Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiaohua traveled north with Zhang Xiaohu and the Lotus Escort Agency, where he watched the convoy negotiate safe passage with a large bandit group. Zhang Xiaohu explained how escort agencies and bandits maintained uneasy arrangements through payments and the power of supporting sects, while warning that escort work could still turn dangerous.

• Zhang Xiaohu reassured Zhang Xiaohua that the convoy’s first campsite was safe and checked that his wounds were healing.
• Zhang Xiaohua’s right hand had nearly recovered, easing Zhang Xiaohu’s guilt, and the convoy traveled for more than ten days without being robbed.
• On a mountain road, Zhang Xiaohua persuaded Zhang Xiaohu to take him toward the front, where they saw Yang Shuo and his men block the convoy.
• Luo Ruihe showed Yang Shuo the Lotus Escort Agency’s flag, and Yang Shuo granted the convoy safe passage for five hundred li in exchange for a token payment.
• Zhang Xiaohu explained to Zhang Xiaohua that bandits often collected tolls instead of fighting, and that the Misty Sect’s backing protected the Lotus Escort Agency.
• Zhang Xiaohu warned that escort work could still involve deadly fights, leaving Zhang Xiaohua silent.

Zhang Xiaohu returned to Pingyang City with Zhang Xiaohua and was summoned to see Fourth Master Wen, who mistakenly believed Zhang Xiaohua had died saving Manor Lord Ou. The chapter ended with Fourth Master Wen learning that Zhang Xiaohua was alive and rushing to see him.

• Zhang Xiaohua watched the convoy face several robberies, and one escort suffered an irreparable hand injury despite receiving treatment.
• The Lotus Escort Agency convoy reached Pingyang City late at night, and a gate guard told Zhang Xiaohu that Fourth Master Wen had been looking for him.
• Zhang Xiaohu settled the sleeping Zhang Xiaohua in their room, then went to Fourth Master Wen, who questioned him about the escort journey and its return.
• Fourth Master Wen told Zhang Xiaohu that Zhang Xiaohua had died protecting his master and gave him ten thousand taels in compensation.
• Zhang Xiaohu explained that Zhang Xiaohua was asleep in his room, and Fourth Master Wen hurriedly dragged him off to see his supposedly deceased hero.

Zhang Xiaohua returned safely to Huanxi Mountain Villa after recovering from his injuries, and reunited with Ou Yan and the others. He recounted how he had made his way home while keeping Master Jingxuan and the cave secret, and Old Yu asked to see his little sword.

• Fourth Master Wen confirmed Zhang Xiaohua was alive, told Zhang Xiaohu to keep him at the escort agency until someone came from the villa, and sent a message to Huanxi Mountain Villa.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu practiced in the training square, where Zhang Xiaohu watched Zhang Xiaohua perform the Big Dipper Divine Fist.
• He Tianshu arrived to take Zhang Xiaohua back to Huanxi Mountain Villa, and Zhang Xiaohu stayed behind to handle the returned convoy's affairs.
• Qiutong and He Tianshu told Zhang Xiaohua that Ou Yan was safe and explained that his sword strike had frightened the attackers after he fell into the water.
• Zhang Xiaohua reunited with Ou Yan and told her and Old Yu how he had recovered and returned, omitting Master Jingxuan, Xiao Meng, and the cave.
• Old Yu asked Zhang Xiaohua to show him his little sword.

Zhang Xiaohua and the others tested the mysterious little sword, then Ou Yan offered him compensation for his supposed death and welcomed him as family. The chapter ended with Zhang Xiaohua returning to his work and training under He Tianshu, while eagerly asking for breakfast.

• Old Yu examined Zhang Xiaohua's little sword and asked to test its attack, but Zhang Xiaohua used his right hand and Old Yu easily caught each move.
• Zhang Xiaohua drove the little sword several inches into a tree with his full strength, while Old Yu's thrust made only a shallow mark, so everyone concluded the black-clad elder had been killed because he was careless.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Ou Yan that Head Luo had asked Zhang Xiaohu to pay his living expenses, and Qiutong promised to clarify the matter with Fourth Master Wen.
• Ou Yan gave Zhang Xiaohua a box containing ten thousand taels as compensation, but he accepted only one hundred taels as a gift and agreed to regard Ou Yan as his elder sister.
• Ou Yan agreed to raise Zhang Xiaohua's monthly pay to three taels and let him continue learning from He Tianshu, and Zhang Xiaohua asked whether breakfast was still available.

