Chapter Summaries

Qu Zan passed the five-part Geshe assessment and was admitted to Mahā Hall, where Cangyang Konghai revealed that the temple had investigated whether he was the mysterious [Formless Tathagata]. Qu Zan argued that he was not, then entered the Inner Court's Scripture Repository with his new Talisman Plaque.

• Qu Zan explained his rapid advancement through his exceptional memory and passed assessments in Mantra Studies, rituals, yoga studies, Esoteric Medicine Studies, and Scriptural Studies.
• Cangyang Konghai awarded Qu Zan a five-treasure Knowledge Long Chain, confirmed his slave origins, and said he could enter the Four Inner Courts.
• Cangyang Konghai revealed that the temple had investigated whether Qu Zan was [Formless Tathagata], whose power could disguise identities and alter ālayavijñāna.
• Qu Zan argued that [Formless Tathagata]'s true aims made him an unlikely suspect, and Cangyang Konghai agreed to report his analysis.
• Cangyang Konghai assigned Qu Zan to Mahā Hall and gave him a silver Talisman Plaque, and Qu Zan entered the Inner Court's Scripture Repository.

Qu Zan studied chakra cultivation in Corpse Camel Temple's Esoteric Sutra Hall, then used what he learned to advance his throat chakra and master Vajra Recitation. Duo'erna began empowering him through her bound White-Robed Guanyin, and the ritual continued as she poured consecrated water over him.

• Qu Zan entered the Esoteric Sutra Hall and studied a text on subtle chakras and bindu, learning to warm the throat chakra gently with tummo.
• Qu Zan returned to Duo'erna and used the book's instructions to cultivate for two hours, opening his throat chakra and constructing a spiritual mandala.
• Duo'erna recognized Qu Zan's progress and agreed to give him the seed syllable empowerment.
• Duo'erna revealed that her bound god-and-demon was White-Robed Guanyin, a manifestation of Bodhisattva Guanshiyin, and began the empowerment ritual.
• Qu Zan recited the vows and samaya, visualized the precept knot around his wrist, and received the vase empowerment as Duo'erna poured consecrated water over his crown.

Duo'erna gave Qu Zan White-Robed Guanyin's vase empowerment and implanted the “Bam” seed syllable, which granted him powerful abilities including seeing sentient beings’ emotions. By using that ability to understand suffering and precepts, Qu Zan broke through into the third abode, then entered the Form Realm and connected with the seed syllable there.

• Duo'erna empowered Qu Zan with White-Robed Guanyin's “Bam” seed syllable and explained its abilities and the discipline required to use it.
• Qu Zan wrote the seed syllable onto paper and used [Seeing Sentient Beings] to perceive Duo'erna's joy and hidden suffering before she concealed her emotions.
• Duo'erna described Qu Zan's emotional colors, and Qu Zan practiced mindfulness to quiet his thoughts and continued learning about the seed syllable.
• Qu Zan observed the suffering and emotions of people on his way back, reflected on precepts and desire, and advanced into the third abode after speaking with Liuwa.
• Qu Zan entered the Form Realm at night and connected with the moon-white seed syllable in his Bamboo Grove Vihara, confirming that he could use its abilities there.

Qu Zan met Wo'ercha in the Form Realm and taught him the seven non-retrogression dharmas, prompting the new Azure Wolf Tribe leader to change how he governed. After Wo'ercha vowed to follow Indra’s advice, Qu Zan left the Form Realm exhausted and gained Fortune Essence and progress in discipline-keeping.

• Qu Zan used [Behold Sentient Beings] to assess Wo'ercha, who introduced himself as the fearful chieftain of the Azure Wolf Tribe and asked for strength to unite the grasslands.
• Qu Zan taught Wo'ercha the seven non-retrogression dharmas and promised that following them could help him become the khan of khans, then gave his name as Indra and vanished.
• Wo'ercha awoke in the Azure Wolf Tribe, addressed the old shaman respectfully, and recounted his encounter with Indra.
• Wo'ercha canceled the seven-day feast and ordered its prepared food and drink distributed among the people according to their merits and abilities.
• Qu Zan withdrew from the Form Realm after exhausting his mental consciousness, then gained [Fortune Essence +1.2] and raised [discipline-keeping lv3 progress] from 24% to 54%.

