Recaps

Jiang Xian’s encounter with Steward Hou triggered Qixia True Person to return and plot a humiliating retaliation against Guo Xiaomei, while Xie Jinhuan reunited with Wanyi and Linghu Qingmo before searching for Lu Wuzhen at the Directorate. The chapter ended with pregnant Ye Yunchi praying at the Temple of Confucius as thunder rumbled outside.

• Lin Zisu and Jiang Xian shopped for Phoenix Immortal Gowns, and Jiang Xian later spotted Tie Fengzhang talking with Steward Hou.
• Jiang Xian transformed into Qixia True Person, who kicked Steward Hou and then went to find Guo Xiaomei at the Marquis’s Residence.
• Qixia True Person watched Guo Xiaomei and Bu Yuehua in Jinhuan Pavilion and began planning a major revenge scheme.
• Xie Jinhuan reunited with Wanyi and Linghu Qingmo at Nine Dragons Hall, then left for the Directorate with Linghu Qingmo.
• Xie Jinhuan found a menacing qilin ornament in Lu Wuzhen’s office, left Qingmo’s Duty Report, and searched the tower for Lu Wuzhen.
• Ye Yunchi prayed for her unborn child at the Temple of Confucius, and thunder rumbled as she asked the sages to punish her rather than Xie Jinhuan.

Xie Jinhuan and Ye Hongshang provoked Nangong Ye during a sect meeting, then Nangong Ye returned to Plain Cloud Studio and reunited with Xie Jinhuan. After discussing Empress Dowager Guo and Senior Qixia, Nangong Ye stayed with him, and their reunion turned intimate.

• Xie Jinhuan overheard Lu Wuzhen lecture the sect leaders and watched Nangong Ye attend the meeting, while Ye Hongshang transformed into Sister Bu and kissed him to provoke her.
• Ye Hongshang took Xie Jinhuan to Plain Cloud Studio and teased him in another disguise, while Nangong Ye grew furious at the meeting.
• Nangong Ye returned to the studio and found Xie Jinhuan exercising beside a tray of suggestive items; she fled, but Xie Jinhuan caught her and persuaded her to stay.
• Nangong Ye asked whether Xie Jinhuan had brought Empress Dowager Guo into their circle and told him to notify her when Senior Qixia returned.
• Xie Jinhuan carried Nangong Ye to the bedroom, put away the items, and their reunion became intimate.

After bathing with Nangong Ye, Xie Jinhuan returned to the Directorate of Celestial Observation to review Linghu Qingmo’s research into places that could store blood qi. He then went home, where Zhao Ling, Ye Yunchi, and Linghu Qingmo discussed a name for Ye Yunchi’s child before Zhao Ling turned the welcome-home gathering into a teasing, intimate scene.

• Xie Jinhuan bathed with Nangong Ye, who told him to leave and stay out of her dispute with the Demoness, then saw him off from Plain Cloud Studio.
• Xie Jinhuan remembered his unfinished business and returned to the Directorate of Celestial Observation, where Linghu Qingmo showed him a list of Spirit-Gathering Array sites that might conceal stored blood qi.
• Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo discussed how Shang Lianbi might have hidden resources among the Righteous Path’s major powers, then went to the Danyang Marquis Household.
• Duoduo welcomed Xie Jinhuan and led him to Zhao Ling and Ye Yunchi, who told him about Ye Yunchi’s idea to name her child Sword Inheritance.
• Zhao Ling pulled Linghu Qingmo onto Xie Jinhuan’s lap and began undressing him, then insisted Ye Yunchi join the gathering while Xie Jinhuan kept her from leaving.

Nangong Ye visited the Danyang Marquis Household and found Xie Jinhuan and the others drinking, while Qixia True Person led him to discover Empress Dowager Guo and Bu Yuehua in enchanted outfits. The party drew more companions into the bedroom, and Nangong Ye ultimately followed Lin Wanyi inside as the gathering continued through the night.

