Recaps

Chen Ying escaped the hairy creature’s pursuit when his teacher Fang Zhijie found him and Wen Xiu in a classroom. Meanwhile, Mr. Xu and the Zou family discussed the scheme to close Tongwen Academy, and the chapter ended with Chen Ying wondering where the supernatural threats had gone as white lanterns rose above the school.

• Mr. Xu explained that Tongwen Academy’s scholarly energy kept evil entities away and said someone else was exploiting the supernatural disturbance to advance their own aims.
• Mr. Zou agreed to leave the situation in Mr. Xu’s hands, then departed with Ping'er as a crow watched from above.
• Chen Ying restrained Wen Xiu in a classroom while a mass of hair moved along the corridor, and he warned her that another strange light was approaching.
• Fang Zhijie entered, found Chen Ying and Wen Xiu together, and led them to his office after Wen Xiu claimed they were dating.
• Fang Zhijie spoke with Chen Ying and Wen Xiu in the office while Feng Huimin waited for her father, and Chen Ying saw white lanterns floating higher into the sky.

Chen Ying tried to get everyone out of Tongwen Academy after encountering supernatural dangers, but Wen Xiu denied seeing anything and Fang Zhijie led them out safely. Ren Gang and his men then fell from the school roof, while Brother Cheng remained missing; Chen Ying returned home and found Wu Jie handling the white lanterns.

• Chen Ying urged Fang Zhijie and the others to leave the school, and Fang Zhijie agreed to escort them after hearing Chen Ying describe the ghosts.
• Outside, Mak Ho-lai and Feng Ting watched the white lanterns drift away, then entered the school to find Feng Huimin.
• Fang Zhijie brought Chen Ying, Wen Xiu, and Feng Huimin to the entrance, where Feng Ting and Mak Ho-lai met them.
• Ren Gang and his men fell from the rooftop, and Mak Ho-lai took charge of the scene while Brother Cheng remained unaccounted for.
• Chen Ying declined a police ride home and later found Wu Jie bringing several white lanterns into their building.

Chen Ying learned from Wu Jie that the evil entities at Tongwen Academy might have been deliberately sent there or drawn in by damage to its Crow Repays Its Parents feng shui formation. Granny urged him to seek training from Wen Ruzhi, while Wu Jie wondered why the White Lotus Sect master had come to Hong Kong and Kowloon during a severe drought in Lingnan.

• Chen Ying told Wu Jie about the evil entities at Tongwen Academy, and she explained that scholarly energy usually kept such beings away.
• Wu Jie said someone might have sent the entities to the school or broken the Crow Repays Its Parents formation that linked Tongwen Academy’s fortunes with the Zou family.
• Chen Ying asked Wu Jie to teach him how to defend himself, but she said her family’s visualization methods were too dangerous for his injured soul and suggested he seek Wen Ruzhi’s help.
• A crow carrying Granny’s thoughts arrived and told Chen Ying to go to Wen Ruzhi, saying he was a trustworthy expert and that Chen Ying must choose his own path.
• Wu Jie wondered why Wen Ruzhi had come to Hong Kong and Kowloon while Lingnan was suffering a severe drought.

Chen Ying told Wen Ruzhi about his supernatural encounters and demonstrated his Coiling Python Force, then learned the Kui Star Kicks the Dipper technique. Wen Ruzhi gave him an address in a haunted alley and ordered him to spend the night there alone as the first of two tasks.

• Chen Ying read a newspaper report attacking Tongwen Academy and suspected someone was targeting the Zou family.
• Chen Ying visited Wen Ruzhi and sparred with him, but none of his attacks could reach him.
• Wen Ruzhi explained the martial arts realms of No Thought, No Mind and Hundred Changes of Military Strategy, then agreed to teach Chen Ying a move for dealing with evil entities.
• Wen Ruzhi taught Chen Ying the principles of Kui Star Kicks the Dipper, though Chen Ying only partly grasped how to circulate his blood and qi.
• Wen Ruzhi gave Chen Ying an address at a haunted temple on Rongyi Street and told him to spend the night there alone as his first task.

Chen Ying went to Rongyi Street to investigate the haunted temple at 93 Rongyi Street, where he encountered Hua Shanrong hiding from an Underworld Assassination Order. The chapter left Chen Ying asking why Hua Shanrong had come to the temple as Hua Shanrong began explaining his troubles.

