Chapter Summaries

Xie Jinhuan discovered that Ye Hongshang had possessed Lin Wanyi while examining her cultivation method and learned that Lin Wanyi was vulnerable to baleful yin contamination. When Lin Zisu arrived to visit her aunt, Lin Wanyi called out from the bath before Zisu could enter, leaving the visitors awkwardly waiting outside.

• Xie Jinhuan returned home with snacks for Coal Ball and found Lin Wanyi missing while Coal Ball sulked over being left unfed.
• Xie Jinhuan entered the bathroom and realized Ye Hongshang had possessed Lin Wanyi after she teased him from the bathtub.
• Ye Hongshang told Xie Jinhuan that someone had tampered with Lin Wanyi's cultivation method, leaving her susceptible to baleful yin and evil spirits.
• Lin Zisu arrived at the courtyard to check on her aunt, and Xie Jinhuan tried to keep her from entering while Ye Hongshang was still in the bath.
• Lin Wanyi called out for Lin Zisu not to come in, and Lin Zisu stayed outside and asked Xie Jinhuan whether he had been hurt.

Lin Wanyi recovered from a bath while Lin Zisu pitched Xie Jinhuan on her dangerous experimental pills. Xie Jinhuan considered buying a Dao Progress Surge Pill for his predicament, but Lin Wanyi took Zisu away before he could decide.

• Lin Wanyi woke in the bath and hurriedly dressed when she heard Xie Jinhuan and Lin Zisu outside.
• Lin Zisu told Xie Jinhuan she was developing a Dragon and Tiger Vitality Pill with far greater potency than a Dragon Blood Pill, and Lin Wanyi warned him about its risks.
• Jia Zheng recounted how Lin Zisu's past pills had made Elder Li Jing go mad and left Lord Tie Fengzhang grinning for three days.
• Lin Zisu explained that her new pill pushed beyond Demon Transformation Pills and could either grant immense strength or turn someone into a demon.
• Lin Zisu offered to make the pill if Xie Jinhuan stole a Jiazi Lotus, then hinted that she could sell him a Dao Progress Surge Pill.
• Lin Wanyi pulled Lin Zisu away before Xie Jinhuan could buy the pill, and Zisu secretly held up one finger as they left.

Xie Jinhuan tried to train despite the noise around his residence while the authorities struggled to find the demon behind the Purple Emblem Mountain incident and prepared to confront the Li Household. The Pill King learned of Xie Jinhuan’s role in recent events and considered him a promising ally, even if his home’s proximity to the princess’s residence raised concerns.

• Xie Jinhuan reviewed the search for the grave robbers’ camp, avoided returning to the mountains, and tried to study demons before summoning Ye Hongshang to help him block out the noisy household.
• Ye Hongshang teased Xie Jinhuan, transformed into a fox spirit and then a spider spirit, and eventually agreed to help him train after he called her his ghost wife.
• The Pill King considered asking the State Preceptor to handle the great demon if the authorities found no leads by the next day.
• Zhu Wenyuan reported that Li Zixian denied the charges and that Li Gongpu’s men were expected in Danyang the following morning.
• The Pill King learned of Xie Jinhuan’s deeds and background, worried briefly that he lived near the princess, then accepted that he might be a suitable match for Miss Linghu if she liked him.

Lin Zisu rushed to get ready for school while Lin Wanyi secretly tried on the provocative undergarments she had bought. Meanwhile, Linghu Qingmo’s investigation into the Li Household and the Demon Bandits remained stalled, so Xie Jinhuan went with him to examine the bodies, and they encountered Commandery Princess Changning’s steward turning away a suitor.

• Lin Zisu woke late and persuaded Lin Wanyi to excuse her absence from school, while Lin Wanyi put on the tight undergarments beneath her clothes.
• Linghu Qingmo told Commandery Princess Changning that Li Zixian would not confess and the Yamen had found no leads on the Demon Bandits, then refused her invitation to visit Peony Pond.
• Linghu Qingmo ran into Xie Jinhuan buying diced meat for Coal Ball, and Xie Jinhuan learned that the Yamen had been ordered to investigate the demonic aura on Purple Emblem Mountain.
• Xie Jinhuan agreed to examine the badly decomposed bodies with Linghu Qingmo and claimed his Zhenglun Sword was an imitation he had bought for fifty taels.
• Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo passed the Commandery Princess’s Manor, where Steward Hou demanded more money from Young Master Liu before revealing that Commandery Princess Changning was not receiving visitors.