After discovering that their shipment of Nectar Scale-Moistening Paste had been stolen, Qu Zan and Guocuo set out with Warrior Monks to investigate. Qu Zan found signs of corpse fluid along the thieves’ route and hid in the forest while sending a Blood Shadow Body ahead as bait.

• Guocuo told Qu Zan that their medicine shipment, worth a thousand taels, had vanished along with Shi Long and the escort guards.
• Qu Zan and Guocuo decided to investigate with Warrior Monks from Corpse Camel Temple, and Qu Zan strengthened his [Discipline-Keeping] talent in the Form Realm that night.
• The next day, Guocuo led Qu Zan and six Warrior Monks along the road toward Gongga Dzong, where the shipment had been headed.
• Qu Zan followed the cart tracks and identified corpse fluid in the soil, suggesting the thieves might be dead beings wielding uncanny powers.
• Qu Zan created a Blood Shadow Body to lure the thieves onward while his real body hid in the forest.

Qu Zan subdued the corpses sent after him, then confronted the old woman controlling them and discovered that she had unleashed the Vengeful Ghost [Corpse-Subduing Arhat] to kill him. By examining her memories, he learned that Wangdui had arranged the attack to eliminate a rival in the Great Prayer Geshe examination, and Qu Zan planned to report him to Cangyang Konghai.

• Qu Zan used Shadow Ghost Binding to restrain seven walking corpses while he searched the woods for their controller.
• Qu Zan found the old woman, but she used Ghost Medicine to awaken the [Corpse-Subduing Arhat] and summon a horde of corpses.
• Qu Zan avoided the Vengeful Ghost with his Blood Shadow Body, took the old woman's head, and let the [Corpse-Subduing Arhat] remain free.
• Qu Zan used the Meditative Dream-Practice Treasure-Excavation Method to view the old woman's memories and learned that Wangdui had urged her to kill him.
• Qu Zan discovered that the old woman had used [Corpse-Rage Spirit-Awakening Dew] to accelerate the Vengeful Ghost's revival and planned to report Wangdui to Cangyang Konghai.

Qu Zan rescued Shi Long and his companions, recovered the Ghost Medicine manual and evidence implicating Wangdui, and secured Cangyang Konghai’s order to punish him. After Wangdui fell into the Scorpion Cave and died, Qu Zan returned to his Separate Courtyard to examine the Ghost-Skin Secret Manual.

• Qu Zan freed Shi Long and the other captives, recovered the Golden Box, gold, jewels, Ghost-Skin Secret Manual, and letters linking Wangdui to his mother.
• Qu Zan reported Wangdui to Cangyang Konghai, who ordered Wangdui stripped of his Geshe Degree and sent to the Snow Prison and Scorpion Cave.
• Qu Zan accompanied Bensen to the Snow Prison, where Gongga Cicheng intervened and demanded an investigation before Wangdui was punished.
• A Ghost Hand dragged Wangdui into the Scorpion Cave, and he died from his injuries and scorpion venom.
• Bensen recognized Qu Zan’s role in Wangdui’s fall, and Qu Zan returned to his Separate Courtyard to examine the Ghost-Skin Secret Manual.

Qu Zan discovered that the Ghost-Skin Secret Manual, Great Black Yama, answered him deferentially through Indra’s Hand, but warned that the Buddha was still alive and withheld parts of a prophecy about He Yanjialuo. After entering the Form Realm, Qu Zan used the Bamboo Grove Vihara to block the prayers reaching him, then transformed it into Sudarsana City.

• Qu Zan found that the Ghost-Skin Secret Manual responded to Indra’s Hand by calling itself Little Black and offering him discounted answers on credit.
• Qu Zan asked about the Buddha’s true name, and Little Black warned that the Buddha was still alive and might sense them if Qu Zan learned his name.
• Qu Zan learned that He Yanjialuo was in Rika City with the Maitreya Descending Birth Cult and planned to kill him, but Little Black blacked out details of her prophecy from the Form Realm.
• Qu Zan entered the Form Realm and heard Wo'ercha’s repeated prayers to Indra, which overwhelmed him.
• Qu Zan projected the Bamboo Grove Vihara into the Form Realm to block the prayers, then reshaped it into Sudarsana City.

