Chapter Summaries

Xie Jinhuan fought Taishu Dan aboard the Boat Tower, breaking the Soul-Seizing Curse and driving the Demon Path chief back with a powerful spear technique. Taishu Dan revealed his monstrous physique and blood-fueled regeneration, while Commandery Princess Changning and the others approached the fight, hoping the Demon Bandit could keep Xie Jinhuan occupied until help arrived.

• Xie Jinhuan resisted Taishu Dan's Soul-Seizing Curse by sealing his Spirit Court, then swept away the five puppets with his Seven-Foot Leopard-Tail Spear.
• Xie Jinhuan gathered Taishu Dan's poisonous mist into a spear attack and charged, but Taishu Dan transformed and smashed the spear shaft before headbutting Xie Jinhuan across the Boat Tower.
• Taishu Dan absorbed blood energy from the hall and Du Qingyi's corpse, healing his bruise and replenishing his strength.
• Linghu Qingmo, Commandery Princess Changning, Lin Wanyi, Liu Qingzhi, and the others saw the fight and worried that Taishu Dan's sacrifices would let him outlast Xie Jinhuan.
• Commandery Princess Changning led the group into the river to reach the Boat Tower and prepare to delay Xie Jinhuan if Taishu Dan fell.

Xie Jinhuan fought Taishu Dan aboard the ship tower, breaking through the Gu Poison Sect fighter’s attacks and killing him. The ship tower was left covered in corpses as Xie Jinhuan stood drenched in blood, struggling with the blood energy surging through him.

• Xie Jinhuan used Taishu Dan’s force against him and split his vine staff with a sword strike.
• Taishu Dan summoned the ship’s blood-crazed passengers and unleashed Hundred Ghosts Spread the Plague, trapping Xie Jinhuan beneath a mound of bodies.
• Xie Jinhuan burst through the deck and attacked Taishu Dan, but the two crashed onto the deck and lost their weapons.
• Xie Jinhuan kicked Taishu Dan in the crotch, struck his chest with an elbow, and then recovered the Zhenglun Sword.
• Xie Jinhuan ran Taishu Dan through, shattered his skull, and finished him with a crushing punch.
• Xie Jinhuan surveyed the silent, corpse-filled hall as the blood energy left him muddled and asked, “That’s it?”

Xie Jinhuan killed the Demon Bandits aboard the Tower Ship after taking a Dao Progress Surge Pill, then ran amok until Li Jing knocked him unconscious. As the survivors were rescued, the Pill King learned of Xie Jinhuan’s supposed heroic sacrifice and ordered his injuries treated and a reward prepared.

• Xie Jinhuan emerged from the Tower Ship and chased Commandery Princess Changning, but Ghost Wife distracted him and trapped him running in circles across the river.
• Li Jing arrived, confronted Xie Jinhuan after he mistook him for someone who had stolen his books, and struck him unconscious before he could attack.
• At the Dan King Pavilion, Xu Hunli explained how the Eight Directions Illumination Formation had been sabotaged and proposed adding protective spells, negotiating a fee with Zhu Wenyuan and the Pill King.
• Tie Fengzhang reported that Xie Jinhuan had killed all the Demon Bandits and that more than half of the ship’s five hundred civilians were still alive.
• The Pill King ordered the finest doctors and pills for Xie Jinhuan and approved a custom Ice-Scale Armor reward, while Zhu Wenyuan hurried Xu Hunli back to the Academy to repair the formation.

After Xie Jinhuan returned from fighting the Demon Bandits, Lin Zisu treated his severe wounds and warned that the Dao Progress Surge Pill was driving him into a dangerous frenzy. Lin Wanyi soothed him until he calmed down, and the boat reached Danyang City with him still unconscious.

• Lin Zisu operated on Xie Jinhuan while Lin Wanyi helped treat his wounds, and Commandery Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo waited outside.
• Lin Zisu told Lin Wanyi that the Dao Progress Surge Pill was stirring Xie Jinhuan’s lust and murderous impulses, and urged her to soothe him.
• Lin Wanyi held Xie Jinhuan’s hand against her cheek, and his agitation eased as he briefly opened his eyes and recognized her.
• As Xie Jinhuan’s instincts drove his hand lower, Lin Wanyi reluctantly let him touch her through her clothes, and he stopped trying to break free.
• Xie Jinhuan’s hand stimulated Lin Wanyi’s Lotus Flower Dharma Artifact, and he settled down while the boat returned to Danyang City.