Ou Yan asked Ou Peng to repay Zhang Xiaohua for saving her by admitting him to the Misty Sect, and Ou Peng agreed. The chapter left Zhang Xiaohua set to meet Ou Peng and begin training under He Tianshu, while Ou Yan also pursued a solution to the sect’s medicinal-herb problem.

• Ou Peng reflected on the Misty Sect’s plans, its new batch of strength-enhancing pills, and his worry over the unresolved attempt on Ou Yan’s life.
• Ou Yan visited Ou Peng, assured him she had recovered, and said Zhang Xiaohua had returned to Pingyang City after surviving his injuries.
• Ou Yan told Ou Peng that Zhang Xiaohua had refused the ten-thousand-tael compensation and accepted only one hundred taels.
• Ou Yan asked Ou Peng to admit Zhang Xiaohua to the Misty Sect so he could learn martial arts, and Ou Peng agreed to make him a disciple.
• Ou Peng arranged for Ou Yan to bring Zhang Xiaohua and He Tianshu to the Council Hall the next day, while Ou Yan said she would investigate growing medicinal herbs herself.

Zhang Xiaohua returned to his routine at Huanxi Mountain Villa, while Zhang Xiaohu faced accusations from Chief Luo at the Lotus Escort Agency. After the accounts clerk confirmed Zhang Xiaohu had paid his younger brother’s expenses, Qiutong arrived and stopped everyone from leaving.

• Ma Jing and the other disciples questioned Zhang Xiaohua about his long absence until he told them the prepared story he had made up.
• Ou Yan summoned Zhang Xiaohua and He Tianshu from the herb fields to discuss an undisclosed matter.
• Chief Luo complained to Fourth Master Wen that Zhang Xiaohu had encouraged the escort party to demand higher wages and had failed to pay his younger brother’s travel expenses.
• Zhang Xiaohu explained that the escort party had requested extra wages and said he had paid the accounts clerk for his younger brother’s food and lodging.
• The accounts clerk confirmed Zhang Xiaohu had paid and explained that the fee had only just been entered into the records, undermining Chief Luo’s accusation.
• Qiutong arrived, spotted Zhang Xiaohu, and told Fourth Master Wen and the others to stay.

Qiutong confronted the Lotus Escort Agency over its attempt to charge Zhang Xiaohua for his ride, while Ou Yan brought Zhang Xiaohua and He Tianshu into the Misty Sect Council Hall. Ou Peng offered to grant Zhang Xiaohua a request in gratitude for saving Ou Yan, and Zhang Xiaohua eagerly asked whether he meant it.

• Qiutong told Zhang Xiaohu that Zhang Xiaohua was safe, then offered ten taels to settle the escort agency’s charges; Fourth Master Wen and Head Luo were left scrambling to appease her.
• A Misty Sect disciple arrived looking for Zhang Xiaohu, leaving him and the others bewildered.
• Ou Yan led Zhang Xiaohua and He Tianshu through a hidden passage into the Misty Sect and brought them to the Council Hall.
• Wen Wenhai recognized Zhang Xiaohua from the past, and Zhang Xiaohua amused the Council Hall by accidentally shoving He Tianshu and praising Ou Peng’s appearance.
• Ou Peng thanked Zhang Xiaohua for saving Ou Yan and offered to fulfill a request he could grant; Zhang Xiaohua asked if the offer was genuine.

Zhang Xiaohua gave his chance to join the Misty Sect to his second brother, Zhang Xiaohu, and received permission to learn a Misty Sect internal energy method himself. While exploring the Library Pavilion, he struck an unusual box with his little sword after a warm current surged through his arm.

• Zhang Xiaohua asked Ou Peng to admit Zhang Xiaohu to the Misty Sect, and Ou Peng agreed to send for him.
• Ou Yan reminded Ou Peng of her promise to let Zhang Xiaohua practice internal energy, and Ou Peng allowed him to choose a method from the Library Pavilion.
• Zhang Chengyue explained the Library Pavilion's three floors, and Zhang Xiaohua passed the first and second floors to inspect the top-level manuals.
• Zhang Xiaohua found an ordinary-looking box on the third floor and tried unsuccessfully to open it.
• A Misty Sect disciple summoned Zhang Xiaohu from the Lotus Escort Agency to meet Ou Peng, while Fourth Master Wen ordered Chief Luo to apologize to him.
• Zhang Xiaohua struck the box with his little sword, and a warm current surged through his arm into the blade as it hit.