Xie Jinhuan examined a badly decomposed corpse and learned from Ye Hongshang that poisonous Corpse Flies had drained its vital essence. As Linghu Qingmo pursued the lead, Scarlet Qilin Guard Commander Zhou He arrived to assist with the Li Household case and recognized Xie Jinhuan as an old acquaintance’s son.

• Xie Jinhuan visited the county Yamen’s corpse room with Yang Dabiao and Linghu Qingmo to examine the victim.
• Ye Hongshang used her ability to magnify a tiny insect egg and identified poisonous insects that had drained the victim’s vital essence.
• Xie Jinhuan connected the insects to Corpse Flies associated with the Witch Cult, and Linghu Qingmo left to investigate the Dan King Pavilion.
• Xie Jinhuan departed for the Lin Family Clinic while Yang Dabiao stayed at the Yamen.
• Zhou He arrived with two Scarlet Qilin Guards to assist with the Li Household case and recognized Xie Jinhuan as an old acquaintance’s son.

Xie Jinhuan questioned Lin Wanyi about a corpse apparently killed by a gu flower, and she and A Piao helped him identify mad corpse flowers as the likely cause. He set out to investigate their possible growing site outside Danyang, with Lin Wanyi joining him.

• Lin Zisu stayed at Danyang Academy to watch the Wubei Institute's examination while Lin Wanyi left for the clinic.
• Xie Jinhuan joined Lin Wanyi's carriage and asked about a corpse found at the yamen with signs of gu-flower poisoning.
• Lin Wanyi explained that mad corpse flowers could be cultivated with human and livestock remains, while A Piao deduced that the growing site would need to connect to a waterway upstream along the Huai River.
• Xie Jinhuan decided to investigate outside the city without involving the yamen, intending to use what he found to direct the authorities against the Demon Bandits.
• Lin Wanyi warned that the suspected cultivator would be dangerous and agreed to accompany Xie Jinhuan; he sent Jia Zheng away and headed out of the city.

Linghu Qingmo learned that the unidentified corpse had likely been used to cultivate a Mad Corpse Flower, while Xie Jinhuan and his companions followed the clues to a buried growing site near Cockscomb Ridge. Xie Jinhuan broke through the landslide and uncovered a foul-smelling cave.

• Linghu Qingmo reported Xie Jinhuan’s identification of Corpse Flies and a Gu Flower, and Ji Shiqing narrowed the possibilities to the Mad Corpse Flower.
• Huangfu Qi suggested searching places where livestock were kept, and Linghu Qingmo set out to investigate them.
• Xie Jinhuan, Lin Wanyi, Coal Ball, and Ye Hongshang searched the riverbank and found livestock tracks leading into the hills near Cockscomb Ridge.
• Ye Hongshang identified a buried flower-growing site behind a pool, and Lin Wanyi agreed that the location suited Mad Corpse Flowers.
• Xie Jinhuan struck the landslide with his Heavenly Gang Mace until he opened a cave entrance, releasing a strong stench of corpses.

Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi discovered a Demon Path cultivator’s lair, and Ye Hongshang altered its traces to make the culprit appear to have transcendent-grade mastery. After Lin Wanyi fainted and Ye Hongshang possessed her, Xie Jinhuan helped complete the deception and then prepared to explain the scene to Lin Wanyi.

• Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi found a corpse-filled cavern marked by a sinister ritual, and Ye Hongshang identified its occupant as a cultivator of both witchcraft and the Demon Path.
• Xie Jinhuan found a book in the lair but no useful clues, so Ye Hongshang offered to enhance the traces of the culprit’s cultivation.
• Lin Wanyi became dizzy and fainted, and Ye Hongshang possessed her body.
• Ye Hongshang used Xie Jinhuan’s blood and ghostfire to alter the cavern’s markings so Danyang’s experts would believe a transcendent-grade demon had refined living beings there.
• Xie Jinhuan carried Lin Wanyi out of the cavern and pretended to regulate her energy channels while wondering how to explain what had happened.