• Nangong Ye peeked into the Lakeside Banquet Hall, then met Qixia True Person, who agreed to arrange Qingmo's promotion and showed him names she had chosen for his child.
• Xie Jinhuan carried Linghu Qingmo upstairs with Zhao Ling, Nai Duo, and Ye Yunchi, where they found Empress Dowager Guo and Bu Yuehua asleep in enchanted gauze outfits.
• Empress Dowager Guo concealed that Mei Conggao had put her in the outfit, while Xie Jinhuan and Zhao Ling tested its magical effects on her and Bu Yuehua.
• Qixia True Person brought members of the Lin Household to listen from next door, then left after Lin Wanyi covered Lin Zisu's ears.
• Lin Wanyi persuaded Nangong Ye to join the gathering, and she entered the bedroom as Xie Jinhuan welcomed her with a drinking-game penalty.

After waking from the revelry at the Marquis's Residence, Xie Jinhuan set out with Lin Zisu and Jiang Xian while Empress Dowager Guo asked them to shop for clothes. At the Directorate of Celestial Observation, Linghu Qingmo was named Qixia True Person's Close-Door Disciple and next Sect Leader, and Lu Wuzhen explained the limits of Xie Jinhuan's investigation into the Righteous Path.

• Lin Zisu and Coal Ball woke Jiang Xian, who checked the Xian'er Diary and planned to discuss its instructions with Xie Jinhuan.
• Xie Jinhuan woke amid the women in Jinhuan Pavilion, then went downstairs to meet Lin Zisu and head out for breakfast.
• Empress Dowager Guo instructed Jiang Xian and Lin Zisu to buy new outfits at the Colorful Garments Pavilion, with Xie Jinhuan helping them choose.
• Lu Wuzhen told Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo that Qingmo would become Qixia True Person's Close-Door Disciple and the next Sect Leader, with Nangong Ye teaching him.
• Lu Wuzhen asked Linghu Qingmo to warn Xie Jinhuan to focus his investigation on the Demon Path and avoid exposing unrelated wrongdoing across the Righteous Path.

Zhao Ling secretly sprinkled Empress Xu’s supposed aphrodisiac on Xie Jinhuan’s pillow, while Empress Dowager Guo noticed and began plotting. Later, Lin Zisu received a mysterious message from her aunt and lost a pill, leaving her puzzled as she walked with Xie Jinhuan and Jiang Xian.

• Empress Xu asked Zhao Ling about her relationship with Xie Jinhuan and gave her a powder intended to encourage him to want children.
• Zhao Ling secretly sprinkled the powder on Xie Jinhuan’s pillow, and Empress Dowager Guo noticed her furtive actions from outside the room.
• At the Colorful Garments Pavilion, Ye Hongshang challenged Xie Jinhuan to a physical contest, then kissed him before Zisu and Jiang Xian came out.
• Xie Jinhuan paid for the Dharma Robes, and he, Lin Zisu, and Jiang Xian walked back through the Capital City.
• Lin Zisu heard her aunt ask for medicine to strengthen self-control and offered a Dan of Disinterest in Men, but afterward she could not remember the exchange and discovered the pill was missing.
• Xie Jinhuan and Jiang Xian questioned Lin Zisu about the missing pill, and Xie Jinhuan wondered whether Ghost Wife had taken it.

Nangong Ye told Xie Jinhuan about the search for the Corpse Ancestor’s hidden stores and the need to inspect the Hundred Schools Ancestral Court, then Xie Jinhuan carried him off to cultivate. Linghu Qingmo, Zhao Ling, and Duoduo listened nearby, with Qingmo realizing that his former master’s private habits were no secret to the household.