Zhang Xiaohua chose the Carefree Heart Sutra from the Library Pavilion, while Zhang Xiaohu accepted an offer to join the Misty Sect as Wen Wenhai’s disciple. The chapter ended with Ou Peng warning that nobody in the sect had cultivated Zhang Xiaohua’s chosen method and that he might not practice it at all.

• Zhang Xiaohua opened the mysterious box on the third floor, found a second copy of the Carefree Heart Sutra, and took it before leaving the Library Pavilion.
• The elderly disciple registered Zhang Xiaohua’s choice and reacted strangely to the Carefree Heart Sutra, while Zhang Chengyue hurried him back to the Council Hall.
• Zhang Xiaohu arrived, and Ou Peng offered him a place in the Misty Sect because Zhang Xiaohua had requested it; the brothers argued over who should receive the opportunity.
• Wen Wenhai volunteered to take Zhang Xiaohu as his disciple, and Zhang Xiaohu accepted by bowing to him three times.
• Zhang Xiaohua showed Ou Peng the Carefree Heart Sutra, and Ou Peng explained that no Misty Sect disciple had ever cultivated it, making guidance difficult.

Zhang Xiaohua received the first three levels of Misty Steps alongside the Carefree Heart Sutra, while Zhang Xiaohu left the Lotus Escort Agency after being accepted into the Misty Sect. Zhang Xiaohua began examining his new cultivation methods, still puzzled by the Carefree Heart Sutra, when someone knocked on his door.

• Ou Peng arranged for Zhang Xiaohua to receive the first three levels of Misty Steps and instructed him and He Tianshu to cultivate it together.
• He Tianshu learned that he could study Misty Steps and thanked Ou Peng for the opportunity.
• Head Luo waited for Zhang Xiaohu, but Zhang Xiaohu returned, resigned from the Lotus Escort Agency, and refused to take back the ten taels of silver.
• Zhang Xiaohu told Head Luo he would return if things did not go well in the Misty Sect, then left with Misty Sect disciples.
• Head Luo learned that Zhang Xiaohu had been accepted as a Misty Sect disciple and rushed after him, but Zhang Xiaohu had already departed.
• Zhang Xiaohua examined the Carefree Heart Sutra and Misty Steps instructions, wondered why Ou Peng had warned him about the sutra, and heard a knock at his door.

Zhang Xiaohua learned that the Carefree Heart Sutra was an old Misty Sect method for curing insomnia and that he had also received the first three levels of the prized Misty Steps. After Ou Yan and Aunt Qin warned him to guard the manuals and obey the sect’s rules, he sought out He Tianshu to study the Misty Steps, leaving He Tianshu hesitating over whether to accept the manual.

• Qiutong brought Zhang Xiaohua to meet Ou Yan and Aunt Qin, who explained the Carefree Heart Sutra’s unusual purpose and its history.
• Aunt Qin and Ou Yan told Zhang Xiaohua that the Misty Steps were one of the Misty Sect’s Three Great Divine Skills, but warned him not to reveal or lend the manual without permission.
• Ou Yan instructed Zhang Xiaohua to learn the Misty Steps only with He Tianshu’s guidance and to keep the Carefree Heart Sutra private.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to his room, reflected on his manuals, then practiced the Big Dipper Divine Fist and left-handed sword.
• Zhang Xiaohua visited He Tianshu and offered him the Misty Steps manual, but He Tianshu hesitated, remembering that he was only authorized to guide Zhang Xiaohua.

Zhang Xiaohua secretly began cultivating the Carefree Heart Sutra and, while asleep, unknowingly drew starlight into his body and refined it into Primordial Qi. The next morning his Big Dipper Divine Fist improved, while He Tianshu finished studying Misty Steps and eagerly confronted Zhang Xiaohua about his training.

• Zhang Xiaohua persuaded He Tianshu to study the Misty Steps pages and explain the movement technique to him later.
• Zhang Xiaohua read the Carefree Heart Sutra, decided to try its first-level cultivation method without a teacher, and fell asleep while practicing its breathing rhythm.
• As Zhang Xiaohua slept, his breathing changed, drew starlight through his pores, and refined it into Primordial Qi that circulated through his body.
• Zhang Xiaohua woke refreshed, practiced the Big Dipper Divine Fist, and confirmed that a familiar flow appeared after every eight repetitions.
• Zhang Xiaohua tried the breathing method again in the woods but could not sense Primordial Qi, then found He Tianshu with bloodshot eyes at breakfast.
• He Tianshu grabbed Zhang Xiaohua and urged him to stop practicing low-class fist techniques.