After Lin Wanyi recovered from her sudden collapse, she and Xie Jinhuan discovered that He Can and Lu Ming had come to destroy the corpse-pit evidence. Xie Jinhuan prepared to stop them, while Lin Wanyi offered a plan to draw away the puppets and help him attack.

• Lin Wanyi woke and mistook Xie Jinhuan's treatment for an attack, then apologized after realizing he had saved her at great cost to his vital energy.
• Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi followed the creek and learned from Coal Ball that people were approaching.
• He Can and Lu Ming arrived at the corpse pit and decided to destroy the bodies and evidence before the Yamen could trace the Mad Corpse Flowers.
• Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi hid nearby, while Ye Hongshang identified the old man as a corpse witch and the young man as a ghost witch.
• Xie Jinhuan prepared to stop the group, and Lin Wanyi gave him an antidote and offered to draw away the puppets with poisonous mist.

Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi fought Lu Ming and He Can in a mountain hollow after the Gu Poison Sect pair attacked with poisonous mist and puppets. Xie Jinhuan’s Zhenglun Sword suppressed He Can’s ghosts, and his thrown mace killed Lu Ming and smashed He Can’s umbrella before striking him into the bushes.

• Lin Wanyi emerged from the western slope and unleashed the Hundred Ghosts Spread the Plague, forcing Lu Ming and He Can to defend themselves.
• Lu Ming used his flute to command two puppets against Xie Jinhuan, who broke through their attacks with his mace and Zhenglun Sword.
• Xie Jinhuan’s lightning through the Zhenglun Sword suppressed He Can’s ghosts, and He Can and Lu Ming began to retreat.
• Lu Ming threw sticky nets at Lin Wanyi and Xie Jinhuan, but Xie Jinhuan evaded them and hurled his Heavenly Gang Mace after the fleeing men.
• Xie Jinhuan’s mace killed Lu Ming and shattered He Can’s ghost umbrella, then struck He Can into the bushes.

Xie Jinhuan freed Lin Wanyi from the Immortal-Binding Rope while the Ghost Witch escaped, then Lin Wanyi began tracking him by the poison left on him. The chapter ended with Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi setting out to capture the Ghost Witch alive.

• Xie Jinhuan sent Coal Ball after the Ghost Witch, then used Palm Thunder to melt the ropes binding Lin Wanyi.
• Lin Wanyi recognized the Zhenglun Sword and explained that the Ghost Witch could be tracked by the poison on him.
• Xie Jinhuan freed Lin Wanyi, embarrassing her when his qi activated her Soft Armor.
• Coal Ball returned without catching the Ghost Witch, and Lin Wanyi offered to track him by his lingering scent.
• Lin Wanyi conjured eerie green flames and strode out of the mountain hollow to pursue the Ghost Witch with Xie Jinhuan.

Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi tracked a Demon Bandit to an Essence Splendor Manor pleasure boat at Peony Pond, where Bao Fei and the guests challenged their attempt to board. Xie Jinhuan warned them not to insult his father, while Commandery Princess Changning watched the confrontation from another boat.

• At Peony Pond, Commandery Princess Changning, Steward Hou, and Liu Qingzhi spotted Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi approaching a pleasure boat and noticed an argument beginning.
• Xie Jinhuan told the steward that a Demon Bandit had fled onto the boat and asked to search it, but the steward refused him entry.
• Bao Fei appeared and challenged Xie Jinhuan after a guest claimed Xie Jinhuan's father had been exiled for embezzlement.
• Lin Wanyi warned Xie Jinhuan not to beat Bao Fei to death, but Bao Fei threatened him and demanded an apology.
• Xie Jinhuan corrected the claim about his father and warned that Bao Fei would be an example if he insulted him again.
• Commandery Princess Changning watched Xie Jinhuan through a telescope as Lin Wanyi tried to carry him away.