• Nangong Ye agreed that Linghu Qingmo could continue calling him Master at home, though they would use their new senior-sister and junior-sister titles outside.
• Nangong Ye began painting a family portrait in Xie Jinhuan’s study, but the imagined child kept resembling Linghu Qingmo or Xie Xiaohuan.
• Nangong Ye explained that Xie Jinhuan must inspect the Spirit-Gathering Arrays at the Hundred Schools Ancestral Court while remaining ready to respond to any developments in the search for Shang Lianbi’s hidden stores.
• Xie Jinhuan carried Nangong Ye to his bedroom, where they began an intimate encounter as Ye Hongshang secretly watched.
• Zhao Ling and Duoduo listened with Linghu Qingmo from a nearby room, and Zhao Ling declared Duoduo the loser of their bet.

Empress Dowager Guo sent Jiang Xian and Lin Zisu to check on Xie Jinhuan, whose strange agitation was caused by Ye Hongshang’s interference. Jiang Xian left Zisu alone with him, and Zisu tried to calm him by imitating how Yuehua had treated him, ending in a kiss.

• Empress Dowager Guo told Jiang Xian to massage Xie Jinhuan, and Lin Zisu joined her to examine his supposed back pain.
• Jiang Xian heard Nangong Ye’s voice near Xie Jinhuan’s room, while Ye Hongshang warned Xie Jinhuan that Zisu had arrived.
• Lin Zisu discovered Xie Jinhuan was unharmed but unusually heated, and offered him a pill that would suppress his desire for half a month.
• Ye Hongshang entered Xie Jinhuan’s divine soul and made him raise a hand as if to injure himself, prompting Jiang Xian and Lin Zisu to help him.
• Jiang Xian asked to accompany Xie Jinhuan to the Various Sects' Ancestral Court, then left Zisu alone with him.
• Lin Zisu sat in Xie Jinhuan’s lap and kissed him after he showed her a Crystal Ball recording of Yuehua treating him.

Xie Jinhuan faced Ye Hongshang’s challenge after Lin Zisu failed to cure his condition, and Ye Hongshang used her One Breath, Three Pure Ones technique to overwhelm him with three forms. Their contest left the Rear Residence listening outside as Ye Hongshang’s medicine and multiplied sensations turned the tables on her.

• Jiang Xian left a boastful message in the Xian'er Diary while Empress Dowager Guo watched Mei Conggao and continued plotting to recruit him.
• Linghu Qingmo warned Nangong Ye that the Rear Residence had heard her intimate sounds, but they then heard another seductive voice upstairs.
• Lin Zisu tried to soothe Xie Jinhuan, found his condition unchanged, offered him a pill, and left to change her stained skirt.
• Ye Hongshang accepted Xie Jinhuan’s wager and used One Breath, Three Pure Ones to create three forms that challenged him together.
• Ye Hongshang took Zisu’s Dan of Disinterest in Men, but it did not stop her body’s reactions, and the contest turned against her.
• Linghu Qingmo, Nangong Ye, Zhao Ling, and Duoduo listened outside and speculated about Ye Hongshang and Xie Jinhuan.

After spending the afternoon with Ye Hongshang, Xie Jinhuan watched her pressure Nangong Ye into keeping their relationship secret, while Nangong Ye suspected Bu Yuehua had drugged him and headed to Nine Dragons Hall. Meanwhile, Jiang Xian and Lin Zisu reconciled by sharing Xie Jinhuan’s attention as evening fell.

• Ye Hongshang merged her three forms, refused to accept Xie Jinhuan’s claim that she had lost their bet, and left him alone.
• Nangong Ye visited Ye Hongshang, who showed her evidence of her past affairs and demanded secrecy, then told her to call her sister.
• Nangong Ye suspected Bu Yuehua had drugged Xie Jinhuan and went to Nine Dragons Hall to confront her.
• Coal Ball alerted Xie Jinhuan that Lin Zisu and Jiang Xian were arguing, and he went to the guest room to intervene.
• Lin Zisu insisted Jiang Xian help Xie Jinhuan recover, then persuaded her to share his attention as Coal Ball waited outside.

Qixia True Person awoke in Jiang Xian’s body and set out to find Xie Jinhuan, while he returned to Nine Dragons Hall and encountered Ye Hongshang. Nangong Ye hid in a wardrobe to ambush him, but was left bewildered when he entered the bedroom alone and began acting out an imaginary encounter.