• Chen Ying visited Rongyi Street, where the residents warned him that the ruined temple at 93 Rongyi Street was its most vicious haunted place.
• Chen Ying stayed behind as the street emptied and entered the overgrown temple at the end of the lane.
• A gray figure tumbled from behind the statue and begged Chen Ying for mercy, then revealed himself as Hua Shanrong.
• Hua Shanrong showed Chen Ying coin-shaped red marks on his arm and said Wo On Sing had issued an Underworld Assassination Order against him.
• Hua Shanrong explained that Wo On Sing's elders blamed him for fleeing when Fat Bear was killed, and Chen Ying asked why he had come to the temple.

Hua Shanrong told Chen Ying how taking Fat Bear’s gold chain brought a supernatural affliction and led him to hide in an abandoned City God Temple. As Wen Ruzhi discussed Chen Ying’s training and his White Lotus Sect ties with a powerful local ally, Chen Ying faced a collection of apparitions and answered one creature’s strange question with nonsense.

• Hua Shanrong explained that Wo On Sing had issued an Underworld Assassination Order against him and that red, coin-shaped sores had ruined his right arm after he accepted Fat Bear’s gold chain.
• Hua Shanrong said a spirit medium had sent him to sleep in the abandoned City God Temple so the yin energy clinging to him would return to the Netherworld, and Chen Ying said he had come to help.
• Wen Ruzhi ate dog-meat hot pot with a middle-aged man who questioned his presence in Hong Kong-Kowloon City and warned that Chen Ying could be left in a difficult position.
• Wen Ruzhi said he planned to bring Chen Ying through the door and revealed that Chen Ying had developed Coiling Python Force in two months; he had sent him to practice at haunted Rongyi Street.
• A red embroidered shoe circled the City God Temple, something struggled beneath a stone-covered well, and a skinless creature at the entrance asked Chen Ying whether it looked like a human or a god.
• Chen Ying ignored the creature’s question at first, then gave it a solemn, nonsensical reply about Bluetooth, Italian pasta, and concrete.

Chen Ying defeated a demon that sought recognition as a god, but its venomous resentment left him ravenous and filled with baleful qi. After he drained some sickness from Hua Shanrong, the other threats around Rongyi Street fell quiet, while a new evil aura rose inside the temple.

• Chen Ying confused the demon with contradictory questions, then attacked it with Eight Trigram Palm as it tried to stop his interference.
• The demon unleashed its accumulated resentment, but Chen Ying resisted its control and restored his blood and qi through the Twelve-Storey Tower.
• Chen Ying killed the demon with Kui Star Kicks the Dipper, destroying the foundation of its existence.
• Chen Ying's hunger returned, and he drew a cold current from Hua Shanrong's arm, causing its copper-coin-shaped sores to fade.
• The well, red embroidered shoes, and other dangers around Rongyi Street went quiet, but an evil aura arose inside the temple.

Chen Ying fled Rongyi Street as an immense three-faced being began to manifest, then was rescued by Wen Ruzhi and Lu Zhengxing. Wen accepted Chen Ying as his disciple, while Mr. Xu punished the old woman who had interfered with his plans and changed his appearance to resemble someone from the Zou family.

• Chen Ying dragged Floral Shirt Rong out of Rongyi Street as a colossal shadow rose from the ruined temple and began to recede.
• Wen Ruzhi and Lu Zhengxing rushed toward Rongyi Street, while researchers detected a possible Class A spiritual disaster and MacHollie refused to bypass official procedure.
• Chen Ying told Wen Ruzhi how he had found Floral Shirt Rong in the ruined temple, and Lu Zhengxing proposed investigating the spirit medium and taking Floral Shirt Rong to Dragon City for questioning.
• Wen Ruzhi accepted Chen Ying as his disciple, with Lu Zhengxing as witness, and warned him not to betray his country and people.
• Mr. Xu blamed the old woman for ruining his formation, transformed her into a crawling ghost, and altered his face while trying to resemble a member of the Zou family.

