Chapter Summaries

Wu Youren and Luo Xi encountered two spirits disguised as travelers after finding rocks blocking the mountain road. They fought the spirits, which revealed themselves as a Monkey Tiger and a human thrall, and the thrall chased Wu Youren as he fled.

• Wu Youren and Luo Xi traveled toward Suotu Town and found two riders near rocks that had fallen across the road.
• Wu Youren suddenly attacked the helmeted rider with daggers, and Luo Xi joined him with gunfire.
• Luo Xi switched to weird-breaking rounds after Wu Youren warned him, and both opponents began transforming into spirits.
• The helmeted rider became a Monkey Tiger, while Luo Xi fought it with his greatsword and warned Wu Youren about the other spirit.
• Wu Youren ran off while throwing items from his backpack, and the human thrall pursued him through the wilderness.

Wu Youren defeated the Chang Ghost with a homemade sound device and daggers coated in Weird-Dispelling Powder, then continued traveling with Luo Xi. He discovered that identifying the Monkey Tiger had earned him a large increase in experience points.

• Wu Youren tested the Chang Ghost with metallic vibrations, then shattered a powder-coated dagger into fragments that weakened and dispersed it.
• Luo Xi killed the Monkey Tiger and asked Wu Youren about his methods; Wu Youren explained that the powder and metal devices worked only against low-tier Weird Race creatures.
• Luo Xi extracted the Monkey Tiger’s tendons and burned its corpse to prevent lingering resentment, while Wu Youren learned its meat might be contaminated.
• As they traveled, Wu Youren told Luo Xi that a keen sixth sense had helped him detect the monster’s true form.
• Wu Youren confirmed that discovering the Monkey Tiger had awarded him more experience points than his previous two discoveries combined.

Wu Youren and Luo Xi reached a mountain supply point after killing an orange Monkey Tiger, drawing wary attention from the travelers sheltering there. As rain fell, Wu Youren recovered from the battle and a convoy’s Knight Apprentice approached to pay him for information about Chang Ghosts.

• Luo Xi offered Wu Youren a share of his spoils for warning him about the Monkey Tiger, but Wu Youren declined and suggested they discuss payment next time.
• Wu Youren and Luo Xi reached a cave-like supply point just as heavy rain began, where the travelers recognized the freshly killed Monkey Tiger head on their motorcycle.
• A burly Knight questioned Luo Xi about the Monkey Tiger, and Luo Xi identified himself as a Red Pine Martial Academy investigator and dismissed the man’s demand for information.
• The travelers argued with the weapons shop owner about whether he had known a Monkey Tiger was nearby while Wu Youren and Luo Xi finished their meal.
• Wu Youren circulated his internal breath and considered the gains from the Monkey Tiger, then a weathered Knight Apprentice offered him a silver dollar for information about Chang Ghosts.

Wu Youren and Luo Xi sheltered from a worsening storm at a supply point, where a female martial artist questioned their plans and invited them to travel to Suotu with her. She revealed Wu Youren’s ability to sense the Weird Race and his Chang Ghost kill to the crowd, leaving him angry at Luo Xi for exposing their secrets.

• Wu Youren demanded one silver dollar per person for information about the Chang Ghost, and the middle-aged man left after refusing the price.
• Luo Xi refused to sell the Monkey Tiger head, then marked a defensive perimeter beneath a cliff as the storm intensified.
• A female Knight approached Luo Xi, questioned his connection to Wu Youren, and spoke with him privately in her vehicle.
• The female Knight proposed that they travel to Suotu together after the rain stopped, but Wu Youren objected to the complications.
• The female Knight announced that Wu Youren could sense the Weird Race and said the military would watch over him.
• Wu Youren grew angry when Luo Xi revealed that he had killed a Chang Ghost, and demanded an explanation for exposing the information.

Wu Youren agreed to travel with Luo Xi and the female martial artist’s convoy, but rejected Huo Laer’s offer of investment. After they reached Suotu Town, a Red Pine distress call led them to six people stranded by a flash flood, where a boy in white accused Wu Youren of being a fraud.

• Wu Youren agreed to travel with Luo Xi and the female martial artist’s convoy after they discovered they shared an objective.
• Wu Youren refused Huo Laer’s investment offer and would not give him his name.
• Luo Xi and the female martial artist’s convoy left the mountains together and reached Suotu Town after a difficult journey.
• Luo Xi received a Red Pine distress call, and the group found six people trapped on a rocky outcrop amid floodwaters after a fight with the Weird Race.
• Wu Youren sensed something amiss, and a boy in white accused him of being a fraud, prompting Luo Xi to defend him and Red Pine Martial Academy.