He Tianshu studied the Misty Steps for several days before teaching Zhang Xiaohua its basic techniques, while Zhang Xiaohua advanced his Big Dipper Divine Fist and continued trying to cultivate primordial qi. The chapter ended with Zhang Xiaohua claiming he understood He Tianshu’s explanation immediately, surprising the exhausted captain.

• He Tianshu praised the Misty Steps’ first levels and explained that their lightness skill relied on surroundings and inertia, making them suitable for Zhang Xiaohua despite his lack of internal energy.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced the Big Dipper Divine Fist until he received a tenth warm current, but his attempts to find Primordial Qi in the woods still failed.
• Zhang Xiaohua’s sleeping cultivation drew starlight into his body, gradually increasing and refining the primordial qi in his middle dantian without his awareness.
• After several days of studying, He Tianshu arrived with dark circles under his eyes and took Zhang Xiaohua to the woods to teach him the Misty Steps’ basic techniques.
• Zhang Xiaohua said he understood He Tianshu’s explanation after hearing it once, astonishing He Tianshu.

Zhang Xiaohua quickly learned He Tianshu’s Misty Steps, while his Heart Sutra cultivation remained stalled. Later, Li Jinfeng visited the villa and told Zhang Xiaohua that his family was well, leaving him eager to hear more about home.

• He Tianshu demonstrated Misty Steps, and Zhang Xiaohua imitated the movements accurately despite lacking internal energy.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced so enthusiastically that he lost control and crashed into a tree, and He Tianshu explained how to use the lightness skill safely.
• Over the following days, Zhang Xiaohua mastered Misty Steps quickly, while his footwork also gave He Tianshu new insight into the technique.
• Li Jinfeng visited Zhang Xiaohua at the villa and explained that he had been unable to visit earlier because the guards had refused him entry.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Li Jinfeng that Zhang Xiaohu had joined the Misty Sect, and Li Jinfeng congratulated him after learning the news.
• Li Jinfeng told Zhang Xiaohua that he had delivered Zhang Xiaohu’s silver to their parents and that the family was well, prompting Zhang Xiaohua to eagerly ask about home.

Zhang Xiaohua learned from Li Jinfeng that his family was well and received a letter and message from his parents before asking He Tianshu to help him visit Zhang Xiaohu. At Misty Manor’s gate, they heard that rumors about Zhang Xiaohu’s entry into the sect had spread, leaving Zhang Xiaohua angry and He Tianshu warning that Zhang Xiaohu would have to overcome the jealousy himself.

• Li Jinfeng told Zhang Xiaohua about his family’s harvest, his parents’ gratitude for the silver, and their longing for him and Zhang Xiaohu.
• Zhang Xiaohua received a family letter and heard that his parents would welcome both brothers home if life in the city went badly.
• He Tianshu agreed to escort Zhang Xiaohua and Li Jinfeng to Misty Manor so they could visit Zhang Xiaohu.
• At the gate, a guard repeated rumors that Zhang Xiaohu had entered the sect through Manor Lord Ou’s connections and had been appointed Wen Wenhai’s disciple unfairly.
• He Tianshu told Zhang Xiaohua that Zhang Xiaohu would need to overcome the resentment and jealousy spreading through the sect.

Zhang Xiaohua and Li Jinfeng visited Zhang Xiaohu, who explained that his new status as Wen Wenhai’s direct disciple had brought him unwanted attention and gossip. Zhang Xiaohu gave Zhang Xiaohua the Mighty Ox Strength manual, and the chapter ended with Zhang Xiaohua asking about the Misty Sect’s upcoming Martial Arts Tournament.

