packing a bottle of well water for Mr. Liu.
• The three took the shorter mountain path to Baligou, where villagers noticed Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu accompanying Liu Qian.
• Liu Qian arrived home and embraced Mr. Liu, who welcomed her back.

Liu Qian brought Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu to Baligou and spoke with her father, Mr. Liu, about marrying Zhang Xiaolong. She argued that their bond was fated and that moving to Guo Village would let her care for her father while he benefited from the village’s well water.

• Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu arrived at Liu Qian’s home, where Mr. Liu welcomed them and invited them to stay overnight.
• Liu Qian prepared food and tea for the brothers and her father, then went to speak privately with Mr. Liu.
• Mr. Liu explained that he feared Liu Qian would suffer because of the Zhang family’s poverty and the couple’s different ways of life.
• Liu Qian argued that her mother’s life and happiness had been meaningful despite her early death, and said her own meeting with Zhang Xiaolong was fated.
• Liu Qian told Mr. Liu that Guo Village’s well water had helped her grandmother recover and had improved her own health.
• Liu Qian proposed that Mr. Liu move to Guo Village after she married Zhang Xiaolong so she could care for him and he could benefit from the well water.

Liu Qian persuaded Mr. Liu to approve her marriage to Zhang Xiaolong by explaining why she trusted him and felt at home with his family. Mr. Liu accepted the match and began advising Zhang Xiaolong, whose conversation with him continued into the dark.

• Liu Qian told Mr. Liu she wanted to marry Zhang Xiaolong because he was steady and kind and his family had welcomed her.
• Mr. Liu agreed to the marriage, and Liu Qian and her father left the study to join the others.
• Liu Kai greeted Liu Qian, and she arranged a reunion dinner with help from her relatives.
• Mr. Liu took Zhang Xiaolong into the study and advised him to care for Liu Qian, read more, and consider his family's safety before taking risks.
• Mr. Liu continued giving Zhang Xiaolong instructions until someone knocked on the study door after dark.

Zhang Xiaolong returned to Guo Village with news that the Liu family agreed to the engagement, while Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi struggled to decide how much betrothal money they could afford. Zhang Xiaolong stopped them from using the dangerous banknotes and hinted that the family had something more valuable to offer Mr. Liu.

• Liu Qian stayed in Baligou while Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu returned to Guo Village to tell Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi that Mr. Liu wanted them to choose an auspicious day and formalize the engagement.
• Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi celebrated the news but worried that they could not afford suitable betrothal gifts.
• As spring work began, Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi debated using hidden banknotes to provide more generous gifts, then called Zhang Xiaolong into the house.
• Zhang Xiaolong refused to use the banknotes, reminding his parents that Great Hero Wen had warned them against spending them and that the token from Heroine Xu was only for protection.
• Zhang Xiaolong told his parents that the Liu family valued them for more than wealth and hinted that they had something more precious than money to give Mr. Liu.

Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi arranged Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian’s betrothal, and the families agreed to hold the wedding at the end of February so Zhang Xiaolong’s ailing grandmother could see it. Liu Qian proposed that her father move to Guo Village and build a home near the Zhang family; afterward, she and Liu Yueyue discussed their own marriage prospects.

• Zhang Xiaolong asked Zhang Cai to invite Mr. Liu to move to Guo Village, and Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi set out for Baligou with the betrothal gifts.
• Mr. Liu accepted the gifts, and he and Zhang Cai discussed wedding dates before agreeing that the end of February was the nearest suitable day.
• Liu Qian urged the families to hold a simple wedding at the end of February and suggested that Mr. Liu build a courtyard near the Zhang family in Guo Village.
• Liu the Butcher objected to Mr. Liu moving away, but Mr. Liu explained his reasons and persuaded him that the brothers could remain close.
• Liu Yueyue told Liu Qian that Zhao Yuzhao had sent a matchmaker to propose, while Liu Qian teased her about Zhang Xiaohu.

Liu Qian defended her decision to marry Zhang Xiaolong despite the expected hardships, and the Zhang family hurried to prepare for the wedding. The wedding procession reached Baligou, where Zhang Xiaohua woke from his unexpected ride in the bridal sedan and helped lead Zhang Xiaolong into the village.

• Liu Qian told Liu Yueyue she did not regret choosing Zhang Xiaolong and believed they could shape a happy life together.
• Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi returned to Guo Village with news that the engagement was settled, and the Zhang family and villagers prepared for the wedding.
• On the wedding morning, Zhang Xiaohua slept through repeated attempts to wake him, so the family carried him in the bridal sedan.
• Zhang Xiaohua woke along the way, apologized to Zhang Xiaolong, and rode with him for the rest of the journey.
• The wedding procession reached Baligou, scattered candies to villagers and children, and continued toward the Liu residence.