Xie Jinhuan woke bound in the Alchemy Medicine Institute after taking a Dao Progress Surge Pill, while Linghu Qingmo refused to release him despite his insistence that he was lucid. When Xie Jinhuan tried to get back to Purple Emblem Mountain to destroy evidence before the yamens found it, his attempt to distract Linghu Qingmo with a kiss failed, and footsteps approached the sickroom.

• Xie Jinhuan woke tied to his bed and learned that Linghu Qingmo had watched over him through the night.
• Linghu Qingmo explained that the Prince's Manor had identified Taishu Dan as the mastermind and was searching Purple Emblem Mountain for the Nether God Sect's traces.
• Xie Jinhuan realized the search could expose the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum and rushed to persuade Linghu Qingmo to let him leave and erase the evidence.
• Linghu Qingmo refused to untie Xie Jinhuan, even when he claimed he needed to relieve himself, and brought out a chamber pot instead.
• Xie Jinhuan kissed Linghu Qingmo's cheek to break his resolve, but Linghu Qingmo kept him tied up and insisted the drug still made him unsafe.
• As Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo remained at odds, someone outside heard them and hurried toward the sickroom.

Xie Jinhuan used Lin Wanyi’s sudden illness to escape his restraints, then prepared to investigate the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum at Purple Emblem Mountain. He left Lin Wanyi unconscious and slipped out of Danyang Academy with Coal Ball and his weapons.

• After the others entered and left the room, Xie Jinhuan pressured Lin Wanyi to stay by hinting that he might reveal their private affairs, then told her he would take responsibility for what happened.
• Lin Wanyi refused to untie Xie Jinhuan, insisting that he was still affected by the drug, but she suddenly became dizzy and weak.
• Worried that her Witch Cult background would be exposed if she fainted at Danyang Academy, Lin Wanyi freed Xie Jinhuan so he could treat her, then passed out in his arms.
• Xie Jinhuan called Ye Hongshang, who took over Lin Wanyi’s body, and refused to dig her out of the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum until he learned more about her origins.
• Xie Jinhuan left a righteous-sounding note, gathered Coal Ball and his weapons, covered Lin Wanyi with a quilt, and slipped out through the window toward Purple Emblem Mountain.

After recovering from the attack, Xie Jinhuan left without warning to investigate the demonic aura on Purple Emblem Mountain, leaving the Pill King and others astonished by his poem and devotion. Deep in the mountain, he struggled through the forest with Ye Hongshang and his horse until something ahead made them stop.

• The Pill King and his companions visited Xie Jinhuan’s recovery room and found Lin Wanyi alone after Xie had disappeared.
• Commandery Princess Changning found Xie Jinhuan’s poem saying he had gone to help search Purple Emblem Mountain, and the Pill King and others praised his courage and talent.
• The Pill King asked Commandery Princess Changning what she thought of Xie Jinhuan and privately resolved to make him his son-in-law.
• At night, Xie Jinhuan trudged through Purple Emblem Mountain with Ye Hongshang, Coal Ball, and a reluctant horse as they searched for the source of the demonic aura.
• Xie Jinhuan sensed something ahead, and the horse began backing away in fear.

Xie Jinhuan learned that Ye Hongshang would break free of the damaged Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum in about twenty-two days unless he found a way to seal it. He set out to obtain the pills and ingredients he needed, while still uncertain whether his Ghost Wife was a danger to Great Qian.

• Xie Jinhuan rode Ye Hongshang's possessed Boar King through the mountains, then returned with her to their abandoned campsite.
• Ye Hongshang explained that her body was recovering by draining spiritual energy and that she could escape once she regained enough strength.
• Xie Jinhuan learned he had twenty-two days and eight hours before Ye Hongshang could overturn the mausoleum, and she outlined a risky pill regimen that might help him seal it.
• Xie Jinhuan agreed to pursue the pills while investigating Ye Hongshang's background, then buried the campsite's belongings and grave robber's remains to hide the mausoleum.
• Xie Jinhuan rode the Boar King out of the mountains with Ye Hongshang and Coal Ball, determined to find the Jiazi Lotus Root and prepare for the deadline.

