Recaps

Xie Jinhuan used the Blood Demon Pill’s energy to fight and kill the exceptionally durable He Hai in the Mine. After vowing to avenge the sacrificed prisoners, he gathered He Hai’s belongings and hurried toward Yunling Mountain, where a battle was still raging.

• Xie Jinhuan consumed the Blood Demon Pill’s blood energy as He Hai and the Demon Bandits attacked him, and he cut down the bandits while battling He Hai.
• Ye Hongshang identified He Hai as a human-demon hybrid and suggested targeting his forehead, which Xie Jinhuan struck but failed to pierce.
• He Hai charged Xie Jinhuan repeatedly, and Xie Jinhuan met him head-on until an elbow and a kick cracked He Hai’s forehead.
• Xie Jinhuan finished He Hai with the Heavenly Gang Mace, then examined his improved cultivation and promised to avenge the Mine’s victims.
• Ye Hongshang warned that something was wrong at Yunling Mountain, and Xie Jinhuan collected the empty Golden Orb and He Hai’s belongings before rushing there.

Xie Jinhuan arrived at the Imperial Mausoleum with evidence that the Nether God Sect's Blood Demon Pill plot had been disrupted, provoking the half-demon into a berserk attack. Nangong Ye and the two enforcers defeated the half-demon, who then asked to speak with His Majesty.

• Li Jing and Zhang Guan struggled to hold off the half-demon as Nangong Ye waited for a chance to intervene.
• Xie Jinhuan arrived and tossed a golden Hollow Sphere and a jade pendant engraved with "Tusked Boar" into the valley, revealing that the Blood Sacrifice had been disrupted.
• The half-demon recognized the pendant and flew into a murderous rage, chasing Xie Jinhuan while Li Jing and Zhang Guan attacked him.
• Nangong Ye carried Xie Jinhuan into a burial chamber, then returned and used the seven Dharma Swords to trap and devastate the half-demon with lightning.
• Zhang Guan pinned the wounded half-demon in the cliff, and the half-demon asked for His Majesty to come because he had things to discuss with him.

At the Imperial Mausoleum, He Xiu revealed that Emperor Qian’s rise to the throne and decades of rule had depended on the Nether God Sect, then died after attempting to attack him. Emperor Qian ordered a purge of the He Household and investigations into his own family and court, leaving with his faith in heaven shattered.

• Lu Wuzhen brought Emperor Qian to the Imperial Mausoleum, where the dying He Xiu asked to speak with him and Lu Wuzhen alone.
• He Xiu confessed that the Nether God Sect had helped Emperor Qian defeat the Second Prince, supplied the Human Origin Pills that kept him alive, and used He Xiu to plant agents and manufacture pills across Great Qian.
• He Xiu named the Nether God Sect’s goals, identified He Man as the intended recipient of the Blood Demon Pill, and admitted responsibility for the Imperial Palace haunting and the death of Xie Jinhuan’s father.
• As Emperor Qian approached him, He Xiu suddenly attacked, and Lu Wuzhen destroyed his body with a hand seal.
• Emperor Qian ordered the He Household exterminated, He Man hunted down, the Imperial Father-in-Law’s associates investigated, and the Crown Prince, Empress, and Pill King examined for ties to the Demon Path.
• Emperor Qian asked whether the gods and Buddhas were blind, and Lu Wuzhen replied that heaven and earth simply did not care.

Xie Jinhuan carried the poisoned Nangong Ye back to the inn after recounting how he had killed a boar-spirit Demon Bandit with a Blood Demon Pill. Nangong Ye discovered that Xie Jinhuan’s icy Qi could suppress his Yang Poison, but his unconscious search for its source led to an embarrassing encounter before they reached safety.