• Qixia True Person woke in Jiang Xian’s body, scolded herself in the diary, and went searching for Xie Jinhuan.
• Qixia True Person learned that Xie Jinhuan had gone to Nine Dragons Hall and kicked the Ugly Freak steward as she passed him.
• Xie Jinhuan walked through the Outer City with Lin Zisu and Coal Ball, then went to Nine Dragons Hall while Lin Zisu hurried inside.
• Xie Jinhuan found Bu Yuehua and Wanyi attending a meeting, so he waited in Wanyi’s private quarters with Qinwen.
• Ye Hongshang appeared in a mature, dignified outfit and teased Xie Jinhuan before he carried her toward the bedroom.
• Nangong Ye hid in the wardrobe with drugs prepared for an ambush, then watched Xie Jinhuan enter alone and pretend to throw an unseen woman onto the bed.

Xie Jinhuan’s dancing in the room led Qixia True Person to discover him, and a drug-induced surge of her Demonic Nature turned her attack into an overwhelming attempt to kiss and cultivate with him. Nangong Ye was knocked unconscious while Ye Hongshang advised Xie Jinhuan to cooperate, leaving him trapped with Qixia True Person as she demanded his help.

• Xie Jinhuan danced naked by the wardrobe while Nangong Ye watched unseen, mistaking the performance for deliberate seduction.
• Qixia True Person entered and confronted Xie Jinhuan for being intimate with her Close-Door Disciple, Xiao Biao.
• Qixia True Person’s Demonic Nature flared, and she pinned Xie Jinhuan down and tried to kiss him.
• Nangong Ye emerged from the wardrobe to intervene, but Qixia True Person knocked him unconscious.
• Ye Hongshang explained that a strong drug had triggered Qixia True Person’s Demonic Nature and suggested Xie Jinhuan cooperate to calm her.
• Xie Jinhuan reluctantly agreed to guide Qixia True Person, who continued kissing him and demanded that he bring his face closer.

After Qixia True Person was drugged and became intimate with Xie Jinhuan, she woke up mortified and threatened him to keep the incident secret. Lin Wanyi and Lin Zisu meanwhile discussed how to make Wanyi more assertive among Xie Jinhuan’s companions.

• Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi heard suspicious sounds upstairs, but Ye Hongshang stopped them and said Xie Jinhuan was treating someone’s injury.
• Nangong Ye woke and secretly watched her white-haired master kiss Xie Jinhuan, then pretended to sleep rather than interrupt.
• Lin Zisu proposed making Lin Wanyi a pill to help her outlast Xie Jinhuan, and Lin Wanyi agreed to let her try.
• Qixia True Person woke beside Xie Jinhuan, watched a Water Screen showing her drugged behavior, and realized she had been the one to force herself on him.
• Qixia True Person suspected Guo Xiaomei had drugged her, but Xie Jinhuan persuaded her not to confront Guo and she ordered him to keep the incident secret before leaving.

Xie Jinhuan woke beside Nangong Ye after the White-Haired Immortal left, then had to manage Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua's quarrel. Jiang Xian woke in the West Residence with no memory of the previous night and found a message directing her to summon Xie Jinhuan to the Empress Dowager.

• Nangong Ye admitted he had drugged Xie Jinhuan and asked him to cover for him, and Xie Jinhuan agreed.
• Bu Yuehua taunted Nangong Ye, and Xie Jinhuan carried them both into the bathing room to stop their argument.
• Qingmo went to the Directorate of Celestial Observation to seek news, while Empress Xu questioned Zhao Ling about the drug.
• Jiang Xian woke with a sore bottom, checked the Immortal's Daily Record, and found instructions to tell Xie Jinhuan that the Empress Dowager wanted to see him alone.

Xie Jinhuan went to see Empress Dowager Guo and discovered that Mei Conggao had marked her with the words “For Jinhuan’s exclusive use.” While he tried to remove the mark, Qixia True Person showed the scene to Zhao Ling, Ye Yunchi, and Linghu Qingmo, leaving the household amused and embarrassed.