Chen Ying continued training under Wen Ruzhi, who taught him Through-Arm Fist and sent him to help Hua Shanrong at a Wo On Sing hearing. As they headed there, Chen Ying learned that rumors had already turned him into Dragon City Zhong Kui’s famed disciple and Ren Gang’s killer.

• Chen Ying improved his Coiling Python Force by keeping a heavy, water-filled iron ball spinning in the air, while Wen Ruzhi explained the path toward transforming strength.
• Wen Ruzhi taught Chen Ying Through-Arm Fist and gave him medical books, then explained that Hua Shanrong had returned from Dragon City after foreign intervention halted the investigation into the ruined-temple affair.
• Wen Ruzhi told Chen Ying to accompany Hua Shanrong to settle trouble within Wo On Sing, explaining that Lu had arranged matters and that the trip would serve as a test.
• Hua Shanrong asked Chen Ying to attend a Wo On Sing hearing and help him prove whether he was loyal or a traitor.
• On the drive, Yu Tai praised Chen Ying as Dragon City Zhong Kui’s disciple and claimed Yisheng’s Ren Gang had fallen to him; Chen Ying wondered how those stories had spread.

Chen Ying accompanied Yu Tai and Hua Shanrong to Wo On Sing, where the elders debated whether to honor Dragon City's request to spare Hua Shanrong. They offered Hua Shanrong one month to kill Fire Dragon, leaving his fate tied to whether he could meet the condition.

• Chen Ying considered Dragon City's influence as Yu Tai drove him and Hua Shanrong to Wo On Sing.
• Ko Lo Wah and the elders argued over whether to withdraw the assassination order against Hua Shanrong, with some fearing Dragon City and others defending Wo On Sing's authority.
• Ko Lo Wah proposed that Hua Shanrong kill Fire Dragon within a month; success would earn him a banquet and a choice of position, while failure would bring Three Knives and Six Holes.
• The elders approved Ko Lo Wah's proposal and summoned Chen Ying, Yu Tai, and Hua Shanrong upstairs.
• Ko Lo Wah welcomed Chen Ying and told Hua Shanrong that Wo On Sing had given him an opportunity to seize.

Chen Ying confronted Wo On Sing’s elders over their treatment of Hua Shanrong and the society’s hostility toward Dragon City. After Chen Ying walked out, Hua Shanrong chose to leave with him, and they headed for the docks because Chen Ying believed someone was coming after him.

• Ko Lo Wah ordered Hua Shanrong to kill Fire Dragon within a month, while the elders admitted they had taken over Fat Bear’s territory and offered little support.
• Mah Yau Wu insulted Chen Ying and threatened Hua Shanrong, prompting Chen Ying to accuse him of holding a personal grudge and warn that he would hold him responsible for any attack.
• Chen Ying left the meeting after warning the elders not to provoke him, while they argued over how to respond.
• Hua Shanrong asked to leave with Chen Ying, and Yu Tai blocked him before ultimately letting him pass.
• Hua Shanrong caught up with Chen Ying outside and said he would stand by him; Chen Ying told him someone was coming after him and took him toward the docks.

Chen Ying discovered that someone had planted drugs in the Chen family's warehouses and suspected a plot against him. After Yan Ren arrived with officers and arrested him, Chen Ying realized the police inspector had pointed him toward the person behind the setup, and Hua Shanrong arrived with a group of people.

• Chen Ying took Hua Shanrong to inspect the Chen family's dockside warehouses because he suspected someone was targeting him.
• Uncle Qing sniffed out three packages of Siamese drugs hidden among the rice sacks, and Chen Ying sent him to deliver them to Mr. Wen and warn A-Jie.
• Chen Ying asked Hua Shanrong to report the contraband to the police and bring officers to the warehouses.
• Yan Ren arrived with police, arrested Chen Ying, and ordered his men to search the warehouses, but they found nothing.
• Chen Ying thanked Yan Ren for pointing him toward the person behind the plot, and Hua Shanrong appeared with a group of people.

Chen Ying escaped Yan Ren’s drug-smuggling arrest after Lan Li intervened, then concluded that the police and gang troubles were coordinated to target Granny. He decided to leave the little house and disrupt the plot by heading to Dragon City with a package of Two Lions Holding the Globe.