Wu Youren and Luo Xi fled the mountains after losing contact with the stranded group and learning that members of the Weird Race were nearby. They rested with the convoy outside the mountains, where the female Knight reported heavy losses and warned of movement nearby.

• Wu Youren left Luo Xi behind and walked through the rain, but Luo Xi later caught up with him on the three-wheeled motorcycle.
• Luo Xi told Wu Youren that fog had cut off contact with the six stranded people, a flash flood had blocked rescue efforts, and he had fled after hearing that members of the Weird Race were nearby.
• Wu Youren and Luo Xi continued through the mountains, passed the supply point without stopping, and were pursued by the convoy.
• After escaping the mountains, Wu Youren set traps while Luo Xi rested, and the female Knight said five people had been lost and four wounded.
• The female Knight questioned Luo Xi about Wu Youren's ability, then someone woke her to report movement nearby.

Wu Youren led Luo Xi and the Intelligence Agency away from a suspected Weird Race pursuit, choosing a route through the wilderness toward Red Pine. After resting, the group learned that the investigation of Suotu Town would continue with reinforcements, while Luo Xi left to deliver the Monkey Tiger remains to the martial academy.

• Wu Youren warned Luo Xi that something was wrong and directed him off the road, so the female Knight ordered the Intelligence Agency convoy to follow them.
• Wu Youren guided the group through the wilderness to a main road near Red Pine, though he said he had only followed a feeling of safety.
• The group stopped to rest, and the female Knight questioned Wu Youren about how he sensed weird qi and whether he had awakened an ability.
• Wu Youren said they would have to wait until night to know whether the Weird Race had followed them, and the female Knight received word that reinforcements would join the investigation of Suotu Town.
• After waking, Luo Xi rode away alone with the Monkey Tiger head, claws, and tendons to have them processed at the martial academy.

Wu Youren, Luo Xi, and the female Knight’s team spent the night in an abandoned factory in the Rust Zone, where traps alerted them to a pack of leopard cats carrying weird qi. Luo Xi killed the attackers, but found a leopard cat corpse beside Wu Youren.

• Luo Xi returned at dusk and led Wu Youren and the female Knight’s team into the Rust Zone, where they settled in an abandoned factory.
• The female Knight asked whether Wu Youren would accept a requisition, but Luo Xi said the martial academy had to be consulted.
• A trap rang during the night, and the group waited silently without finding what had triggered it.
• A leopard cat attacked one of the female Knight’s companions, and the group recognized that a pack of leopard cats had followed Luo Xi and Wu Youren.
• The female Knight told Luo Xi to handle the attackers, and he killed dozens of leopard cats with his broadsword.
• Luo Xi retreated cautiously and saw a leopard cat corpse lying beside Wu Youren.

Wu Youren helped kill a giant leopard cat while Luo Xi and the female Knight kept watch for the Weird Race. After the two Knights rushed outside to fight, Wu Youren detected a threat in the corpse and destroyed the leopard cat’s remnant soul before they returned.

• Wu Youren explained that the female Knight had landed the killing blow, and she praised his quick thinking and skill in fighting the leopard cat.
• Luo Xi abruptly rushed out of the factory, and the female Knight followed, ordering everyone to stay alert.
• The four Intelligence Agency members invited Wu Youren to join their defensive circle, and he said he was not used to relying on external aids.
• Wu Youren sensed something unusual in the leopard cat’s corpse and threw a dagger at it, destroying its remnant soul.
• Luo Xi and the female Knight returned after the remaining Knight Apprentices waited on guard.

After surviving a restless night, Luo Xi and Wu Youren assessed the leopard cat carcasses and discussed the escalating Weird threat from Suotu Town with the female Knight. Wu Youren planned to stay at most three more days before returning, while Luo Xi regretted that the trip had not brought in more money.

• The female Knight warned Luo Xi that another Weird might have followed them, and she said the situation in Suotu Town was serious after hearing how a leopard cat nearly became Weird.
• Nocturnal animals, including a python and night owls, were drawn to the carcasses and kept the groups on alert through the second half of the night.
• At dawn, Luo Xi sorted the leopard cat bodies and sold the ones permeated with Weird energy to the female Knight, while Wu Youren continued cultivating.
• The female Knight discussed Wu Youren's relentless cultivation and combat ability with Luo Xi, who noted that the large leopard cat had given Wu Youren a double harvest.
• The female Knight's team continued coordinating with reinforcements, and Wu Youren told Luo Xi they would stay at most three more days before returning.

