Chapter Summaries

Xie Jinhuan recovered from his disturbing encounter with Chief Steward Hou and met with Linghu Qingmo and Commandery Princess Changning, then learned that Li Gongpu might be preparing to flee. At the Four Directions Inn, Crown Prince Zhao Jing Huan agreed to receive Li Gongpu after He Man reported that he had come to see him.

• Linghu Qingmo found Xie Jinhuan exhausted, worried that Doctor Lin had beaten him, and was kissed by him before they went to join Commandery Princess Changning.
• Xie Jinhuan danced with Linghu Qingmo and discussed the Nether God Sect's suspected plans in Zhen'an and the Blue River Counties with Commandery Princess Changning.
• Yang Dabiao reported that Du Mushan had hurried back carrying a valuable birdcage, leading Xie Jinhuan to suspect Li Gongpu was planning an escape or seeking an alliance with the Crown Prince.
• Zhao De persuaded Crown Prince Zhao Jing Huan to give him another eight thousand taels, then left to collect the money himself.
• He Man told Zhao Jing Huan that Li Gongpu had come to see him, and Zhao Jing Huan agreed to receive Li Gongpu.

Li Gongpu met Crown Prince Zhao Jing Huan at the Four Directions Inn and tried to win his favor with a Purple Thunder Sparrow. Zhao Jing Huan recognized that Li Gongpu had walked into Xie Jinhuan’s trap, and Xie used the bird as grounds to expose and corner him outside the inn.

• Li Gongpu played chess with Zhao Jing Huan, concealed his skill, and praised the Crown Prince while stressing his own loyalty and lack of ambition.
• Li Gongpu presented Zhao Jing Huan with a rare Purple Thunder Sparrow, but Zhao warned that Xie Jinhuan had lured him into a trap and urged him to leave the inn.
• Xie Jinhuan, Cao Huai'an, Jingkong, and the authorities surrounded the Four Directions Inn, citing reports of evil creatures and waiting for permission to search it.
• Li Gongpu tried to leave with a Western Rong envoy, but Xie Jinhuan stopped him and insisted that the inn’s occupants be screened.
• Xie Jinhuan identified the Purple Thunder Sparrow as a possible demonic beast and sent it with Jingkong for inspection, leaving Li Gongpu stranded as the search party withdrew.

Emperor Qian ordered Li Gongpu’s household confiscated and gave him the chance to die by suicide after learning he had tried to curry favor with the Crown Prince. Xie Jinhuan watched Li Gongpu die, then left the raid with Commandery Princess Changning, Linghu Qingmo, and Duoduo.

• Emperor Qian ordered the Scarlet Qilin Guard to confiscate the Li Household’s property, punish its crimes, and send the Purple Thunder Sparrow to the Crown Prince.
• Hou Jiye, Fan Li, and other officials impeached Li Gongpu, and the Scarlet Qilin Guard surrounded his residence while Xie Jinhuan and Yang Dabiao helped with the raid.
• Li Gongpu asked Xie Jinhuan whether he had used an illusion on him, then hanged himself after acknowledging his failure to kill Xie Jinhuan’s father and family.
• Xie Jinhuan showed Li Gongpu the Old Writing Brush, provoking a desperate reaction before Li Gongpu died; the Scarlet Qilin Guard confirmed his identity and death.
• Yang Dabiao and Linghu Qingmo surveyed the Li Household’s immense wealth while its servants and family members were registered and detained.
• Commandery Princess Changning offered Xie Jinhuan a reward, but he said he had promised to visit Doctor Lin and escorted her, Linghu Qingmo, and Duoduo to their carriage.

Xie Jinhuan returned to the Lin Residence with the Jiazi Lotus Root and spent the night with Lin Wanyi, then read Muyun Hong’s warning about the Nether God Sect’s plans. He learned that Yunling County might be the sect’s next target and that an insider in the capital made it dangerous to alert the Imperial Court.

• Xie Jinhuan went to the Fengyi River to meet Mu, but she was absent, so he returned to the Lin Residence.
• Xie Jinhuan found Muyun Hong’s sealed box and letter outside Lin Wanyi’s room and brought the box inside.
• Lin Wanyi identified the herb as Jiazi Lotus Root, confirmed it was in excellent condition, and said the remaining ingredients would arrive by the day after tomorrow.
• Xie Jinhuan read Muyun Hong’s account of the captured Ghost Cultivation practitioner’s memories, which pointed to Yunling County as a possible Nether God Sect target.
• Xie Jinhuan learned that the sect had an insider in the capital and that Muyun Hong planned to investigate Yunling County without notifying the Imperial Court.
• Xie Jinhuan let Lin Wanyi sleep, carried the dishes to the kitchen to wash them, and fled when he nearly encountered Mother-in-Law.

Nangong Ye, Zhang Guan, and Li Jing waited near Emperor Qian’s Mausoleum in Yunling County, suspecting it was the Nether God Sect’s target for a Blood Demon Pill sacrifice. Xie Jinhuan arrived in disguise and met Nangong Ye at the inn, where she joined him without revealing their connection.