• Lin Zisu left Xie Jinhuan and Jiang Xian alone to check the Medicine Furnace, and Xie Jinhuan took Jiang Xian’s hand as they walked toward the Marquis’s Residence.
• Xie Jinhuan spotted Zhao Ling and Linghu Qingmo examining a family portrait in the Study before heading to Empress Dowager Guo’s room.
• Xie Jinhuan found Empress Dowager Guo meditating and discovered that Mei Conggao had written “For Jinhuan’s exclusive use” on her body.
• Ye Hongshang laughed at the mark, while Xie Jinhuan tried to examine and remove it but became distracted instead.
• Qixia True Person used a Water Screen to show Zhao Ling, Ye Yunchi, and Linghu Qingmo Xie Jinhuan with Empress Dowager Guo, then left after privately enjoying the scene.
• Zhao Ling teased Linghu Qingmo about writing a similar message for him, and he protested while Ye Yunchi hesitated.

Xie Jinhuan sought the White-Haired Immortal’s help removing the writing she had placed on Sister Guo, but he got distracted by Linghu Qingmo and arranged to visit Hualin Academy with her and Jiang Xian. Meanwhile, He Can and Mao Chunniang watched Hualin Academy as they tracked Shang Lianbi’s movements, with the Corpse Ancestor missing after following Li Yanru.

• After Sister Guo ordered Xie Jinhuan to find the White-Haired Immortal and remove her mark, he caught Linghu Qingmo trying to hide the writing Ling'er had put on her and delayed his search to flirt with her.
• Linghu Qingmo warned Xie Jinhuan that Li Yanru had not answered the Directorate of Celestial Observation’s message, and Xie Jinhuan decided to investigate Hualin Academy with her.
• Xie Jinhuan asked Jiang Xian to contact Qixia True Person, but he stopped her from using a risky invocation and invited her and Zisu to accompany him to Hualin Academy.
• He Can and Mao Chunniang watched Hualin Academy while secretly tracking Shang Lianbi, who had arrived there after returning from the Western Regions.
• He Can and Mao Chunniang worried that Mo Hunsheng might not return after following Li Yanru, while a Wide-Eared Fox watched the riverbank from an inn window.

Xie Jinhuan and his companions set out by pleasure boat, where playful rivalry between Zhao Ling and Linghu Qingmo gave way to Lin Zisu's plan to catch her aunt with Xie. Qixia True Person interrupted the plan to demand an apology and compensation over the drugging incident, while Ye Hongshang appeared to mediate.

• Xie Jinhuan joined Zhao Ling and Linghu Qingmo on the boat, and Linghu Qingmo wrote “Harder!” on Zhao Ling’s back before Zhao Ling retaliated by writing humiliating messages on Qingmo.
• Lin Zisu brewed tea mixed with a tonic and invited Xie Jinhuan to drink, hoping to use it to catch her aunt in a compromising situation with him.
• Jiang Xian transformed into the White-Haired Immortal and went to find Xie Jinhuan, but found him alone with Lin Zisu instead.
• Qixia True Person asked Xie Jinhuan to tell Guo Xiaomei to apologize and offer compensation if she wanted the mark removed, while Xie tried to defend Guo.
• Qixia True Person summoned Ye Hongshang, who appeared dressed as a household matriarch and said she had done what she could to preserve Qixia’s chastity.

Xie Jinhuan, Ye Hongshang, and Qixia True Person drank Zisu’s drugged tea, and Qixia dragged Xie Jinhuan onto a bed to test whether their yin and yang dragon veins could complement each other. As the others aboard heard the sounds from the room, Zisu and the people waiting for Xie Jinhuan grew increasingly unsettled.