• Lan Li confronted Yan Ren over the search, and Yan Ren released Chen Ying and withdrew his team.
• Chen Ying warned his companions not to trust Lan Li and reasoned that the gang and police incidents were part of one coordinated plan.
• Uncle Qing reported that Mr. Wen had taken two packages of Two Lions Holding the Globe, while Chen Ying brought the remaining package to the little house.
• Chen Ying learned that Granny had left to help the Lingnan Jiedu Office locate the Drought Demon and suspected that she was the true target.
• Chen Ying told Wu Jie to contact Granny and borrowed Uncle Qing, deciding to go to Dragon City and use the remaining package to disrupt the enemy’s plan.

Chen Ying and Hua Shanrong bought weapons from Lin Jin in Dragon City, disguising their immediate plans by claiming they would hire gunmen and act the next day. Chen Ying then revealed they would use the guns to rob Mah Yau Wu’s gold shop, calling it legitimate business.

• Chen Ying, Uncle Qing, and Hua Shanrong entered Dragon City to contact Lin Jin, an arms dealer and manpower broker.
• Hua Shanrong traded a packet of Two Lions Holding the Globe goods for five Zhongwu Type 56 submachine guns and arranged to hire four gunmen for the following day.
• Lin Jin handed over the guns, and Chen Ying’s group left Dragon City carrying them.
• Hua Shanrong complained that Lin Jin had overcharged him, then asked Chen Ying where they would wait for the gunmen.
• Chen Ying explained that the purchase and hiring arrangement were a diversion, and said they would rob Mah Yau Wu’s gold shop that night.

Mah Yau Wu warned Fire Dragon that Hua Shanrong was coming after him, while Yan Ren became acting Inspector just as Chen Ying and Hua Shanrong robbed a gold shop. Chen Ying followed Yan Ren and planned to kill whoever he met before going to see MacLehose.

• Mah Yau Wu called Fire Dragon and warned him that Hua Shanrong had obtained Type 56 rifles and was coming after him.
• Yan Ren's superior announced his retirement and made Yan Ren acting Inspector of Eastern District Three, advising him to keep the gangs and the British in check.
• News broke that three men from Zhongzhou had robbed the Jixiang Gold Shop, and Yan Ren's superior went to handle the case while Yan Ren took charge at the station.
• Chen Ying and Hua Shanrong watched Yan Ren leave the police station after robbing the gold shop, while Uncle Qing explained that the car would not attract attention.
• Chen Ying decided to follow Yan Ren, kill whoever he met, and then go see MacLehose.

Chen Ying attacked Mah Yau Wu’s residence after learning that Yan Ren had been involved in the trouble against him, and Yan Ren covered up the killings to protect his career. Chen Ying then called Officer Mak to discuss Rongyi Street, insisting he knew nothing about the gold shop robbery.

• Mah Yau Wu suspected Chen Ying was behind the gold shop robbery and ordered his underlings to investigate him quietly.
• Yan Ren confronted Mah Yau Wu over targeting Chen Ying and learned that Young Master Wen had set the scheme in motion.
• Chen Ying entered Mah Yau Wu’s residence with a Type 56, disarmed Yan Ren and his officers, and shot Mah Yau Wu dead.
• Yan Ren killed two of Mah Yau Wu’s underlings, then staged the scene to make it look as if Mah Yau Wu had resisted arrest during the robbery.
• Chen Ying called Officer Mak and said he wanted to discuss Rongyi Street, denying any knowledge of the gold shop robbery.

Chen Ying questioned MacLehose about the Void Realm and learned that a breach between it and the human world could trigger a Spirit Disaster. MacLehose agreed to halt the investigation into Chen Ying and gave him an address and time, leaving their cooperation poised to continue.

• Chen Ying met MacLehose and argued that the authorities could not prove his involvement in the armed robbery without physical evidence.
• Chen Ying pressed MacLehose about Rongyi Street and asked what the authorities called the Netherworld.
• MacLehose explained that a major breach between the Void Realm and their world was called a Spirit Disaster and could devastate civilization.
• MacLehose said disturbances in the Earth Vein could let beings cross between worlds and warned Chen Ying that the authorities would make anyone creating a Spirit Disaster leave Hong Kong and Kowloon.
• MacLehose gave Chen Ying an address and precise time, offered to halt the criminal investigation, and agreed to cooperate.

