Chapter Summaries

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.

Xie Jinhuan attacked Mo Hunsheng’s blood-protective formation, but the Corpse Ancestor countered him with a blood puppet and the Demonic Blade Naxie. Qixia True Person’s arrival forced Mo Hunsheng to flee with the blood qi, and Xie Jinhuan and Qixia pursued him toward the surface.

• Xie Jinhuan gathered the treasures from the hall and struck Mo Hunsheng’s protective formation with Black Dragon Strikes the Pillar, cracking it open.
• Mo Hunsheng formed a blood-robed puppet that used the Azure Edge Sword to exploit Xie Jinhuan’s momentum, but Xie Jinhuan disrupted it with Extreme Yang Divine Thunder and broke through the wall.
• Mo Hunsheng, using Yang Huaxian’s body, attacked Xie Jinhuan with the Demonic Blade Naxie and trapped him amid flames and earthen barriers.
• Qixia True Person fell into the blood reservoir and began refining its blood qi, prompting Mo Hunsheng to gather the blood into a python and flee upward.
• Qixia True Person pursued Mo Hunsheng and told Xie Jinhuan to follow, so Xie Jinhuan charged after them toward the surface.

The Corpse Ancestor erupted from beneath the Martyrs' Shrine and tried to escape with a sea of blood, but Qixia True Person and Xie Jinhuan intercepted him beneath the Red Umbrella. They wounded him in a fierce battle, though the Corpse Ancestor remained powerful and sent Xie Jinhuan flying as the fight continued.

• Lin Zisu searched the ruined Academy for Xian'er and Xiao Biao while Lin Wanyi urged her to find help.
• The Corpse Ancestor burst from beneath the Martyrs' Shrine, but the Red Umbrella sealed the surrounding area and stopped his escape.
• Qixia True Person and Xie Jinhuan arrived to confront the Corpse Ancestor, and Xie Jinhuan learned that Xian'er was safe on the boat.
• Qixia True Person disrupted the local qi with the Zhenglun Sword while Xie Jinhuan charged the Corpse Ancestor with the Heavenly Gang Mace and King Xiang's Order.
• The Corpse Ancestor trapped Xie Jinhuan in solidified qi, but Qixia True Person shattered the confinement with a mace strike and let Xie Jinhuan wound him.
• The Corpse Ancestor repelled Xie Jinhuan and turned his saber against Qixia True Person as the battle continued.

Mo Hunsheng transformed his blood qi into a powerful demon body and overwhelmed Qixia True Person and Xie Jinhuan. Xie Jinhuan took a devastating blow meant for Qixia True Person, and she charged at Mo Hunsheng in fury as the chapter ended.

• At the ruined inn, Mao Chunniang and He Can discovered Shang Lianbi had escaped west and hurried after him.
• Mo Hunsheng warned Xie Jinhuan and Qixia True Person that continuing the fight would leave one dead and the other wounded, then began forming a blood-red demon body.
• Qixia True Person unleashed her full strength, but Mo Hunsheng struck her from the sky and followed with a blow that threatened to kill her.
• Xie Jinhuan transformed into a thousand-foot silver dragon and knocked Mo Hunsheng aside, but Mo Hunsheng cut a deep wound into him and sent him crashing into the Academy.
• Qixia True Person saw Xie Jinhuan badly wounded, seized King Xiang's Order, and attacked Mo Hunsheng again in a rage.

Xie Jinhuan’s wound from the Demonic Blade Naxie awakened his deepest obsession with gaining enough strength to protect those around him, pushing him toward demonic madness. Lin Zisu forced him lucid with a Death-Seeking Pill, leaving him conscious of his pain and able to distinguish his enemies.

• The Demonic Blade Naxie’s wound slowly healed as black qi corrupted Xie Jinhuan’s body and divine soul, stirring memories of his past.
• Xie Jinhuan recalled his journey from the attack in Three-Fork Forest to meeting Ye Hongshang and accepting the task of sustaining the realm in her place.
• The demonic influence magnified Xie Jinhuan’s desire for strength until he considered blood sacrifices, while Qixia True Person fought alone nearby.
• Lin Zisu found Xie Jinhuan in the rain, recognized that he was nearing demonic madness, and gave him a So Upright It's Evil Pill.
• When the first pill failed to stop the corruption, Lin Zisu fed Xie Jinhuan a Death-Seeking Pill, which cleared his mind without easing his injuries or pain.

Xie Jinhuan used the Heavenly Gang Mace’s inheritance without claiming its full power, then cut away his corrupted flesh and used an Invisibility Pill to ambush Mo Hunsheng. He and Qixia True Person dismantled the Corpse Ancestor’s Demon Body, but Mo Hunsheng warned that Xie Jinhuan had revealed his surprise too early before the battle fell silent.

• Xie Jinhuan recalled that the Heavenly Gang Mace held enough inheritance for one successor to become a patriarch, but refused to take it because doing so could force Ye Ci to sacrifice himself.
• Xie Jinhuan cut away the flesh corrupted by the Demon Saber, then used the Invisibility Pill to sneak toward the fight while Lin Zisu tried to stop his bleeding.
• Mo Hunsheng overwhelmed Qixia True Person as she held the Sky-Turning Umbrella in place, with Ye Hongshang supporting her.
• Xie Jinhuan ambushed Mo Hunsheng from the ruins, smashing his knee with the Heavenly Gang Mace and dislocating his leg.
• Qixia True Person tore open Mo Hunsheng’s abdomen with King Xiang’s Order while Xie Jinhuan cut off his legs and struck his skull; Qixia then cleaved his Demon Body in two.
• Mo Hunsheng said Xie Jinhuan had used his surprise too early before his dismembered body crashed to the ground, and Xie Jinhuan and Qixia True Person waited in silence for a response.