Zhang Xiaohua helped Zhang Xiaolong through the wedding customs by drawing a bow that turned out to be Hunter Zhang’s powerful ancestral bow. When guests challenged Zhang Xiaolong to display his calligraphy, Zhang Xiaohua wrote the characters “Misty” with a mop, leaving Mr. Liu and the onlookers astonished.

• Zhang Xiaohua drew and fired three arrows from Hunter Zhang’s Five-stone bow, though the crowd believed it was a Soft bow.
• Hunter Zhang realized his ancestral bow had been lent out, then retrieved it from the Liu family gate without noticing the three arrows were missing.
• At Liu Qian’s chamber, guests asked Zhang Xiaolong to write characters as a test before the door would be opened.
• Zhang Xiaohua took his brother’s place and wrote “Misty” across the courtyard stones with a mop dipped in ink.
• Mr. Liu came out, studied Zhang Xiaohua’s writing, and became entranced.

Zhang Xiaolong passed the bridesmaids’ literary challenges and married Liu Qian, then set out with her for Guo Village. The wedding party hurried onward while Mr. Liu watched them leave Baligou, mourning his daughter’s departure.

• Zhang Xiaohua stunned the onlookers by writing “Ethereal” on a bluestone slab, and Mr. Liu praised his skill.
• Zhang Xiaolong composed a poem for the second challenge, which Mr. Liu praised despite its irregular form.
• Zhang Xiaolong answered that he hoped Liu Qian would be a mirror, twin lotuses, and a walking stick, and Liu Yueyue opened the door for him.
• Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian kowtowed to Mr. Liu, who entrusted his daughter to Zhang Xiaolong and urged the couple to care for one another.
• Zhang Xiaolong escorted Liu Qian from Baligou in the flower sedan while Zhang Xiaohua and Liu Yueyue accompanied them.
• Zhang Xiaolong had Zhang Xiaohua ride with him and Liu Yueyue join the sedan, and the wedding party hurried toward Guo Village.

During a roadside rest on the wedding procession’s journey to Guo Village, the Three Wolves of West Cui decided to rob the group and abduct Liu Yueyue and the bride. The bandits scattered the procession and left Zhang Xiaolong unconscious and Zhang Xiaohua injured as they closed in on the bridal sedan.

• Zhang Xiaolong offered water to Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue, and Liu Yueyue stepped out of the bridal sedan to drink.
• The Three Wolves of West Cui spotted Liu Yueyue and agreed to attack the wedding procession and take the women.
• Zhang Xiaohua noticed the riders returning and warned Zhang Xiaolong, who tried to shield Liu Yueyue.
• Second Brother kicked Zhang Xiaolong into the roadside, knocking him unconscious, while Third Brother struck Zhang Xiaohua with a whip.
• The bandits attacked the wedding party, and the frightened procession and bystanders fled, leaving Zhang Xiaolong, Zhang Xiaohua, and Liu Yueyue behind.

West Cui Mountain bandits attacked Zhang Xiaolong’s wedding party, wounded him, and tried to abduct Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue. Zhang Xiaolong invoked the Misty Sect with a token, and Lu Yueming arrived and demanded to inspect it, leaving the bandits facing a potential challenge.

• Liu Qian tore off her veil, found Zhang Xiaolong wounded, and knelt beside him while the bandits surrounded them.
• West Cui Mountain Second Brother and Third Brother threatened the women, then Third Brother seized Liu Qian as Zhang Xiaohua tried to protect her.
• Zhang Xiaolong revealed a token and claimed his family had ties to the Misty Sect, causing the bandits to release the women briefly.
• After inspecting the token, the Three Wolves of West Cui Mountain called it fake and ordered the group killed.
• Lu Yueming of the Misty Sect revealed himself and asked West Cui Mountain Boss to hand over the token for inspection.

Lu Yueming killed the Three Wolves of West Cui Mountain after their leader tried to poison him, then learned Zhang Xiaolong and his companions had obtained the Misty Sect token from Xue Qing. He treated Zhang Xiaolong’s injuries, killed the fleeing guards despite Zhang Xiaohua’s pleas for mercy, and returned the token to the group.

• West Cui Mountain Boss attacked Lu Yueming with a poisoned dagger, but Lu Yueming deflected it and killed him with the same weapon.
• Lu Yueming defeated West Cui Mountain Second Brother and Third Brother with the Misty Seven Swords, then questioned Zhang Xiaolong about the token.
• Zhang Xiaohua explained how the group had met Xue Qing in Lu Town, and Lu Yueming confirmed the token’s connection to his junior sister.
• Lu Yueming reset Zhang Xiaolong’s dislocated arm, gave him medicinal pills, and warned him to rest for six months.
• Lu Yueming asked Zhang Xiaohua what to do with the four guards, then killed them when they fled after she urged him to spare them.
• Lu Yueming returned the token to Zhang Xiaolong and told the group to keep it safe because it might prove useful someday.