Chen Ying told Wen Ruzhi that Xu Renying was likely behind the attacks on the Chen family and asked him to help Granny Chen bring Xu down. Wen Ruzhi refused because of the danger of Wuzhong City, then revealed he was in Hong Kong and Kowloon searching for something connected to the sect’s legacy.

• Chen Ying met Wen Ruzhi at the clinic and identified one of the four expedition experts as the likely mastermind behind the attacks on the Chen family.
• Chen Ying reasoned that Xu Renying was the mastermind, while Young Master Wen, Yisheng’s Numbers Manager, was acting in the open; Wen Ruzhi warned that Lu Zhengxing might know of the plot without leading it.
• Wen Ruzhi refused to help pursue Xu Renying immediately and explained that the expedition’s target, the Drought Demon, was hiding in the deadly dead zone of Wuzhong City.
• Wen Ruzhi promised to bring Chen Ying into the White Lotus Sect and restore his branch of the Chen family if Granny Chen came to harm, and declared Xu Renying their enemy if he survived.
• Chen Ying told Wen Ruzhi he had arranged to meet the foreigners’ Emergency Management Department and could discreetly seek clues to what Wen Ruzhi was searching for.
• Wen Ruzhi confirmed Chen Ying had guessed correctly and asked how many others in Hong Kong-Kowloon City had figured it out.

Wen Ruzhi revealed that he had come to Hong Kong and Kowloon to find the Illuminating-Night Burning Rhinoceros, then set out for Lingnan to investigate Xu Renying. Chen Ying trained with Wen Ruzhi before continuing into the night, while elsewhere Young Master Wen lost an eye and sensed someone plotting against him.

• Wen Ruzhi explained the history and powers of the Illuminating-Night Burning Rhinoceros and admitted that he had been searching for it in Hong Kong and Kowloon.
• Chen Ying said he did not know who held power in the city, and Wen Ruzhi praised his broader vision before agreeing to investigate Xu Renying in Lingnan.
• Wen Ruzhi tested Chen Ying's Through-Arm Fist and taught him about its hidden force, Diamond Ape Arms.
• Wen Ruzhi departed for Lingnan, suspecting Xu Renying might possess the rhinoceros candle or know where it was.
• Chen Ying bowed to Wen Ruzhi, resolved to continue his plans, and followed him into the night.
• At an old residence, Young Master Wen lost an eye and two fingers in a mahjong game against hidden ghosts, then sensed that someone was plotting against him.

Chen Ying warned Mak Ho-lai about Xu Renying and declined to provide information, then returned to Little Building and found it altered by a supernatural presence. He discovered Wu Jie frightened on the fourth-floor stairs, where she said Granny had good news.

• Mak Ho-lai told Chen Ying that Yan Ren had blamed Mah Yau Wu for the incident and that the authorities had helped cover up the truth.
• Chen Ying advised Mak Ho-lai to investigate missing spirit mediums from Temple Street and Xu Renying’s connections, then said he was opening a shop and would charge for information.
• Uncle Qing reported that Young Master Wen had appeared, Wo On Sing members wanted a meeting, and Lan Li from the Police Force had invited Chen Ying to morning tea.
• As Chen Ying and Uncle Qing approached Little Building, they saw a mangled figure crawling through mist, and Uncle Qing said the building seemed to have changed.
• A blind, red-clothed girl appeared at Little Building’s entrance, sang a disturbing nursery rhyme, and vanished after its crying made Chen Ying feel as if he were forgetting how to exist.
• Chen Ying hurried upstairs and found Wu Jie sitting pale on the stairs beside a smoking Bronze Oil Lamp; she told him Granny had good news.

Chen Ying fought off a sightless evil entity in the Little Building and discovered his baleful qi could let him see through darkness and destroy its eye. Wu Jie revealed that the Little Building was itself an evil entity and that Granny Chen’s life was nearly over; Chen Ying found Granny Chen lying in a coffin, unable to return her Yin Spirit to her body.