• Li Jinfeng and He Tianshu comforted Zhang Xiaohua after he heard others gossiping about Zhang Xiaohu’s good fortune.
• He Tianshu led Zhang Xiaohua and Li Jinfeng to Zhang Xiaohu’s courtyard, where Zhang Xiaohu had been pretending to be away to avoid visitors seeking favors.
• Zhang Xiaohu explained that some disciples tried to curry favor with him while others resented his sudden rise as a direct disciple.
• Zhang Xiaohu reassured Zhang Xiaohua that he did not blame him and said he would focus on practicing martial arts despite the rumors.
• Zhang Xiaohu gave Zhang Xiaohua the basic internal cultivation manual Mighty Ox Strength and asked He Tianshu to help him with questions.
• When He Tianshu mentioned the Martial Arts Tournament, Zhang Xiaohua set down the manual and asked what the tournament was.

Zhang Xiaohua learned how Misty Sect disciples advanced through annual Martial Arts Tournaments and hoped to watch the upcoming event. After failing to sense Qi with Mighty Ox Strength, he succeeded in sensing and drawing Primordial Qi with the Carefree Heart Sutra, but could not tell where it went inside his body.

• He Tianshu explained that Commoner and Brocade disciples trained and advanced through different ranks and annual Martial Arts Tournament tests.
• Zhang Xiaohua learned the tournament was about a month away and that he could likely attend, though outsiders no longer competed.
• After returning to the medicinal fields, Zhang Xiaohua studied the Mighty Ox Strength manual Zhang Xiaohu had given him and failed to sense Qi.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced the Carefree Heart Sutra's Nine Shallow, One Deep breathing and sensed Primordial Qi for the first time.
• Zhang Xiaohua calmed himself, sensed another wisp of Primordial Qi, and guided it into his body, but could not detect where it went.

Zhang Xiaohua struggled to reconcile his ability to absorb Primordial Qi with He Tianshu’s explanation of ordinary internal-energy training, then discovered that the medicinal field held far more qi at night. As he absorbed it, his cultivation triggered the dream and mysterious resonance with the stars again.

• Zhang Xiaohua absorbed wisps of Primordial Qi during the day, but each disappeared inside his body, so he asked He Tianshu how internal energy worked.
• He Tianshu explained that Qi Sensation created internal energy within the meridians and insisted that people could not absorb qi from outside their bodies.
• Zhang Xiaohua reread the Carefree Heart Sutra and learned that yuan stones could supply Primordial Qi, but only after reaching the ninth level.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced at night and failed to sense qi in the woods, then returned to the medicinal field where he had first succeeded.
• Zhang Xiaohua sensed a much greater flow of Primordial Qi at the medicinal field and found that drawing in one wisp caused more to follow.
• Zhang Xiaohua lost track of time as qi entered his body, then fell into the dream while an invisible frequency from him harmonized with the stars.

While practicing in the woods, Zhang Xiaohua unexpectedly learned a difficult section of Misty Steps after watching He Tianshu struggle with it. He Tianshu realized Zhang Xiaohua’s lack of inner strength was why the movement came naturally to him, then offered to let him study the secret manual.

• Zhang Xiaohua woke refreshed after unconsciously cultivating through the night, though he did not notice the pure vital energy stored in his middle dantian.
• Zhang Xiaohua went to the woods and found He Tianshu struggling to understand the Misty Steps manual.
• He Tianshu demonstrated the footwork and invited Zhang Xiaohua to follow along, hoping to see him stumble at its difficult point.
• Zhang Xiaohua completed the difficult movement naturally, surprising He Tianshu, who had repeatedly failed to perform it himself.
• He Tianshu learned that Zhang Xiaohua’s lack of inner strength let him move naturally through the step, then offered him the secret manual to study.

Zhang Xiaohua asked Ou Yan for permission to build a hut beside the medicinal fields and to enter the Martial Arts Tournament. After Old Yu learned that Zhang Xiaohua had not sensed Qi while practicing Mighty Ox Strength, he mistook the hut plan for an effort to cultivate at night and urged him not to force what was not fated.

• He Tianshu praised Zhang Xiaohua's aptitude for the Misty Steps and suggested he might be better suited to literary studies, but Zhang Xiaohua said he preferred martial arts.
• Zhang Xiaohua offered to handle the medicinal fields while the others prepared for the Martial Arts Tournament and proposed building a hut there for the night.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked Ou Yan for leave to visit home, then accepted permission to build the hut when she agreed.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked to represent Huanxi Mountain Villa in the Martial Arts Tournament, and Ou Yan agreed to find out how he could enter.
• Old Yu examined Zhang Xiaohua's Mighty Ox Strength manual and, after hearing that he had not sensed Qi, assumed he planned to meditate at night in the fields and advised him not to force his cultivation.