• Xie Jinhuan illuminated the sealed tomb with Palm Thunder, and Ghost Wife startled him before a burning-hot Nangong Ye returned.
• Xie Jinhuan carried Nangong Ye toward the inn and explained how he had used a Blood Demon Pill to kill the boar-spirit Demon Bandit after finding the dead convict laborers.
• Nangong Ye praised Xie Jinhuan for avenging the laborers and urged him to protect the righteous, while Xie Jinhuan vowed to destroy the Nether God Sect.
• Nangong Ye sensed that Xie Jinhuan’s icy Qi contained Extreme Yin Qi that could suppress his Yang Poison, then unconsciously groped for its source as Xie Jinhuan carried him.
• Xie Jinhuan slapped Nangong Ye’s waist to stop his probing, and the conscious but embarrassed Nangong Ye pretended to remain unconscious.
• Xie Jinhuan carried Nangong Ye into the inn and placed him, still pretending to sleep, in a bathing tub.

Xie Jinhuan considered the political fallout from Imperial Father-in-Law He’s exposure while Nangong Ye treated his injuries and contemplated using his icy qi to counter the Immortal-Burning Gu. Elsewhere, He Can poisoned Zhang Chu but was intercepted by Blood Chan Zi, who ordered them to join the Northwest Branch Altar.

• Xie Jinhuan listened to rumors about Imperial Father-in-Law He and concluded that the authorities would likely use him to close the Blood Demon Pill case.
• Nangong Ye emerged from the bath, helped treat Xie Jinhuan’s injuries, and asked about his icy qi, which might help counter the Immortal-Burning Gu.
• Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye traded remarks as Nangong Ye continued applying medicine to his shoulders, back, and arms.
• He Can used poisoned snake fumes and fiery liquor to incapacitate Zhang Chu, then took his saber and money before preparing to leave.
• Blood Chan Zi appeared and ordered He Can and Zhang Chu to join the Northwest Branch Altar, revealing that it would move into the capital to fill the Jingzhao Prefecture branch’s vacancies.

After the He Household’s fall, the Capital City launched a sweeping purge while the surviving Gu Poison Sect members struggled to operate. Nangong Ye sent Purple Emblem Mountain’s disciples to help hunt down Demon Path followers, then secretly joined Xie Jinhuan on the road back to the capital.

• Scarlet Qilin Guards arrested people connected to the He Household as the search for demons and deviant followers intensified, leaving the Gu Poison Sect’s Carefree Cave quiet.
• Lin Wanyi discussed the Immortal-Slaying Formation and Seven-Star Nails with Bu Hanying, agreeing to seek a way to counter the Seven-Star Nails in exchange for a Jiazi Lotus.
• Nangong Ye lectured Purple Emblem Mountain’s disciples about the mine massacre, praised Xie Jinhuan’s role in exposing the He Household, and dispatched teams to search Jingzhao Prefecture.
• Zhang Guan asked Nangong Ye about Xie Jinhuan’s background, and Nangong Ye defended him before ordering the elders to their duties.
• Xie Jinhuan read The Secret History of Monk Wuxin while traveling toward the capital, then picked up Nangong Ye, who joined him in the carriage.

On the road to Capital City, Nangong Ye’s Immortal-Burning Gu flared as his supply of medicine ran low, leaving him dependent on Xie Jinhuan’s Yin Coldness. Nangong Ye tried to set strict limits on how Xie Jinhuan could help, and the chapter ended with Xie Jinhuan tending to him inside the carriage.

• Xie Jinhuan played music outside the carriage while Ye Hongshang listened, and Nangong Ye struggled with the approaching noon flare of his poison.
• Nangong Ye discovered that almost all his Soft Sister Powder was gone and learned from Xie Jinhuan that no Yin-Yang Oddity Powder remained.
• When the poison began to burn, Xie Jinhuan stopped the carriage and used icy Qi to ease Nangong Ye’s condition.
• Nangong Ye feared that losing consciousness would lead him to seize Xie Jinhuan’s Yin Coldness, so he insisted that Xie Jinhuan avoid doing anything that would cost him his chastity.
• Nangong Ye blindfolded himself and reluctantly allowed Xie Jinhuan to help draw out the Yin Coldness while continuing to suppress the Yang Poison.