Wu Youren returned to Red Pine and confronted Feng Qianjun and He Wenhao, who accused him of forgetting Jin’s grievances and asked why he had cut himself off from the other hostages. The chapter ended with Feng Qianjun asking whether Wu Youren wanted to know how his family was doing.

• Luo Xi and Wu Youren left Suotu Town after the female Knight asked if they would return, and Wu Youren said he needed time to consolidate his gains.
• Wu Youren returned to Red Pine, slept until morning, and headed to the vegetable patch with leopard cat meat for the groundskeeper.
• Wu Youren encountered Feng Qianjun and He Wenhao, who criticized his freedom and accused him of getting close to Instructor Hong Yan.
• Wu Youren defended his efforts to save himself and reminded them that people at Jin Garden had once pushed him into Jasper Lake.
• He Wenhao questioned why Wu Youren would not stay in touch with the other hostages, and Wu Youren kept his reasons to himself.
• Feng Qianjun asked Wu Youren whether he wanted to know how his family was doing.

Wu Youren returned to the martial academy after a successful trip, drew attention from the caretaker and the Life and Death Knot, and tried to keep his distance from his former acquaintances. When a burly man visited him at night with news from his family, Wu Youren realized another hostage had betrayed him.

• Wu Youren ignored Cynthia and Salinen when they called out to him on his way past.
• The caretaker accepted Wu Youren's leopard cat meat and liquor, acknowledged the attention surrounding him, and offered to look after his vegetable plot.
• Wu Youren reflected on being watched in Liang, then spent his ten silver dollars on goods despite the possibility of owing money to the Life and Death Knot.
• A burly man from the Life and Death Knot entered Wu Youren's room at night and challenged him about relying on Instructor Hong Yan.
• The burly man offered news from Wu Youren's family, and Wu Youren suspected one of the other four hostages had exposed him.

Wu Youren rejected a renewed attempt to recruit him into Great Liang and negotiated over his earnings, while Cynthia invited him on an exploration mission that he declined because the reward was too small. He later learned Luo Xi had no leopard cat meat left but offered him python meat, leaving Wu Youren to decide to accept it despite suspecting Luo Xi knew his identity.

• The burly man told Wu Youren about his family and offered him a chance to become a citizen of Great Liang, but Wu Youren refused and asked him to burn the letter.
• Wu Youren claimed he had made no money, then said sixty percent of his earnings belonged to Instructor Hong; the burly man told him Sister Hua would pay him without taking a cut.
• Cynthia invited Wu Youren to join a Martial Academy exploration mission in Suotu Town and offered a Cloud-Surging Pill, but he refused because the mission pay was too low.
• Cynthia's companion said she had fought with her family over the Cloud-Surging Pill, leaving Wu Youren wondering who had spread news that he was poor.
• The administrator asked Wu Youren for leopard cat meat, so Wu Youren contacted Luo Xi, who had none but offered him python meat for free.
• Wu Youren suspected Luo Xi knew his identity but decided to accept the python meat.

Wu Youren kept a low profile at the academy while following news of the worsening Weird situation in Suotu Town. After an instructor rejected him over his Jin accent and lack of money, a wealthy female martial artist offered to sponsor him in exchange for his obedience, but he refused and left her intentions unresolved.

• Wu Youren heard that Great Liang had sent troops and academy teams to Suotu Town, where multiple Great Knight-level Weird Race beings had appeared.
• An instructor asked Wu Youren to become his disciple, but withdrew the offer after Wu Youren emphasized his Jin accent and mentioned he lacked money for the tuition gift.
• Wu Youren skipped public lectures for three days after attracting attention, then his former roommate Subar brought two female martial artists to meet him.
• A viscount's daughter offered to fund Wu Youren's training in return for his future obedience, but Wu Youren rejected the arrangement by claiming he was prone to killing people in his sleep.

Wu Youren faced an investigation over his vegetable patch at Red Pine Martial Academy, but the officials backed down after he said the Life and Death Knot had taken his fee. Afterward, he tried to keep a low profile, but two female martial artists arrived with an offer from their instructor, Kaili, to help reduce his tuition.

• Wu Youren rebuffed a female martial artist who offered him help, then invited Subar and another companion to take some sow thistle when it was ready.
• Two academy officials investigated the vegetable patch after receiving a report, and Wu Youren said he had paid the Life and Death Knot for permission to farm there.
• The Knight recognized Wu Youren was from Jin and ended the investigation without ordering him to remove the vegetables.
• The caretaker advised Wu Youren to offer the officials vegetables to smooth things over, and Wu Youren then avoided drawing attention to himself.
• Two female martial artists, including one from Jin, visited Wu Youren and said their instructor, Senior Knight Kaili, would waive part of his tuition.