Xie Jinhuan defeated Bao Fei in one exchange while searching a pleasure boat for the escaped Ghost Witch, but Lin Wanyi found that the culprit had erased the trail. Xie Jinhuan told Liu Qingzhi about the Witch Cult evidence at Cockscomb Ridge and led the Prefectural Guards there to investigate.

• Bao Fei attacked Xie Jinhuan, who blocked his Thunderclap Blade and knocked him through the boat into the banquet hall.
• Xie Jinhuan boarded the pleasure boat with Lin Wanyi to search for the Ghost Witch, while Commandery Princess Changning sent Liu Qingzhi to check on them.
• Lin Wanyi found that the Ghost Witch had used a medicinal wash to remove the toxins, and Xie Jinhuan found no clues identifying the fugitive.
• Liu Qingzhi arrived and learned that Xie Jinhuan had killed three Witch Cult fiends and found a corpse pit at Cockscomb Ridge.
• Liu Qingzhi ordered his men to search the nearby boats, then joined Xie Jinhuan to investigate the corpse pit.

Linghu Qingmo and the constables abandoned their search of Danyang’s livestock-market ditches after Xie Jinhuan found a Corpse Pit at Cockscomb Ridge. The discovery revealed evidence of an exceptionally powerful Demon Path practitioner, prompting Tie Fengzhang to mobilize an investigation while Xie Jinhuan left the scene to rest.

• A Prince's Manor Guard summoned Linghu Qingmo and Yang Dabiao to Cockscomb Ridge, where Xie Jinhuan had found the Corpse Pit and fought Demon Bandits.
• Linghu Qingmo, Yang Dabiao, and the others arrived to find a foul pit filled with remains, and they joined Xie Jinhuan and Liu Qingzhi in clearing it.
• Linghu Qingmo discovered an Evil God Statue and a lewd book, then called Tie Fengzhang to examine the site for clues.
• Tie Fengzhang identified the markings as evidence of a highly skilled Demon Path blood sacrifice and ordered an urgent search for the Demon Bandits linked to Purple Emblem Mountain.
• Tie Fengzhang praised Xie Jinhuan and departed with his men, while Linghu Qingmo told Xie Jinhuan to rest and continued the investigation.

Commandery Princess Changning noticed Scarlet Qilin Guards near Clear Spring Lane and ordered the lane watched, while Xie Jinhuan visited the Lin Family Clinic to collect medicine and supplies. He paid Lin Wanyi for costly medicinal wine before leaving, and Lin Wanyi felt unworthy of his upright character.

• Commandery Princess Changning questioned Steward Hou about returning soldiers, then decided to invite guests to celebrate their discovery of the demonic aura's source.
• Commandery Princess Changning summoned Scarlet Qilin Guard Commander Zhou He and his companions, questioned their presence near Clear Spring Lane, and ordered Steward Hou to keep watch after they left.
• Lin Wanyi and Lin Zisu worked in the alchemy chamber, where Xie Jinhuan watched their unusual furnace rituals and received a Dao Progress Surge Pill from Lin Zisu for one tael.
• Lin Wanyi gave Xie Jinhuan Dragon Blood Pills, medicinal bath prescriptions, and wine steeped in Hero's Tears to help him recover from blood loss.
• Xie Jinhuan insisted on paying for the wine and left with Coal Ball, while Lin Wanyi admired his integrity and felt unworthy beside him.

Taishu Dan and He Can tried to divert the court’s search by framing the Li Household, while Xie Jinhuan’s actions bought him time and kept suspicion away from his residence. After returning home, Xie Jinhuan took a Dragon Blood Pill and shared a teasing, illusory bath and drinking game with Ye Hongshang, which ended with him blacking out.

• Taishu Dan and He Can discussed how Xie Jinhuan had uncovered the Corpse Pit and decided to frame the Li Household to stall the Yamen’s investigation until after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
• Xie Jinhuan returned to Clear Spring Lane and felt reassured that the constables and soldiers were focused on hunting the Demon Bandits rather than searching the mountains.
• Xie Jinhuan took a medicinal bath and swallowed a Dragon Blood Pill, which quickly eased his soreness and fatigue.
• Ye Hongshang appeared as an illusion in the bathtub and offered Xie Jinhuan a lovers’ bath and a finger-guessing game.
• Ye Hongshang used her illusion to win the game repeatedly, and Xie Jinhuan drank with her until he blacked out.