Qu Zan used his Indra power to draw Wo'ercha into Sudarsana City, where he learned about the Azure Wolf Tribe and gained its chieftain's loyalty. After weighing the danger of rival Indra-binders, Qu Zan discussed ghost-gods and lifespan with Duo'erna, who said several methods could extend a Binding Monk's life.

• Qu Zan transformed the Bamboo Grove Vihara into Sudarsana City and drew Wo'ercha into it through his prayers.
• Wo'ercha pledged his devotion to Qu Zan and described the Azure Wolf Tribe's shamans, Spirit-Blood Warriors, Spirit Songs, and supernatural defenses.
• Qu Zan sent Wo'ercha back to his tent, then considered using the tribe as a distant force while focusing on cultivation and collecting Indra-related Ghost-God Relics.
• Qu Zan asked Duo'erna how she inherited [White-Robed Guanyin], and she explained that binding ghost-gods shortened a person's lifespan.
• Duo'erna told Qu Zan that several ways existed to extend one's lifespan.

Duo'erna explained methods of extending life and the legends of Heavenly Objects, then showed Qu Zan the incomplete yet symbolically complete manifestation of her [White-Robed Guanyin]. Qu Zan learned from Little Black that Ghost Divination could locate his missing fragments but would be dangerous at his current rank, and he considered trying it with help from the panel and the Bamboo Grove Vihara.

• Duo'erna described three ways to extend life and told Qu Zan that the Ancestral Temple on Great Snow Mountain controlled the making of Longevity Pills.
• Duo'erna recounted legends of ten Heavenly Objects, and Qu Zan suspected the enormous hand he had seen might be the Buddha's Hand.
• Duo'erna revealed her [White-Robed Guanyin] and explained that its symbolic objects were present despite much of its body being missing, then described the lost art of Ghost Divination.
• Qu Zan consulted Little Black, which warned that Ghost Divination could not locate imprisoned or gold-isolated beings and might draw more powerful Vengeful Ghosts to him.
• Little Black said Qu Zan might suppress and conceal his rank by borrowing higher-ranked God-and-Demon Power, and Qu Zan considered using the panel and the Bamboo Grove Vihara to try.

Qu Zan used the Bamboo Grove Vihara to divine the location of a Vengeful Ghost in Buze Village, then sought help capturing it. After finding no suitable criminals in the Snow Prison, he hired a practitioner through Sangyan Blind Monk and offered five hundred jin of gold to imprison the ghost.

• Qu Zan learned the Ghost Book's method for divining fate and agreed to repay his outstanding flesh, blood, and soul debts within seven days.
• Qu Zan successfully used Indra's aura to locate three possible Vengeful Ghosts and saw an image of Buze Village.
• Qu Zan decided to hire practitioners to investigate the ghost and searched the Snow Prison, but found only vulnerable people and refused to sacrifice innocents.
• Qu Zan disguised himself and visited the Naicang trading inn, where Sangyan Blind Monk introduced him to a young man bound to a Vengeful Ghost.
• Qu Zan offered the young man five hundred jin of gold to imprison the ghost in Buze Village, and the young man eagerly asked for a deposit so he could leave at once.

Qu Zan sought out bandits to feed to the Ghost Book, but found Mì Army soldiers had already killed a group attacking the Ando Tusi's party. He joined the party as bait for further attacks, while Alech'u waited in a mountain cave and learned his Dangqu Mountain recruits had been wiped out.

• Qu Zan hired Xia Ba to investigate Nabuze Village and paid him to locate the village and report useful information; Xia Ba told him about the mounted bandits near Dangqu Mountain.
• Sangyan Blind Monk questioned Xia Ba, who explained that he wanted to earn gold to provide for his family despite his decaying body and ghostly powers.
• Qu Zan rode to Dangqu Mountain in disguise, hoping to capture bandits for the Ghost Book, but discovered Mì Army soldiers had already killed the bandits who attacked the Ando Tusi's party.
• Qu Zan met Miss Nabuling and agreed to travel with her party after realizing it had been targeted and that more bandits might attack.
• In a cave on Dangqu Mountain, Alech'u offered the local bandit chief a place among his Scimitar Bandits, then learned that the chief's men had all been killed.