Xie Jinhuan sought a way to obtain Jiazi Lotus and fund a Dragon and Tiger Vitality Pill while Lin Wanyi and Linghu Qingmo worried over his injuries and his habit of rushing into danger. When Yang Dabiao prepared to travel to the Capital City to investigate a related case, Xie Jinhuan decided to ask to go with him, leaving his journey dependent on the Prince's permission.

• Xie Jinhuan returned to the clinic, where Lin Wanyi scolded him for leaving without waking her and urged him to visit the Pill King to seek the Martial Dao Divine Canon.
• Xie Jinhuan asked about refining a Dragon and Tiger Vitality Pill, and Lin Wanyi explained that its ingredients would cost at least thirty thousand taels and that Jiazi Lotus was exceptionally difficult to obtain.
• Lin Wanyi offered to have Missing Moon Manor search the Southern Border for the pill's other ingredients and bring them across the border to reduce costs.
• Xie Jinhuan returned to his courtyard, where Linghu Qingmo and Yang Dabiao were preparing to depart for the Capital City to investigate whether three skeletons were connected to the Dried Corpse Case.
• Xie Jinhuan volunteered to accompany Yang Dabiao, but Linghu Qingmo objected because he was injured and told him to consult the Pill King and the Prince before leaving.

Xie Jinhuan met with the Pill King and Commandery Princess Changning at the Prince's Manor, where he received a new appointment and valuable gifts while discussing the Nether God Sect and martial cultivation. He planned to leave for Capital City ahead of Changning to investigate a case before joining her there.

• Steward Hou led Xie Jinhuan to the Dan King Pavilion, where the Pill King urged him to recuperate and explained that a high-ranking figure in Capital City might be connected to the Nether God Sect.
• The Pill King appointed Xie Jinhuan as Commandery Princess Changning's halberd bearer and asked him to help uncover the sect's hidden agent in Capital City.
• At Wenshu Pavilion, Changning presented Xie Jinhuan with Ice-Scale Armor and offered him access to the Martial Dao Divine Canon, though he lacked the cultivation to read or practice it.
• Changning explained the ancient martial cultivation realms and the Dragon-Steed Response Art, and Xie Jinhuan realized he would need to reach First Grade before he could learn the canon or teach it to Lin Wanyi.
• Xie Jinhuan declined to wait for Changning's departure and said he would go to Capital City first to investigate the case, then accompany her when she arrived.

Xie Jinhuan secured a post protecting the Commandery Princess, then promised Lin Wanyi he would teach her the Martial Dao Divine Canon’s first level through Dream Transmission of the Dao. He arrived in Capital City with Yang Dabiao’s group and was sent to investigate the mysterious dried-corpse murders.

• Xie Jinhuan told Lin Wanyi that the Martial Dao Divine Canon contained only its first level and could not be learned by anyone below first grade.
• Ye Hongshang proposed teaching Lin Wanyi the art through dreams, and Xie Jinhuan arranged to visit her at the Lin Residence the following night.
• Lin Wanyi threatened to withhold medicinal ingredients and Zisu’s pills until Xie Jinhuan taught her, prompting him to combine the lessons with his trip to Capital City.
• Xie Jinhuan, Momo, Yang Dabiao, Linghu Qingmo, and their companions rode into Capital City and chose to report to the County Yamen first.
• County Magistrate Wu Yuanhua described the unsolved dried-corpse murders, and ordered Xie Jinhuan to go directly to the morgue to examine the case with Jingguan and Lu Qian.

Xie Jinhuan returned to Wanan County and joined the investigation into a series of dried corpses, while Ye Hongshang revealed that two killers were involved. After visiting his abandoned childhood home, he left with his companions, still uncertain whether his father was alive.

• Xie Jinhuan reunited with Fei Ji at the Wanan County Yamen, where Fei Ji explained that dried corpses had appeared in Wanan and Changle counties since the first month of the year.
• Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo examined the seventeen corpses, and Ye Hongshang secretly told Xie Jinhuan that the case involved two killers.
• Wu Yuanhua introduced Master Jingkong and Lu Qian of the Scarlet Qilin Guard, and Xie Jinhuan said he needed time to investigate the case.
• Xie Jinhuan left the yamen with his companions and returned to his family's overgrown residence in Cloud-Bearing Lane.
• Xie Jinhuan remembered his missing father and invited Linghu Qingmo to stay in the west wing while they restored the house.
• Xie Jinhuan left the residence with Coal Ball, which mourned the loss of its Rosewood Birdcage.