After Xie Jinhuan was struck by the Demonic Blade and began succumbing to demonic influence, Ye Hongshang suppressed his obsession, but the lingering corruption left him overwhelmed by desire. Qixia True Person brought him aboard the Pleasure Boat and told Lin Zisu to stabilize him while she went to fetch Jiang Xian and the others.

• Xie Jinhuan destroyed the Corpse Ancestor's demon body, then absorbed its blood qi as the Demonic Blade's killing intent drove him toward madness.
• Qixia True Person called Ye Hongshang, who suppressed Xie Jinhuan's demonic thoughts and told him to establish a sect and become a patriarch to resolve the problem.
• Qixia True Person gathered Xie Jinhuan, Lin Zisu, and the blood qi aboard the Pleasure Boat, then slowed the blood qi flowing into him to prevent another transformation.
• Lin Zisu realized Xie Jinhuan's suppressed desires were intensifying, while he struggled to keep control of himself.
• Qixia True Person told Lin Zisu to help stabilize Xie Jinhuan and left to fetch Jiang Xian and the others.

Lin Zisu tried to soothe Xie Jinhuan as his injuries and uncontrolled desires overwhelmed him, while Lin Wanyi guided her through their shared sensations. The chapter ended with Xie Jinhuan recovering somewhat as Zisu and Wanyi continued caring for him in secret.

• After Qixia True Person vanished, Lin Zisu began treating Xie Jinhuan while Lin Wanyi coached her through their shared mind.
• Xie Jinhuan lost control briefly, but Lin Zisu called him back to awareness and spoke with him about when they had fallen in love.
• Lin Zisu chose to stop resisting and embraced Xie Jinhuan, helping stabilize his condition.
• Lin Wanyi took control to demonstrate how to care for Xie Jinhuan, then returned control to Lin Zisu without his realizing she was involved.

After Qixia True Person withdrew to seclusion, Jiang Xian woke to find the town devastated and stumbled into Xie Jinhuan and Zisu’s effort to manage his demonic urges. Meanwhile, Lu Wuzhen and Empress Dowager Guo investigated Li Yanru’s death and ordered a search for the missing blood tax, while Empress Dowager Guo quietly approached the Pleasure Boat.

• Qixia True Person reflected on her feelings for Xie Jinhuan, then entered seclusion and returned to her younger appearance.
• Jiang Xian awoke aboard the Pleasure Boat, saw the ruined town, and went looking for her companions.
• Jiang Xian found Zisu exhausted from helping Xie Jinhuan and was drawn into helping restrain his demonic urges.
• Lu Wuzhen concluded that Li Yanru had not colluded with the Demon Path and inferred that Shang Lianbi had escaped with the remaining blood tax.
• Empress Dowager Guo ordered personnel to search for the blood tax and prepare defenses near Jingzhao Prefecture.
• Empress Dowager Guo declined to visit Xie Jinhuan with the others, then secretly approached the Pleasure Boat.

Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua hurried toward Hualin County after learning that Xie Jinhuan’s divine soul had been badly injured by the Demon Saber. Aboard the pleasure boat, Zisu, Bu Yuehua, and Empress Dowager Guo tried to keep Xie Jinhuan’s demonic transformation at bay, while Qixia True Person diverted Nangong Ye and Lin Wanyi headed into the escalating commotion.

• Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua argued as they flew toward Hualin County, and Lin Wanyi briefly took over Bu Yuehua’s body to tell Nangong Ye that Xie Jinhuan’s divine soul had been badly injured.
• Bu Yuehua returned to the pleasure boat and helped Lin Zisu and Jiang Xian manage Xie Jinhuan, whose demonic nature was threatening to overwhelm him.
• Qixia True Person arrived, left to fetch help, and Empress Dowager Guo entered the boat before being pulled into the effort to steady Xie Jinhuan.
• Qixia True Person intercepted Nangong Ye and Lin Wanyi, sent Wanyi toward the boat, and led Nangong Ye away to discuss other matters.
• Lin Wanyi returned to the room and joined Bu Yuehua, Lin Zisu, and Empress Dowager Guo as they tried to manage Xie Jinhuan.

Qixia True Person, Linghu Qingmo, and Nangong Ye returned to the pleasure boat and discovered Xie Jinhuan with Empress Dowager Guo, Bu Yuehua, Lin Wanyi, and Zisu as he struggled to control the effects of refining blood qi. After the group left, Xie Jinhuan lost control and pulled Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo into the bathroom, while the others departed the ruined Academy and the boat set course for Jingzhao Prefecture.

• Qixia True Person led Linghu Qingmo and Nangong Ye back to the pleasure boat, where they found blood qi being refined and heard a commotion upstairs.
• Qixia True Person opened Xie Jinhuan's room and found him with Empress Dowager Guo, Bu Yuehua, Lin Wanyi, and Zisu; Empress Dowager Guo was humiliated when she could not regain control of her body.
• Bu Yuehua took Empress Dowager Guo away to rest, while Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo stayed with Xie Jinhuan.
• Xie Jinhuan, unable to control his emotions after taking a slash, pulled Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo into the pleasure boat's bathroom.
• At Hualin Academy, Wang Mian and Li Jing mourned the destruction while Ye Yunchi reassured them that the Academy would be rebuilt and Li Yanru honored as a martyr.
• Zhao Ling and Duoduo discussed plans for the New Academy, then Ye Yunchi, Zhao Ling, and Duoduo boarded the boat as it left for Jingzhao Prefecture.