Nangong Ye suppressed his Yang Poison with Xie Jinhuan’s help, then returned toward the Capital City while Xie promised to bring him medicine the next day. Xie reached the Lin Residence and reunited with Lin Wanyi as the capital remained locked down amid an investigation into the Nether God Sect’s plot.

• Nangong Ye recovered enough to leave the carriage, and Xie Jinhuan told him the poison would likely flare again at noon the next day and offered to meet him at the Fengyi River with Yin-Yang Oddity Powder.
• Ye Hongshang startled Xie Jinhuan with a scream, prompting Nangong Ye to rush back briefly before leaving again.
• At the Prince’s Manor, Linghu Qingmo learned that a white figure had entered the Lin Residence and went to investigate with Coal Ball.
• Lin Zisu told Xie Jinhuan she expected to finish refining the Dragon and Tiger Vitality Pill the next day.
• Xie Jinhuan reunited with Lin Wanyi, told her he had been injured and that the capital was under heavy security, then gave her a jadeite bracelet while she searched for healing medicine.

Linghu Qingmo sought Xie Jinhuan at the Lin Residence and found him receiving treatment from Lin Wanyi before bringing him back to the Prince's Manor. Emperor Qian approved a public account of the He clan’s crimes and rewards for Xie Jinhuan, while Nangong Ye saw Linghu Qingmo and Xie Jinhuan growing closer and resolved to set firm boundaries.

• Linghu Qingmo found Xie Jinhuan injured while Lin Wanyi treated his bruises, then left with him for the Prince's Manor.
• Emperor Qian reviewed the He clan’s crimes announcement, cleared Xie Wen’s name, and increased Xie Jinhuan’s reward to include a residence, farmland, and money.
• Lu Wuzhen ordered the Cinnabar Cauldron Sect branches to defend their standing, and Nangong Ye promised Purple Emblem Mountain would deal with Fanyun Temple.
• Nangong Ye visited the Prince's Manor and saw Linghu Qingmo allow Xie Jinhuan to kiss her and put a bracelet on her wrist.
• Nangong Ye left determined to draw a strict line when Xie Jinhuan next visited Linghu Qingmo.

Xie Jinhuan visited Lin Zisu as she refined a powerful pill and prepared new medicine for his Yang Poison. Meanwhile, Nangong Ye discussed Purple Emblem Mountain’s mysteries and Fanyun Temple, then spotted a handsome young man waiting outside his lodgings and quietly avoided him.

• Xie Jinhuan left Wanyi asleep and visited Lin Zisu in the mist-filled Alchemy Chamber, where she explained that her Jiazi Lotus pill would strengthen his body.
• Lin Zisu gave Xie Jinhuan Soft Sister Powder and said she was developing a medicine that could eradicate Yang Poison within three days.
• Xie Jinhuan paid Lin Zisu for her work, accepted her homemade maltose candy, and left Coal Ball with her.
• Nangong Ye and Zhang Guan discussed the unexplained blood baleful intent over Purple Emblem Mountain and considered how to challenge Fanyun Temple.
• Zhang Guan suggested that Xie Jinhuan become Dao Companions with Qingmo, and Nangong Ye said the choice depended on Qingmo’s wishes.
• Nangong Ye spotted an aloof young man waiting outside his lodgings and quietly took a detour back to his room.

Xie Jinhuan brought Nangong Ye medicine and a ceramic xun, then played music while Nangong Ye struggled with the Yang Poison and reconsidered his boundaries. Nangong Ye agreed to repay Xie Jinhuan for saving him, and Xie Jinhuan ended up holding him while continuing to play as Ye Hongshang joined them.