• Xie Jinhuan tried to persuade Qixia True Person to forgive Guo Xiaomei, but Qixia demanded an apology or the name of whoever had drugged them.
• After drinking the tea, Xie Jinhuan, Ye Hongshang, and Qixia True Person felt its effects; Qixia insisted that Xie Jinhuan test their dragon veins through dual cultivation.
• Ye Hongshang tried to take Qixia’s place in the test, but Qixia pushed in beside her and pulled Xie Jinhuan between them.
• Lin Zisu heard the sounds from the next room, realized she had dragged Qixia into her scheme, and slipped into Xiao Biao’s room, where she lay down as the tea’s effects stirred her thoughts.
• Zhao Ling, Linghu Qingmo, and Duoduo heard the distant sounds and waited, surprised that they continued without any sign of Zisu asking Xie Jinhuan to stop.

Xie Jinhuan soothed Qixia True Person and Ye Hongshang after Zisu's drug caused them to lose control, but Qixia fled to confront Guo Xiaomei. After discovering Zisu asleep and learning Xian'er had gone to calm Qixia, Xie Jinhuan asked Zisu to tell Yuehua to check on the dispute.

• Xie Jinhuan helped Qixia True Person regain clarity while Ye Hongshang stayed close, and Qixia realized she had been intimate with him beside Ye Hongshang.
• Ye Hongshang blamed the incident on an accidental drugging and suggested Qixia take her anger out on Guo Xiaomei, prompting Qixia to fly back to the Capital City.
• Xie Jinhuan asked Ye Hongshang to stop Qixia from making trouble for Guo Xiaomei, but Ye Hongshang instead teased and comforted him.
• Xie Jinhuan found Zisu asleep in Xiao Biao's room and read a note saying Xian'er had gone to soothe Qixia.
• Zisu woke and admitted she had drugged Xie Jinhuan as a prank; he asked her to tell Yuehua to check on Qixia and Guo Xiaomei.

On the pleasure boat, Lin Wanyi joined Xie Jinhuan, Linghu Qingmo, Zhao Ling, and Duoduo in a mischievous game of writing on one another, while Lin Zisu failed to contact her aunt and grew suspicious. Nangong Ye was summoned to the boat and caught up in the group’s antics as it sailed southwest.

• Xie Jinhuan brought Lin Wanyi aboard, where she discovered Linghu Qingmo, Zhao Ling, and Duoduo asleep after playfully writing on themselves.
• Lin Wanyi joined the others in writing on one another, and Xie Jinhuan joined their teasing while Ghost Wife watched.
• Back in Luojing, Lin Zisu could not contact Lin Wanyi and asked Nangong Ye to check on her, so Linghu Qingmo claimed Wanyi had gone to rest after drinking.
• Nangong Ye arrived aboard the pleasure boat and found herself caught in the group’s playful commotion.
• The pleasure boat sailed southwest while Coal Ball flapped her wings to fill its sails.

Lin Zisu asked Bu Qingya to send her soul back, but he returned her soul without restoring Lin Wanyi’s, leaving Lin Zisu trapped as a passenger in her own body while Lin Wanyi continued with Xie Jinhuan. The chapter ended with Lin Zisu helplessly experiencing her aunt’s increasingly intimate antics aboard the pleasure boat.

• Lin Zisu went to Bu Qingya and asked him to return her soul to her body.
• Bu Qingya used his divine soul technique to send Lin Zisu back, but Bu Yuehua realized Lin Wanyi had not returned with her.
• Lin Wanyi sensed Lin Zisu’s voice while she was with Xie Jinhuan, but she could not find or recognize her niece’s presence.
• Lin Zisu discovered she had returned to her body but had no control over it because Lin Wanyi still controlled it.
• Lin Wanyi continued her intimate encounter with Xie Jinhuan, while Lin Zisu experienced it helplessly.

Lin Zisu woke in the Princess’s bed beside Xie Jinhuan, Lin Wanyi, Momo, and Duoduo, then confronted Lin Wanyi at the Danyang Marquis Household. Lin Wanyi realized Zisu had drugged them and punished her, while Zisu fled before explaining her feelings for Xie Jinhuan.