After a night of drinking, Xie Jinhuan woke hungover while Linghu Qingmo checked on him and updated him on the hunt for the Demon Bandits. Xie proposed investigating the bookshop that sold a book found in the corpse-hiding cave, and the pair prepared to get breakfast before continuing their search.

• Linghu Qingmo visited the County Commandant's Office, where Yang Dabiao reported that the constables had found eleven victims' remains and suspected gu insects but no identity for the Demon Bandits.
• Linghu Qingmo found Xie Jinhuan sprawled drunk on the roof, caught him when he fell, and jolted him awake after Xie accidentally groped him.
• Xie Jinhuan told Linghu Qingmo that Miss Lin had given him the wine, then learned that the investigation had uncovered more than ten Demon Bandit errand runners.
• Xie Jinhuan suggested checking Stillness Literature Studio because the book Springtime Allure found in the corpse-hiding cave might be traceable to its buyer.
• Linghu Qingmo warned Xie Jinhuan against investigating dangerous leads alone and told him that Senior Nangong was expected to return before long.
• Xie Jinhuan invited Linghu Qingmo to get breakfast, and Coal Ball eagerly joined them.

Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo visited Danyang Academy’s library to ask Wu Zheng about a suspicious buyer of Springtime Allure. Wu Zheng identified the young man as He San and introduced Xie Jinhuan to an unofficial history that might hold clues about his ghost wife, leaving Xie Jinhuan with a copy despite Linghu Qingmo’s objections.

• Linghu Qingmo asked Wu Zheng whether he remembered someone who had bought Springtime Allure, and Xie Jinhuan explained the book’s social significance when Wu called it erotic miscellany.
• Wu Zheng recalled that a slick young man called He San had bought the book early in the month, claimed to be a spice trader, and asked about Master Mu’s and several instructors’ movements.
• Wu Zheng showed Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo a hidden collection of martial-world erotic gossip and unofficial histories, and Xie Jinhuan found a story about Qixia True Person that reminded him of his ghost wife.
• Linghu Qingmo objected to the book’s claims about Qixia True Person, but Wu Zheng said the story was fictional and cautioned them against trusting unofficial histories.
• Linghu Qingmo took the book and ran out, while Xie Jinhuan secretly paid Wu Zheng and received another copy along with an illustrated edition of Springtime Allure.

Xie Jinhuan seized on reports that the Li Household had buried gamblers alive and pushed the County Yamen to investigate. At Spring Screen Tower, Li Ziwen learned that officials were at the farm, and Zhou He began helping the Li Household prepare a cover story.

• Xie Jinhuan questioned Ye Hongshang about her past before rejoining Linghu Qingmo and Coal Ball.
• Yang Dabiao told Linghu Qingmo and Xie Jinhuan that missing gamblers had allegedly been buried alive by the Li Household.
• Xie Jinhuan urged the Yamen to investigate, and Yang Dabiao agreed to take him and the bailiffs to look into the case.
• Li Ziwen hosted Zhou He at Spring Screen Tower and offered him dragon yang flowers as thanks for helping with his recent Yamen case.
• After hearing that County Commandant's Office staff had gone to the farm, Zhou He advised Li Ziwen to claim the gamblers had died while working off their debts and to produce IOUs and indentures.

Xie Jinhuan and the officers uncovered a body in the Li Household’s fields, where Li Zixian tried to pass the deaths off as accidents among indebted laborers. An examination of the skull revealed signs of the Essence-Seizing Demonic Art, and Linghu Qingmo ordered Li Zixian arrested.

• Xie Jinhuan and Yang Dabiao searched the Li Household’s fields and uncovered a body marked by a buried rope.
• Li Zixian arrived with Zhou He and claimed the dead men had been indebted laborers who died of illness, presenting contracts as evidence.
• Xie Jinhuan asked Zhou He to examine the skull, and Zhou He found traces of the Essence-Seizing Demonic Art.
• Zhou He sent the skull to the Prince’s Manor for expert examination, and Linghu Qingmo ordered the bailiffs to seize Li Zixian.