• Xie Jinhuan visited Nangong Ye with medicine and promised that a friend would prepare a cure within three to five days.
• Xie Jinhuan gave Nangong Ye a ceramic xun and played “Love of a Lifetime” while using icy Qi to cool his Yang Poison.
• Ye Hongshang danced provocatively to compete for Xie Jinhuan’s attention as Nangong Ye wrestled with his feelings and principles.
• Nangong Ye covered his eyes and offered to repay Xie Jinhuan for saving him, moving close beside him.
• Xie Jinhuan pulled the blindfolded Nangong Ye into his arms and continued playing while Ye Hongshang nestled against him.

Xie Jinhuan received the Dragon and Tiger Vitality Pill from Lin Zisu and took it despite fears about its side effects. Its immense power knocked him unconscious, and he was expected to sleep for half a month, leaving little time before the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum crisis.

• Nangong Ye told Xie Jinhuan that they were even after repaying his earlier favor, and Xie Jinhuan left, promising to return the next day.
• Xie Jinhuan returned to the Lin Household and watched Lin Zisu finish refining the Dragon and Tiger Vitality Pill, stopping Coal Ball from biting it.
• Lin Zisu assured Xie Jinhuan the pill was safe, while Lin Wanyi warned that any side effects would likely be embarrassing rather than dangerous.
• Xie Jinhuan swallowed the pill, and its surging medicinal power overwhelmed his weak Divine Sense and made him collapse unconscious.
• Lin Zisu examined Xie Jinhuan and said he would wake in about half a month, while the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum was due to erupt in roughly eleven days and fourteen hours.

Nangong Ye secretly helped Xie Jinhuan suppress his Yang Poison while Xie Jinhuan recovered in seclusion, and the chapter followed the political changes in the Capital City during his recovery. After Xie Jinhuan received a marquis title and the Daoist and Buddhist factions began openly competing, Nangong Ye returned to find him missing.

• Nangong Ye found Xie Jinhuan unconscious at the Lin Residence and secretly clasped his hand to use his icy Qi to suppress the Yang Poison.
• Over the following days, Nangong Ye repeatedly visited Xie Jinhuan, sometimes putting Qingmo or the eldest Miss Lin to sleep when they were nearby.
• Emperor Qian issued an edict revealing the case against the He Clan and granted Xie Jinhuan the title of Danyang County Marquis, a fief, and the Demon-Suppressing Order.
• Monk Wuxin, Lu Wuzhen, and Wu Jing took up new posts as Daoist and Buddhist factions began confronting one another openly in Jingzhao Prefecture.
• Nangong Ye noticed Emperor Qian's health worsening, while the Pill King visited the Capital City and beat his heir at the Prince's Manor.
• On the eighth day of the ninth month, Nangong Ye returned to the Lin Residence and found Xie Jinhuan gone, with the eldest Miss Lin asleep in his bed.

After taking the Dragon and Tiger Vitality Pill, Xie Jinhuan raced to the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum to seal it before Ye Hongshang was trapped inside. As the sealing formation stirred his buried memories, he chose to pull the Zhenglun Sword free and open the tomb instead.

• Xie Jinhuan woke after ten days of sleep, learned Ye Hongshang had only hours before the tomb sealed, and hurried toward Purple Emblem Mountain with Coal Ball and A Piao.
• Zhang Guan and A Cai saw a flash of lightning and storm clouds gather over Purple Emblem Mountain as the Boar King waited in the rain.
• Xie Jinhuan subdued the Boar King, rode him to the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum, and used the Zhenglun Sword to activate its sealing formation.
• Ye Hongshang kissed Xie Jinhuan before fading into the tomb, and he began restoring the formation while the chains rattled around the coffin.
• After taking the Dao Progress Surge Pill, Xie Jinhuan recalled fragments suggesting he had shared a life with Ye Hongshang and decided to free her rather than keep the tomb sealed.
• Xie Jinhuan pulled the Zhenglun Sword from the Demon-Suppressing Coffin, and red light swallowed him.