Xie Jinhuan visited the Pill King's Residence with Linghu Qingmo and met the heir, Zhao De, who tried to disguise his antics as a strategy for hiding his abilities. Zhao De invited Xie Jinhuan to a composure contest at the Golden Tower, and Xie Jinhuan agreed to inspect it before deciding whether to enter.

• Linghu Qingmo brought Xie Jinhuan to the Pill King's Residence, where they found Zhao De blindfolded and surrounded by maids during a game of blindman's buff.
• When Linghu Qingmo interrupted, Zhao De pretended he had been practicing locating things by sound and claimed he was hiding his shortcomings to avoid threatening his father’s position.
• Zhao De offered to take Xie Jinhuan to the Purple Gold Pavilion, but Xie Jinhuan declined, and Linghu Qingmo reminded Zhao De that Xie was injured and needed rest.
• Zhao De proposed betting on Zhang Huaiyu and Wei Lu’s composure contest at the Golden Tower, explaining that it had begun after Wei Lu accused Zhang of hypocrisy.
• Zhao De invited Xie Jinhuan to enter the contest for its prize money, and Xie Jinhuan said he would observe it before deciding.

Xie Jinhuan used Ye Hongshang’s microscopic inspection of the seventeen victims to distinguish two murderers and identified a likely lead for tracking the rogue cultivator. He planned to question black-market blood essence suppliers, then flirted with Ye Hongshang as he prepared to test his injuries.

• While healing in his room, Xie Jinhuan asked Ye Hongshang to examine the traces left on the seventeen corpses.
• Ye Hongshang found that the first thirteen victims were killed by a rogue Demon Path cultivator, while the last four were killed by a Nether God Sect expert imitating his technique.
• Ye Hongshang explained that the rogue cultivator relied on beast-derived blood essence and had rough qi channels, suggesting he had weak foundations and no sect backing.
• Xie Jinhuan reasoned that the rogue cultivator likely bought blood essence from the black market and decided to question its suppliers.
• Xie Jinhuan asked Ye Hongshang about spending primal yang, then challenged her to test his weak spot and see whether he could enter the arena the next day.

Xie Jinhuan tested his self-control against Ye Hongshang and failed, while Han Jingchuan sought Li Gongpu’s help to eliminate him. In the palace, Emperor Qian worried about his health, the threats facing Great Qian, and whether Jing Huan could rule successfully.

• Xie Jinhuan tried to resist Ye Hongshang’s advances but failed and admitted he needed time to recover.
• Han Jingchuan told Li Gongpu that Xie Jinhuan might seek revenge for Xie Wen and asked how to deal with him.
• Li Gongpu advised Han Jingchuan to lure Xie Jinhuan into a situation where he could kill him in apparent self-defense.
• Empress He comforted Emperor Qian as he reviewed the Pill King’s account of the Huai River Bay massacre and worried about Great Qian’s enemies.
• Emperor Qian coughed, took a pill from Empress He, and said he might not survive the winter or see Jing Huan become a capable ruler.

Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo investigated the source of Blood Essence in Luojing’s ghost market, following a lead to a fur shop where Ghost Wife sensed a group of Gu Masters. Xie Jinhuan prepared to approach the shop alone while Linghu Qingmo and Coal Ball kept watch.

• Xie Jinhuan woke Linghu Qingmo and persuaded him to investigate the Demon Bandits’ Blood Essence supply at the black market.
• Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo overheard Zhao De worrying about debts and fled before he could ask Xie Jinhuan for a loan.
• At Carefree Cave, Xie Jinhuan subdued a drug seller, who directed them to Three Willow Alley and Fourth Master Li.
• Xie Jinhuan spotted suspicious lookouts near a fur shop in Three Willow Alley and asked Ghost Wife to inspect it.
• Ghost Wife detected a group of seven Gu Masters inside the shop, and Xie Jinhuan told Linghu Qingmo and Coal Ball to keep watch while he investigated.