• Wu Jie warned Chen Ying that Granny Chen was gone, the Little Building was losing control of its captive entities, and he should flee with the oil lamp.
• A blind little girl evil entity attacked Chen Ying, but he tore apart its red cords, endured its cries, and used his baleful qi to see through the darkness.
• Chen Ying kicked the entity and gouged out its eye, damaging its ability to perceive him and forcing it to retreat downstairs.
• A bell rang in the Little Building, and Wu Jie explained that the building itself was an evil entity that fed on the entities it imprisoned.
• Wu Jie led Chen Ying to Granny Chen’s room, where they found Granny Chen lying in a coffin; Wu Jie said Granny’s Yin Spirit could no longer return to her body and she could not leave the building.

Chen Ying learned that Granny Chen’s Yin Spirit had left her living-corpse body inside the building, where the building’s power kept it suppressed and stable. After discovering a counterclockwise clock counting down ten hours until the next movement period, Chen Ying decided to seek Su Xiong’s help before facing the Faceless Man.

• Wu Jie explained that Granny Chen’s Yin Spirit could no longer return to her body, which had begun turning into a living corpse and was hidden inside the building.
• Chen Ying refused Wu Jie’s request that he leave, arguing that they had to conceal the building’s weakness and address its dangers from within.
• Chen Ying and Wu Jie inspected the floors and found a new clock on the first floor counting down ten hours.
• Wu Jie warned Chen Ying that the Faceless Man might be the building’s most intelligent and difficult malevolent entity.
• Chen Ying found the old ghost’s door locked and told Wu Jie he was going to see Su Xiong.

Su Xiong welcomed Chen Ying to Tianxin Mansion and explained that the compass Chen Ying sought could point toward what its user most desired, at the cost of thirteen days of bad luck. Su Xiong gave Chen Ying the compass, which had one use remaining, and saw him off.

• Su Xiong ordered Sha Wei to deal with a subordinate who was selling him out and discussed Chen Ying’s growing reputation and powerful backing with his disciples.
• Chen Ying visited Su Xiong at Tianxin Mansion to ask about the compass he had seen in Sha Wei’s hand.
• Su Xiong explained that the compass pointed toward the user’s strongest desire and caused thirteen days of bad luck, while its Western original made the desired object impossible to obtain.
• Sha Wei brought the compass in its coffin-wood box, and Su Xiong gave it to Chen Ying, explaining that it had one use left.
• Chen Ying accepted the compass, thanked Senior Brother Su, and Su Xiong escorted him downstairs.

Su Xiong explained why he had helped Chen Ying, while Chen Ying found that the Little Building was drawing closer to the Void Realm and used the compass to locate the Wrongful Death Ghost Market. The chapter left Chen Ying arriving at the market, where its proprietor greeted him.

• Su Xiong told Du Ke, Sha Wei, and Bian Zhi that helping Chen Ying could build valuable connections and help Tung Sing become respectable.
• Chen Ying and Uncle Qing encountered a huge stitched-together flesh entity on the misty lane, then reached the Little Building and found its surroundings had changed.
• Chen Ying checked the time with Wu Jie, warned him to prepare for danger, and explained the compass Su Xiong had given him.
• Chen Ying put a drop of blood on the compass, followed its needle through the fog, and found the Wrongful Death Ghost Market.
• The proprietor greeted Chen Ying and joked that he had brought a zombie driver.

Chen Ying followed the compass through the Wrongful Death Ghost Market, learning that his Ghost Eye could be exchanged as part of the best solution to his wish. At the market’s edge, he traded it to a mutilated male corpse for Human Skin Paper bearing a covenant with Solomon and the Seventy-Two Pillars.

• Chen Ying passed a noodle stall where a drowned ghost had lost an eyeball in exchange for soup, and he refused the owner’s offer to trade for the Ghost Eye in his pocket.
• Chen Ying visited the Ghost Appraiser, who explained the Ghost Eye’s value and offered to exchange it for Chen Ying’s left eye or buy it for paper money.
• Chen Ying noticed the compass needle spinning while the Ghost Eye was under discussion and concluded that the eye was necessary for the best transaction ahead.
• Chen Ying followed the compass to the edge of the Ghost Market, where a mutilated male corpse offered Human Skin Paper in exchange for the Ghost Eye.
• The corpse fitted the Ghost Eye into his socket as Chen Ying unrolled the paper and read its opening covenant between Solomon, the Third Monarch, and the Seventy-Two Pillars.