A young man and his father were ambushed on Three-Fork Ridge by a spear-wielding killer who sought to silence the father over what he had seen in the Imperial Palace. A Golden-Armored Divine Being saved them, sent the young man south to seek a mysterious being, and promised to make him a king if he returned alive; after a year of hardship and a perilous voyage, he sank into the sea at the End of the World.

• A cloaked spear-wielder attacked the traveling party, and the wounded middle-aged official revealed that he had seen He Man and He Hai sneaking through the Imperial Palace’s rear mountain with someone who might have been the Crown Prince.
• The white-robed boy fought the spear-wielder with his Heavenly Gang Mace, and his strange right eye froze the attacker as a Golden-Armored Divine Being arrived and destroyed him.
• The Golden-Armored Divine Being took the boy’s father away, gave the boy back his mace, healed his wounds, and told him to head south; she promised to watch over his family and make him a king if he met the being and returned alive.
• After killing Little White Horse to end its suffering, the boy vowed revenge on the He Household and traveled south with the Black Eagle, surviving by robbing martial thugs and fighting fiends.
• The boy reached Phoenix Harbor, stole a boat, and sailed south for two months before a storm wrecked it and left him stranded at the End of the World.
• The boy gave his remaining food to Little Black Eagle, then was overturned by a towering wave and sank into the sea.

The chapter revealed that Ye Hongshang had trained Xie Jinhuan for two years in an illusion realm before erasing his memories and sending him back to the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum. Watching him choose to save her again despite forgetting their time together, she stayed by his side as a wandering ghost and sealed away her own memories so they could share an ordinary life.

• Xie Jinhuan washed ashore after crossing the ocean and found Ye Hongshang atop a cliff, where he chose to stay and train rather than leave.
• Ye Hongshang sent Xie Jinhuan into the cave’s illusion realm to defeat increasingly difficult opponents, with death or failure wiping out his accumulated gains.
• Over two years, Xie Jinhuan developed his combat skills and entertained Ye Hongshang, while she grew attached to him and decided to send him back with the Zhenglun Sword.
• Ye Hongshang erased Xie Jinhuan’s memories of their training and planted a trigger that activated the Soul-Locking Curse when he drew the sword.
• Ye Hongshang watched Xie Jinhuan choose to overturn the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum for her, kissed him, and resolved to accompany him as a wandering ghost with her memories sealed.

Xie Jinhuan woke in the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum and learned that the white-haired Daoist nun was Qixia True Person, while Ye Hongshang remained a separate presence with mysterious missing memories. After resealing the tomb, he set out resolved to repay the Northern Zhou benefactor who had saved him and his father.

• Xie Jinhuan woke in the Demon-Suppressing Coffin and discovered that the white-haired Daoist nun was Qixia True Person's body, not Ye Hongshang's true form.
• Ye Hongshang explained that Qixia True Person had nearly become a demon after using Blood Sacrifice and was recovering in Life-and-Death Seclusion, while a spell kept both women's memories from returning.
• Xie Jinhuan remembered that he owed a debt to a Northern Zhou benefactor and feared his father might be suffering in exile there; he resolved to go north after settling matters in Great Qian.
• Ye Hongshang used a magical treasure to conceal the disturbance at the mausoleum and cast a protective Golden Light Spell on Xie Jinhuan.
• Xie Jinhuan resealed the coffin, concealed the tomb passage, woke the Boar King, and rode away with Ye Hongshang and Coal Ball, determined to repay his benefactor and bring his wife north.

Xie Jinhuan returned to Capital City, reunited with Lin Wanyi, and learned that Ye Hongshang could explain how to undo the Seven-Star Nails in exchange for a Jiazi Lotus. He also obtained Lin Zisu’s risky method for treating the Immortal-Burning Gu and hurried toward Linghu Qingmo’s carriage garage.