Qu Zan and Nabuling’s party were ambushed by Alech'u and the Scimitar Bandits after the bandits objected to being ranked last among the Ten Bandits. When the mounted charge broke Tuba’s formation, Sagai unleashed the [Wet-Print Boy], and Alech'u rode forward after ordering his men to surround the group.

• Nabuling explained to Qu Zan that the Five Hu were powerful bandit leaders and listed the Ten Bandits, prompting Alech'u to attack after hearing the Scimitar Bandits called thieves and ranked tenth.
• Alech'u ordered his riders to kill the men and spare the women, while the Scimitar Bandits charged through Tuba’s spear formation and crushed the Mìdì soldiers.
• Tuba urged Nabuling to flee, but Sagai revealed the Vengeful Ghost called the [Wet-Print Boy] and ordered it to kill the riders.
• The [Wet-Print Boy] touched scimitar bandits and left wet handprints that caused their bodies to rot from within, disrupting the charge and frightening Bunu.
• Alech'u ordered his bandits to scatter and surround the group, then rode down the slope as Qu Zan sensed that Alech'u had Bound a Vengeful Ghost.

Alech'u used his corpse-oil-coated ghost horse to capture Nabuling and escape, while Qu Zan secretly seized and fed twelve Scimitar Bandits to the Ghost Book. Qu Zan later confronted Alech'u and rescued Nabuling, but the awakened ghost horse protected Alech'u and galloped away.

• Alech'u's ghost horse trapped Wet-Print Boy in corpse oil, dragged Nabuling from the crowd, and carried her away as the Scimitar Bandits fled.
• Alech'u discovered that twelve of his men were missing and turned back to search for them.
• Qu Zan captured the twelve rear-guard bandits with ghost hands and fed them to the Ghost Book, which devoured them all.
• Qu Zan returned to the road and faced Alech'u, then used his ghostly power to kill the bandits around him and free Nabuling.
• Alech'u's ghost horse blocked Qu Zan's attack with corpse oil, awakened into a frenzy, and carried Alech'u away at great speed.

Qu Zan attended Tuya’s family banquet at her invitation, where the new Dongzi Dzongben, Sanglang, announced a crackdown on bandits and unrest. Sanglang demonstrated a government musket’s deadly range, leaving Qu Zan to recognize the weapon from his previous life.

• Qu Zan freed Nabuling, declined to remove his mask, and rode away after she thanked him for saving her.
• Tuya invited Qu Zan to a banquet at her family Manor, explaining that her mother hoped to secure the new Dzongben’s support.
• Qu Zan attended the gathering, where Madam Yangjin welcomed local religious and political leaders and Tuya appeared reassured by his presence.
• Sanglang arrived and declared that he would restore order and suppress bandits, serf resistance, and flight from service.
• Sanglang loaded and fired a government musket at a distant wooden target, demonstrating its power to the gathered guests.

Qu Zan learned of the Hero Army’s uprising and discovered that Tuya’s family had a disgraced monk ancestor who might be connected to the Formless Tathagata and the murders. After returning to Tuya’s manor, Qu Zan advanced his discipline-keeping to level 5 and awaited a new ability.

• Qu Zan heard that Gonbo Lujie and Sangzhu Luobu led serf uprisings known among the people as the Hero Army.
• Qu Zan and Tuya met Deji, Namkha’s mother, who asked about her son and revealed the hardships of his life as a serf.
• Deji told Qu Zan and Tuya that Tuya’s uncle Duowang had set the family manor on fire decades earlier and been expelled from the monastic community.
• Qu Zan and Tuya suspected Duowang might be connected to the Formless Tathagata, though Qu Zan noted that the mystery remained unresolved.
• Qu Zan used Secret Conduct to enter the Form Realm, gained fortune essence, and advanced discipline-keeping from level 4 to level 5.

Qu Zan reported that Duowang might be the [Formless Tathagata], while Xia Ba entered Buze Village to investigate a Vengeful Ghost for a promised reward. Xia Ba’s companions and the villagers were revealed as paper figures, and he was left transformed into mud as the village vanished around him.