• Nangong Ye surveyed the mausoleum and concluded that its imprisoned laborers were ideal sacrifices for the Nether God Sect’s Blood Demon Pill.
• Nangong Ye left Zhang Guan and Li Jing to guard the site while she concealed herself and waited for Xie Jinhuan.
• Xie Jinhuan reached Yunling County in disguise and waited at the inn with Ye Hongshang, who warned him that Nangong Ye was approaching.
• Xie Jinhuan called out to Nangong Ye from the inn window, and she recognized his disguise before entering without drawing suspicion.

Xie Jinhuan gave Nangong Ye medicine to suppress his Yang Poison, but its strange side effects changed their voices and moods, leaving the two fighting in their room. The innkeeper heard the commotion downstairs as Nangong Ye continued feeding Xie Jinhuan Ever-Smiling Powder.

• Nangong Ye told Xie Jinhuan that the Nether God Sect's Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation was likely at the Imperial Mausoleum and warned him to act cautiously.
• Xie Jinhuan gave Nangong Ye a bottle of Yin-Yang Oddity Powder, and Nangong Ye drank a small dose to suppress his Yang Poison.
• The medicine weakened Nangong Ye's Yang Poison but made his voice coy and high-pitched, prompting Xie Jinhuan to tease him.
• Nangong Ye force-fed Xie Jinhuan some of the powder, causing Xie Jinhuan's voice to change as well.
• Nangong Ye accidentally drank Ever-Smiling Powder, began smiling uncontrollably, and attacked Xie Jinhuan while feeding him more powder.
• The innkeeper heard the pair's racket from downstairs and wondered what they were doing.

At a ruined temple, Second Master revealed He Can’s origins and gave him money to leave the Nether God Sect’s affairs behind. The next day, Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye searched Yunling Wharf, where Xie Jinhuan spotted suspicious activity near a warehouse.

• Second Master told He Can that he had been abandoned as a child because of his poor talent, and that Taishu Dan had secretly protected him by planting the Python Emperor Armor in him.
• Second Master gave He Can severance money and ordered Zhang Chu to protect him until he settled somewhere; He Can met his younger brother He Hai before leaving.
• Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye wandered around Yunling Wharf while Xie Jinhuan endured the effects of Ever-Smiling Powder and teased Nangong Ye about his soft voice.
• Xie Jinhuan noticed a suspicious merchant ship, then spotted martial-trained workers carrying goods from a warehouse near the harbor.
• Nangong Ye prepared to punish Xie Jinhuan with a pill but set the idea aside to observe the suspected Nether God Sect lackeys.

Li Jing, Zhang Guan, Nangong Ye, and Xie Jinhuan watched the plotters prepare a blood sacrifice at Yunling, while He Hai and his grandfather set their own plan in motion. In Capital City, a demonic attack on Emperor Qian was repelled, and he ordered his allies to protect the Crown Prince and investigate the black cat.

• Li Jing and Zhang Guan watched officials prepare wine laced with Drunken Bone Incense, waiting for the formation’s leader to appear.
• Nangong Ye left Xie Jinhuan on the mountain and went to lie in wait near the valley as the Blood Sacrifice approached.
• He Hai and his grandfather concluded that their plan might fail and set off to carry out a final, decisive move.
• A black cat charged at Emperor Qian on Cloudstride Terrace and burst into a cloud of ghosts, but Cao Fo’er protected the Emperor with a golden bell and Lu Wuzhen destroyed the ghosts with lightning.
• Emperor Qian ordered Daoist Lu to protect the Crown Prince, sent the Scarlet Qilin Guard and Immortal Officials to investigate the black cat, and went with Cao Fo’er to visit the Empress.

Li Jing and Zhang Guan disrupted a blood sacrifice at Quiet Mountain Valley and fought its powerful half-demon leader while Xie Jinhuan watched from nearby. Ye Hongshang detected faint Blood Baleful Qi across the Huai River, so Xie Jinhuan went to investigate.

• A cloaked practitioner used the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation to drive thousands of laborers and soldiers into a frenzy at Quiet Mountain Valley.
• A bolt of lightning dispelled the illusions, and Li Jing and Zhang Guan killed the eight actors guarding the formation.
• A towering half-demon emerged from the bloody mist and asked whether Xie Jinhuan had come before fighting Li Jing and Zhang Guan.
• Xie Jinhuan watched the battle from a mountaintop with Ye Hongshang, who showed him a recording of Momo, the Commandery Princess, and Nai Duo dancing.
• Ye Hongshang sensed faint Blood Baleful Qi across the Huai River, and Xie Jinhuan went to investigate.

Xie Jinhuan discovered the Nether God Sect’s secret Blood Sacrifice at an iron mine and ambushed He Hai, taking the Blood Demon Pill. Surrounded by the cultists, he drew the pill’s power into himself, leaving his fate uncertain.

• He Hai refined a Blood Demon Pill from the blood and energy of more than twelve hundred victims while the Nether God Sect’s larger operation distracted the Imperial Court at the Imperial Mausoleum.
• Xie Jinhuan followed Ghost Wife’s directions to the iron mine, where she controlled a rooster to distract the guards as he approached He Hai.
• Xie Jinhuan blasted through the roof and attacked He Hai, but He Hai’s unnatural toughness let him withstand the lance strike and seize Heavenly Gang.
• Xie Jinhuan drew his sword, escaped the clash, and took the golden sphere containing the Blood Demon Pill while He Hai’s followers surrounded him.
• Xie Jinhuan claimed he would use the pill to avenge the victims, then drew its red essence into his body as He Hai watched.

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.