• Xie Jinhuan returned to Capital City with gifts for Lin Wanyi and Momo, reflecting on his cultivation, his debts to Golden-Armored Big Sister, and the mystery of the Heavenly Gang Mace.
• Xie Jinhuan reunited with Lin Wanyi, who scolded him for disappearing, and Lin Zisu checked that his pill had caused no obvious problems.
• Ye Hongshang revealed that she could determine how to undo the Seven-Star Nails by learning which seven Qi points had been locked, allowing Xie Jinhuan to seek a Jiazi Lotus from Lin Wanyi’s sect.
• Lin Zisu gave Xie Jinhuan an Adding Oil to the Fire Pill and instructions for using its antidote to combat the Immortal-Burning Gu, warning that the treatment could either restore the patient or kill him.
• Xie Jinhuan read the treatment instructions and headed for Linghu Qingmo’s carriage garage.

Nangong Ye and Xie Jinhuan tested Zisu’s treatment for the Immortal-Burning Gu, and it permanently reduced Nangong Ye’s poison at the cost of Xie Jinhuan enduring intense pain. Their complicated closeness was interrupted when the death knell announced Emperor Qian’s death, leaving Xie Jinhuan to fear upheaval in Great Qian.

• Nangong Ye rejected Bu Yuehua’s reconciliation offer unless she also gave him a Jiazi Lotus, and Bu Yuehua answered that he was out of his mind.
• Xie Jinhuan brought Nangong Ye Zisu’s treatment, took the first pill, and endured a painful outbreak so Nangong Ye could expel the poison.
• Nangong Ye’s Yang Poison was permanently reduced, and he thanked Xie Jinhuan while worrying about the debt and the growing entanglement between them.
• Xie Jinhuan gave Nangong Ye a pouch he had bought for him, and Nangong Ye accepted it despite his conflicted feelings.
• The death knell sounded, Nangong Ye identified it as Emperor Qian’s death, and Xie Jinhuan worried that Great Qian’s political order might change.

Emperor Qian died after refusing to use life-prolonging pills, and Empress He followed him by drinking poisoned wine. Crown Prince Zhao Jing Huan began preparing to rule, but after releasing his father’s Purple Thunder Sparrow, a strange, savage gleam flashed in his eyes.

• Lu Wuzhen and Monk Wuxin discussed the emperor’s impending death and the struggle between Daoism and Buddhism over Great Qian’s interests.
• Emperor Qian apologized to Empress He and prayed for peace for Great Qian’s people before he died; Empress He drank poisoned wine and joined him.
• Cao Fo'er announced Zhao Jing Huan’s regency and the mourning period, while people across Great Qian mourned the emperor.
• Cao Fo'er gave Zhao Jing Huan a box of childhood toys and a letter from Empress He, and told him why Emperor Qian had fought to reclaim the throne.
• Zhao Jing Huan released the Purple Thunder Sparrow, declared he would devote himself to becoming a wise ruler, and watched it fly away as a savage gleam briefly appeared in his eyes.

While waiting outside the palace after Emperor Qian’s death, Xie Jinhuan met Northern Zhou envoy Guo Ziyan and received a letter from his father, Xie Wen, in Yanjing. The letter reassured Xie Jinhuan that his father was safe and urged him to visit, leaving him with news of his father’s new life and a string of personal questions.

• Xie Jinhuan waited outside the palace with Linghu Qingmo and the others as dignitaries left after paying their respects to Emperor Qian.
• Xie Jinhuan gave Linghu Qingmo a white jade tassel hairpin, then discussed a case involving newly discovered desiccated corpses while the two secretly held hands.
• Xie Jinhuan approached Guo Ziyan and hinted at his past connection with Northern Zhou’s Empress Dowager.
• Guo Ziyan discreetly passed Xie Jinhuan a sealed letter from Xie Wen before leaving with his party.
• Xie Jinhuan read Xie Wen’s letter, which said he was thriving as a fifth-rank official and asked about Xie Jinhuan’s friends and romantic prospects.

Xie Jinhuan comforted Commandery Princess Changning over her father’s uncertain future and designed her a pair of high-heeled shoes. Meanwhile, Xue Laosan brought He Can and Zhang Chu to an abandoned temple, where he prepared them for a plan involving the Corpse Ancestor Mausoleum.