• Jiang Xian woke to Coal Ball at the Boat Tower and discovered Zisu was not in her room.
• Lin Zisu woke in the Princess’s bed beside Xie Jinhuan, Momo, Ling'er, and Duoduo, and saw writing and a peony painted on her body.
• Xie Jinhuan tried to reassure Lin Zisu, who rushed away when she saw Jiang Xian in the passage.
• Lin Wanyi woke alone at the Danyang Marquis Household and realized she had returned to her own body.
• Lin Zisu confronted Lin Wanyi about the previous night, and Lin Wanyi accused her of drugging them.
• Lin Wanyi spanked Lin Zisu and demanded to know how far she had gone with Xie Jinhuan, but Zisu ran away.

Xie Jinhuan woke after a night aboard the pleasure boat while Lin Wanyi and Lin Zisu discovered they were sharing one body and could hear each other’s thoughts. After the two souls switched control, Lin Wanyi realized she was still trapped inside Zisu’s body and secretly watched what Zisu would do next.

• Xie Jinhuan left the sleeping women and found Ye Hongshang making breakfast in the boat’s kitchen.
• Lin Zisu woke inside Lin Wanyi’s body and confronted her aunt about the previous night and the drug she had used.
• Lin Wanyi overheard Lin Zisu’s thoughts and accused her of drugging her, while Lin Zisu demanded that Lin Wanyi explain her relationship with Xie Jinhuan to her grandparents.
• Lin Wanyi activated the mark to switch control, and Lin Zisu regained control of their shared body.
• Lin Wanyi realized the switch had not sent her back to her own body, so she stayed quiet and secretly watched Lin Zisu.

Lin Zisu worried that Lin Wanyi would be angry about her relationship with Xie Jinhuan, but Xie reassured her by praising Wanyi’s importance to their household. Ye Hongshang then teased Xie in the kitchen, and Lin Zisu and Jiang Xian joined in helping him under the pretense of treating his condition, while Lin Wanyi was unwillingly drawn into the experience.

• Lin Zisu asked Xie Jinhuan whether he and Lin Wanyi had been intimate and worried that Wanyi had realized she drugged him.
• Xie Jinhuan promised to shoulder the consequences and said Wanyi mattered greatly to him and could manage their household.
• Ye Hongshang secretly teased Xie Jinhuan while he prepared Coal Ball’s breakfast, leaving him struggling to keep his composure.
• Lin Zisu mistook Xie Jinhuan’s reaction for an aftereffect of the drug and began treating him in the kitchen.
• Jiang Xian woke to find instructions in the Xian’er Diary to visit Empress Dowager Guo, then went into the kitchen and joined Lin Zisu in helping Xie Jinhuan.

Xie Jinhuan investigated Li Yanru’s disappearance at Hualin Academy and uncovered a hidden chamber beneath the Martyrs' Shrine. Inside, Mo Hunsheng was completing a blood sacrifice, and his power erupted across the Southern Dynasty as Xie Jinhuan faced him from beyond the sealed wall.

• Shang Lianbi waited in disguise near Hualin Academy, hoping the Righteous Path would find Li Yanru and create a chance for him to escape the Corpse Ancestor.
• Xie Jinhuan arrived at Hualin Academy with Jiang Xian and Lin Zisu, learned Li Yanru had vanished, and used an imperial warrant to inspect the grounds.
• Ye Hongshang detected a hidden formation beneath the Martyrs' Shrine, and Xie Jinhuan lifted the Martial Ancestor statue to reveal a recently built underground passage.
• Xie Jinhuan discovered a concealed treasury and struck its glowing wall, then warned Wang Mian and the others that the Corpse Ancestor might be cultivating beyond it.
• Mo Hunsheng opened his eyes in a blood-filled chamber beside Li Yanru’s drained corpse and unleashed a vast surge of blood baleful intent that alerted sects across the Southern Dynasty.
• Lin Zisu saw the blood surge erupt beneath the academy, while Coal Ball covered her eyes and Xiao Biao disappeared.