Xie Jinhuan uncovered a meeting of the Southern Border Witch Alliance while investigating the source of blood essence used by a suspected Demon Path rogue cultivator. Bu Hanying pointed him toward the East Market’s Four Great Medicine Shops, giving him a lead to pursue.

• Bu Hanying argued with the Witch Alliance liaisons over Taishu Dan’s massacre and the damage it could do to their efforts in the Central Plains.
• A black snake alerted the liaisons to someone on the roof, and they fled the meeting as Xie Jinhuan pursued Bu Hanying into an alley.
• Xie Jinhuan questioned Bu Hanying about Missing Moon Manor’s blood essence sales and learned that unknown experts bought it through the ghost market.
• Bu Hanying explained that a fourth-grade Demon Path practitioner relying on beast-derived blood essence would need Dragon Yang Flower to protect their body and meridians.
• Bu Hanying said long-term Dragon Yang Flower orders would be listed with the East Market’s Four Great Medicine Shops, and Xie Jinhuan left to follow the lead.

Xie Jinhuan obtained Yang Sichen’s customer list and identified antiques dealer Wu Su as the likeliest suspect in the murders. He also asked Yang Sichen to find Jiazi Lotus Root, then raced with Linghu Qingmo toward Antique Street to investigate Wu.

• Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo entered Yang Sichen’s bedroom, where Xie pressured the merchant to write out his Dragon Yang Flower customers.
• Xie narrowed the list to individual customers in Jingzhao Prefecture and became suspicious of Wu Su, an antiques dealer who rarely left home and was known as Golden-Eyed Wu.
• Yang Sichen said he could seek a source for Jiazi Lotus Root through barter and promised to make inquiries within three to five days.
• Outside the Yang Residence, Xie told Linghu Qingmo he had asked about Jiazi Lotus Root for Miss Zisu and proposed a wager over catching the murderer.
• Linghu Qingmo agreed that Xie would owe him three chances to say “stop” if Xie failed to catch the murderer by dawn, and Xie hurried toward Antique Street with him following.

Wu Su struggled against his urges to kill and flee with the Yellow Qilin Seal, but Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo tracked him down. Xie Jinhuan cornered Wu Su in a courtyard, where Wu Su offered his seal and money in exchange for his life.

• Wu Su resisted his Bloodthirst Addiction while the Yellow Qilin Seal detected approaching spiritual treasures and revealed that pursuers were closing in.
• Xie Jinhuan followed Ghost Wife's guidance toward Wu Su, while Linghu Qingmo pursued the fleeing cultivator and then went to alert the Immortal Officials.
• Xie Jinhuan used Ghost Wife's tracking to follow Wu Su through the buildings after Linghu Qingmo left, and Wu Su could not escape him.
• Wu Su stopped in a courtyard and confronted Xie Jinhuan, who identified the Yellow Qilin Seal hidden in his sleeve.
• Wu Su threw down his bundle and offered Xie Jinhuan the seal and money for his life, but Xie Jinhuan pointed out that killing him would earn a reputation for ridding the people of a scourge.

Xie Jinhuan killed Wu Su, the mastermind behind the Dried Corpse Case, and seized the Yellow Qilin Seal and his hidden spoils. The case was solved before dawn, leaving County Magistrate Wu fearing that the officials’ praise would earn him a transfer to Ruizhou.

• Wu Su used the Yellow Qilin Seal’s mystic arts to attack Xie Jinhuan, but Xie turned the flames against him and killed him with the Heavenly Gang Mace.
• Xie Jinhuan took the Yellow Qilin Seal and searched Wu Su’s bundle, finding Demon Transformation Pills, dragon yang flowers, banknotes, and cultivation manuals.
• Linghu Qingmo and patrolling immortal officials arrived, and Xie Jinhuan identified Wu Su as the mastermind behind the Dried Corpse Case.
• At the County Yamen, Fei Ji and Wu Yuanhua discussed preparations for the case meeting and worried about Xie Jinhuan’s delayed arrival.
• A runner announced that Xie Jinhuan had solved the case and killed the demon bandit, then reported that senior officials had discussed Wu Yuanhua and a vacancy in Ruizhou.
• Wu Yuanhua fainted at the news, and Fei Ji carried him out, insisting that he had to reach the crime scene.