• Qu Zan gained the ability Discipline-Keeping · Taking as a Precept and added fortune essence from Tuya’s antiques to [Extensive Learning].
• Qu Zan told Cangyang Konghai that Duowang might be the [Formless Tathagata], and Cangyang Konghai ordered Bensen to investigate Duowang’s former companions and whereabouts.
• Xia Ba reached Buze Village with five guides and hired a local boy to help him find a supposed sister.
• Big Cheeks noticed the boy’s strange footsteps, and a guide led Xia Ba to a chalk-white, bridal-dressed double that he claimed was Xia Ba’s sister.
• Xia Ba attacked the boy with grave-mound soil, but the boy collapsed into paper and reformed as the villagers surrounded Xia Ba with identical smiles.
• The villagers burst into paper scraps and disappeared, leaving a mud figure in the lane as Xia Ba’s eerie power consumed him.

Qu Zan learned that Duowang had joined Hell's Beings and chose a Medicine Mother spirit to serve as his pharmacist. He named her Mianmu, promised to pay her wages, and then set out to visit Naicang Manor, wondering whether Xia Ba had found Buze Village.

• Cangyang Konghai told Qu Zan that Duowang had died, and divination using the temple's records showed that Duowang had joined Hell's Beings long ago.
• Cangyang Konghai awarded Qu Zan fifty merit points and sent Bensang to show him the Inner Court's spirit servants.
• Qu Zan toured the Guardian Spirits palace and chose a Medicine Mother because she could refine esoteric medicines.
• Qu Zan brought the Medicine Mother to his courtyard, named her Mianmu, and promised to pay her wages for working as his pharmacist.
• Qu Zan instructed Liuwa to set aside food for Mianmu and left to visit Naicang Manor, wondering whether Xia Ba had found Buze Village.

Qu Zan learned about the Vengeful Ghost in Zebu Village from Xia Ba and devised a cautious plan to investigate it before attempting to capture it. While cultivating amid noise from the workshop below, Qu Zan understood the meaning of Patience Practice and reached the perfected realm of the Third Abode Stage.

• Xia Ba told Qu Zan how he escaped the Vengeful Ghost in Zebu Village and described its ability to imitate people and control their skin.
• Qu Zan identified the ghost as Indra's Skin and suspected that it killed by touching skin, then instructed Xia Ba to use animals and signals to investigate its movements and locate its true body.
• Sangyan Blind Monk convinced Xia Ba that Qu Zan had recognized his value, and Xia Ba resolved to serve his boss faithfully.
• Qu Zan returned to his Separate Courtyard, where the Medicine Mother arranged his secret-medicine workshop, and resumed cultivating the Three Mysteries of Body, Speech, and Mind.
• After irritation at the workshop noise prompted him to examine how afflictions arose, Qu Zan grasped the meaning of Patience Practice and attained the perfected realm of the Third Abode Stage.

Qu Zan perfected his Throat Chakra, learned the Sound Secret Pulse-Refining Method, and prepared to investigate the Vengeful Ghost in Zebu Village with Xia Ba. The village’s uncanny power reacted to Qu Zan, so he planned to enter through Red Guanyin’s shadow while Xia Ba used his disguise.

• Qu Zan dissolved the final obstruction in his Throat Chakra, strengthening his body and allowing him to sustain Vajra Recitation through internal vibrations independent of his breath.
• Qu Zan chose to cultivate his Root Chakra, obtained Mianmu’s Essence of Consolidating the Origin formula, and collected its ingredients from Duo'erna.
• Qu Zan found and comprehended the Sound Secret Pulse-Refining Method in the Inner Court’s Scripture Repository and practiced using mantra vibrations to clear his channels.
• Xia Ba showed Qu Zan a map of Zebu Village and proposed entering disguised with mud to investigate the Vengeful Ghost at the village’s center.
• Qu Zan and Xia Ba found the villagers standing motionless and staring at them, while Qu Zan’s left hand reacted to Indra’s power within the village.
• Qu Zan told Xia Ba to proceed with the original infiltration plan and planned to follow by merging Red Guanyin’s shadow into Xia Ba’s.