Wu Youren met Instructor Kaili, who questioned him about his trip to Suotu Town and said she would visit for vegetables that night. Cynthia then asked whether he planned to leave the academy and told him about a chance to join an internal mission to Suotu.

• Two female martial artists offered to sponsor Wu Youren and brought him to meet Instructor Kaili.
• Instructor Kaili asked Wu Youren for details about Suotu Town, but he said he knew little and noted that Intelligence Agency personnel had been there.
• Instructor Kaili dismissed the two women and said she would come to Wu Youren’s house for vegetables that night.
• Wu Youren found Cynthia waiting outside his house and told her he had no plans to leave the academy soon.
• Cynthia said Instructor Ke Li had student slots for a Suotu mission and that the Mirage Sea Alliance could help bring Wu Youren along.

Wu Youren declined Cynthia’s offer to leave the martial academy and learned from Instructor Kaili that his grandfather had died. Kaili offered to teach him if he earned money for her tuition, including by guiding her in Suotu Town, and Wu Youren left the opportunity undecided.

• Wu Youren told Cynthia he could not leave the martial academy, and Instructor Kaili arrived and claimed him as the person she had chosen.
• Kaili confronted Wu Youren about being a hostage and told him his grandfather was dead, but he said he had only met the man once.
• Kaili revealed that she was descended from the people of Xi and asked Wu Youren to earn money and pay her tuition in exchange for becoming her student.
• Wu Youren asked whether he could return to Jin, and Kaili said that depended on relations between the countries and urged him to build strength to protect himself.
• Kaili offered Wu Youren money to serve as her guide in Suotu Town, and he asked for time to think before Cynthia returned and mentioned Shali’s interest in taking him as her student.

Wu Youren sold vegetables through the academy administrator and reported Instructor Kaili as a suspected spy for Jin to the burly man from the Life and Death Knot. As he defended his actions as a hostage prince, he discovered that reporting someone had earned him experience points.

• Wu Youren arranged for the administrator to sell his vegetables, splitting the proceeds even though the dining hall paid less than half the market price.
• When the burly man from the Life and Death Knot appeared, Wu Youren reported Instructor Kaili, explaining that her grandfather was a prince of Xi and recounting their conversation.
• The burly man questioned why Wu Youren would report someone who had offered to reduce his tuition, and Wu Youren said he was fulfilling his duty as a hostage prince.
• Wu Youren noticed that his internal breath was swelling and realized the report had granted him experience points, apparently more than killing the orange Monkey Tiger had.
• Wu Youren argued that the hostage-prince code forbade being incited by others, then explained that he had waited three days because he did not know where the Life and Death Knot's office was.

Wu Youren avoided committing to either side when a burly man questioned him about Instructor Kaili and urged him to join them. He then tried to stay out of trouble, but Cynthia’s efforts to help him sell his vegetables upset the caretaker, who temporarily cut off their cafeteria supply.

• Wu Youren told the burly man he only wanted to survive and refused to share what he knew about Instructor Kaili or the other four, while the man urged him to choose their side.
• The burly man reported that Wu Youren was slippery and mature, then asked about the progress with the four others.
• Wu Youren continued his quiet routine, and Cynthia visited twice, first for vegetables and then to ask about their prices and offer to find him another cafeteria buyer.
• The caretaker confronted Wu Youren after cafeteria workers said he had complained about the low vegetable prices, but Wu Youren denied stirring trouble and mentioned the liquor he sold him.
• The caretaker said he would stop supplying the cafeteria for a while to teach them a lesson, and Wu Youren readily agreed despite privately worrying about losing the sales.

Wu Youren struggled to sell his surplus vegetables and drew Shali’s attention at the flea market. Three days later, Shali and a group of martial practitioners confronted him, and Cynthia stepped in as tensions rose.

• Wu Youren paid to sell vegetables at the flea market, but sold only a few piles before Shali arrived and bought everything.
• After a companion told Shali that Wu Youren was from Jin and had refused her arrangements, she ordered people to keep watch for him.
• Three days later, Wu Youren preserved his remaining vegetables while Cynthia visited and offered to help sell them.
• Shali arrived with several martial practitioners, and one accused Wu Youren of swindling her out of money.
• Wu Youren suggested taking the accusation to a disciplinary instructor, then answered the group’s insults by calling them brave for coming in a pack.
• Cynthia identified herself as a member of the Mirage Sea Alliance, called Wu Youren her friend, and told the group to discuss the problem instead of resorting to force.