• Xie Jinhuan read Sister Guo’s letter, then joined Commandery Princess Changning’s carriage and heard her fears that the new emperor might threaten her father.
• Xie Jinhuan sketched high-heeled shoes with red soles for Commandery Princess Changning, who decided to have craftsmen make a pair.
• At an abandoned temple, He Can mourned the He Household’s deaths while Xue Laosan shaved his head and explained how hatred could awaken his demonic nature.
• Xue Laosan said he planned to capture yin-aligned spellcasters and try to open the Corpse Ancestor Mausoleum once its location became known.
• Xue Laosan revealed that He Can would serve only as a spare vessel for the Corpse Ancestor, provoking He Can’s anger.

Xie Jinhuan moved into his new residence and received an invitation to Wei Wuyi’s Heroes’ Gathering, where martial artists would compete for a Tiger Bone Vine. The chapter ended with Xie Jinhuan kissing Linghu Qingmo as he taught her to play the flute.

• Xie Jinhuan sketched Commandery Princess Changning, Linghu Qingmo, and Nai Duo in the carriage, and Changning kept the portrait.
• Nai Duo showed Xie Jinhuan his newly prepared Danyang Marquis residence and accepted his reward.
• Wei Lu delivered Xie Jinhuan an invitation to Wei Wuyi’s Heroes’ Gathering at Three Rivers Crossing, where the sects would discuss choosing the next alliance leader and compete for a Tiger Bone Vine.
• Xie Jinhuan considered the value of the gathering and the difficulty of raising his cultivation before it began, then said he would attend if his duties allowed.
• Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo explored the residence, and he drew her close to teach her a flute tune before kissing her.

Bu Hanying returned to the shop after discussing the Gu Poison Sect’s bid for official recognition and its proposed trade for the Seven-Star Nails remedy, but someone struck him unconscious. At the Lin Residence, Xie Jinhuan learned how to release the Seven-Star Nails and sought a way to strengthen himself before his trip to Three Rivers Crossing.

• Bu Hanying considered the Gu Poison Sect’s plan to gain recognition through Missing Moon Manor and exchanged a Jiazi Lotus for the method of removing the Seven-Star Nails.
• Bu Hanying entered his shop in Carefree Cave and was knocked unconscious by a fist.
• Xie Jinhuan read a letter from home and worried about the Crown Prince, his cultivation, and obtaining Tiger Bone Vine at Three Rivers Crossing.
• Ye Hongshang told Xie Jinhuan that a Mortal Shedding Pill could raise his cultivation by half a grade and that Fanyun Temple might have Diamond Dew.
• Lin Wanyi gave Xie Jinhuan Bu Hanying’s Seven-Star Nails instructions, and Xie Jinhuan wrote down the acupoints that had to be released in order.

Xie Jinhuan investigated a corpse killed by the Nether God Sect’s Essence-Seizing Art while seeking Diamond Dew to refine a Mortal Shedding Pill. He then learned Bu Hanying had been kidnapped and found signs that Gu Masters from multiple sects were being targeted.

• Xie Jinhuan visited the morgue, where he, Linghu Qingmo, Fei Ji, and Yang Dabiao examined a corpse killed by the Nether God Sect’s Essence-Seizing Art.
• Linghu Qingmo explained that Diamond Dew was scarce and that the Protector of the State Temple’s plans to build a temple beside Purple Emblem Mountain had strained relations between the Buddhists and the sect.
• A servant summoned Xie Jinhuan to the Lin Household, where he learned Bu Hanying had disappeared from his looted shop in Carefree Cave.
• Xie Jinhuan reassured Lin Wanyi and began investigating, while Ghost Wife spotted another Gu Poison Sect minion acting suspiciously nearby.
• Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi found a ransacked herb workshop and a dead black snake, leading them to suspect that someone was capturing Gu Masters from multiple sects.