Lu Yueming rescued Zhang Xiaolong’s wedding party from the West Cui Mountain bandits and sent them on their way, while the Zhang family feared the worst after hearing they had been attacked. Zhang Xiaolong and the others returned alive, and Grandmother insisted on receiving their wedding bows despite her failing health.

• Lu Yueming told Zhang Xiaolong and the others to leave the bandits’ belongings behind and not reveal his name or the Misty Sect, then arranged the bandits’ corpses and horses before riding away.
• At the Zhang family home, Liu Er reported that the wedding party had encountered West Cui Mountain bandits, and Grandmother collapsed after hearing the news.
• Zhang Cai and the villagers worried that Zhang Xiaolong and the others were dead, while Zhang Xiaohu prepared to search for his brothers.
• Zhang Xiaolong, Zhang Xiaohua, Liu Qian, and Liu Yueyue returned to Guo Village alive, and Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi rushed to welcome them.
• Grandmother urged Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian to complete the wedding bows, so Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi supported her into the main hall.

Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian’s wedding turned into a funeral when Grandmother died just after the ceremony. As the Zhang family mourned her, Zhang Xiaohua decided he would learn martial arts so he could protect his family.

• Grandmother died peacefully as Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian completed their wedding rites, and Liu Qian joined Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi in mourning her.
• The family replaced the wedding decorations with funeral trappings, prepared Grandmother’s body, and placed her coffin in the main hall for the mourning period.
• While keeping vigil, Zhang Xiaohua blamed his inability to fight for the family’s troubles and resolved to learn martial arts, though he did not know how.
• Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaohu carried the exhausted, injured Zhang Xiaohua to Zhang Xiaolong’s room, where Guo Sufi checked his wound and urged him to rest.
• Guo Sufi and Zhang Cai stayed with Grandmother’s coffin while Zhang Xiaohu and Liu Qian went to rest.

Hermit Yanming and the three sect disciples found that the sour jujube grove’s entrance had changed and the incantation had vanished, leaving them unable to use their previous plan. While Hermit Yanming and the others chose caution, Zhang Zhaoyang insisted on entering the grove alone and offered to scout ahead.

• Hermit Yanming found that the sword marks he had carved into the sour jujube trees were gone, so Tan Feng and Zhang Zhaoyang searched the grove’s perimeter with Lu Yueming and found no marks.
• Hermit Yanming had the group blood their pieces of hide, but the place where the incantation had appeared was blank.
• Hermit Yanming advised against entering without the incantation, and Lu Yueming and Tan Feng agreed to follow his decision.
• Zhang Zhaoyang said his Sword Master had ordered him to bring back the medicinal herbs and declared that he would enter the grove.
• Zhang Zhaoyang offered to enter alone and scout the way for the others.

Zhang Zhaoyang entered the silent Sour Jujube Tree forest with Snow Silkworm Silk cord as a safety line, but Hermit Yanming pulled back only a bloodstained, frayed end. Lu Yueming noticed the forest had no birdsong, and the three men fled, leaving Zhang Zhaoyang's fate unknown.

• Hermit Yanming, Lu Yueming, and Tan Feng stayed outside while Zhang Zhaoyang entered the forest, using Snow Silkworm Silk cord to signal his progress.
• After receiving one signal, Hermit Yanming later got no response and pulled the cord from the forest, finding its bloodstained end frayed and Zhang Zhaoyang missing.
• Lu Yueming pointed out that no birds called from the forest, which Hermit Yanming remembered had also been shrouded in mist and filled with bones.
• Hermit Yanming took the cord and hurried away with Lu Yueming and Tan Feng, unwilling to remain near the silent forest.

After Hermit Yanming, Lu Yueming, and Tan Feng escaped the mysterious wild jujube grove, Zhang Xiaohua’s family prepared to bury Grandmother. Zhang Xiaohua broke down at the coffin, revealing extraordinary strength, before Liu Qian helped him let the burial proceed; the family left her newly mounded grave at dusk.

• Hermit Yanming ended the mission, kept Wan Jian Peak's hide, and sent Lu Yueming and Tan Feng away; that night, Wan Chengjiu learned Zhang Zhaoyang was missing.
• The Zhang family received mourners, and Mr. Liu and Liu the Butcher stayed to help while Zhang Xiaohua silently grieved for Grandmother.
• As the family prepared to close Grandmother's coffin, Zhang Xiaohua shoved a helper aside and pulled out a nail with his bare hand.
• Zhang Xiaohua opened the coffin and wept over Grandmother until Liu Qian comforted him and persuaded him to let the burial continue.
• The Zhang and Liu families buried Grandmother beside Guo Shan's grave, tended both graves, and stayed until dusk.