Recaps

Jin Shanyao took Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci to Hat Mountain, where Xie Chao teased Meng Anci and Jin Shanyao tossed Xie Chao in return. The group shared food and gathered deer antlers before heading home.

• Meng Anci brought home pork that Master Cen had rewarded him with for doing well on his exams.
• Jin Shanyao took Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci to Hat Mountain to check the herbs and set a harvest date.
• Xie Chao tossed Meng Anci into the air, and Meng Anci pretended to be frightened to get Jin Shanyao to defend him.
• Meng Anzhi suggested Jin Shanyao toss Xie Chao, and Jin Shanyao sent him into the air with her whip.
• Xie Chao gave Meng Anci a translucent lotus, then shared food with the group while Meng Anci played chess with him.
• Jin Shanyao packed the deer antlers onto the old ox as the group prepared to leave.

Jin Shanyao agreed to help Su Wenqian catch the fake medicine sellers in exchange for a one-year tax exemption. After locating their hideout through divination, she told Su Wenqian when to raid it and unnerved him with her ominous remarks.

• Qing He told Jin Shanyao that Old Medicine Zhou had fought his son over fake medicine and that someone had tried to sell suspicious herbs at Anzhi Hall.
• Su Wenqian arrived and pleaded with Jin Shanyao to help stop fake medicine dealers from damaging Qingzhou Prefecture's reputation and the livelihoods of herb growers.
• Jin Shanyao first demanded the prefecture's herb procurement rights, then settled for a one-year tax exemption, which Su Wenqian granted.
• Su Wenqian brought out the case files, and Jin Shanyao used her Spiritual Power to locate the gang's hideout on West Street.
• Jin Shanyao told Su Wenqian to raid the hideout the next morning and made a dark remark about letting ghosts handle the gang, frightening him into rushing away.

Jin Shanyao sent Ghost One and Ghost Two to frighten counterfeit medicine dealers in Qingzhou Prefecture. The dealers confessed to their crimes and fled the prefecture, while the ghosts hoped Jin Shanyao would help them reincarnate.

• Jin Shanyao named the wandering ghosts Ghost One and Ghost Two and ordered them to terrorize counterfeit medicine dealers on West Street.
• Jin Shanyao promised to recite the Rebirth Incantation if Ghost One and Ghost Two completed the task, and the two ghosts hurried to West Street.
• Ghost One and Ghost Two trapped the dealers in nightmares about their families suffering and dying from counterfeit medicine, then appeared to them as ghosts.
• The terrified dealers confessed to Su Wenqian that they sold counterfeit medicine and begged to be taken to the prefectural yamen.
• Su Wenqian ordered his constables to arrest the dealers, and counterfeit medicine sellers thereafter avoided Qingzhou Prefecture out of fear of its ghosts.

Jin Shanyao took Ghost Two, revealed as Shen Xiaoman, to visit her father before sending her to the Underworld, but Old Man Shen died by suicide to follow her. Ghost One also asked to bring his new wife, and Jin Shanyao ultimately sent all four ghosts to the Underworld after explaining that sharing their Merit would reduce their rewards.

• Jin Shanyao restored Ghost Two’s memories and agreed to let her visit her father, Old Man Shen, in Stone Gate Village.
• Ghost Two reunited with Old Man Shen and said goodbye, but after she left, he took his own life to follow her.
• Old Man Shen’s ghost reached the mass grave, where Ghost Two pleaded with Jin Shanyao to let them reincarnate together.
• Ghost One revealed that he had married a female ghost and asked Jin Shanyao to send them to the Underworld together.
• Jin Shanyao explained that sharing their Merit would divide it among them, and then sent Ghost Two, Old Man Shen, Ghost One, and his wife to the Underworld.

Jin Shanyao reflected on her recent decision to help the Lin family and accepted Jiang Jinshu’s earnings as repayment for a debt of gratitude. When heavy rain drove the Lin grandmother and grandchildren into Anzhi Hall for shelter, Meng Anzhi welcomed them and arranged food and dry clothes.

• Jin Shanyao threatened the ginkgo tree after it silently complained about her, then told Meng Anci that trees should avoid being too softhearted.
• Jin Shanyao decided Lin Mo was filial and clever despite his misfortune.
• Jiang Jinshu gave Jin Shanyao the copper coins she had earned embroidering handkerchiefs, and Jin Shanyao returned her father’s pouch after reinforcing it.
• Meng Anzhi invited Lin Mo, Old Madam Lin, and Lin Yue into Anzhi Hall to escape the heavy rain, and had Nanny Zhao provide them with dry clothes, hot water, and food.
• After dinner, Lin Mo hesitated to leave Anzhi Hall when the rain stopped, and a young boy who resembled Miss Meng asked him whether there had been enough food.

Meng Anci offered Lin Mo a place in the Meng household and drafted a restrictive ten-year contract, hoping to secure him as an accountant. Jin Shanyao rebuked Meng Anci for exploiting Lin Mo’s hardship, leaving him to reconsider how to earn Lin Mo’s loyalty.

• Lin Mo correctly calculated the medical hall’s sales, prompting Meng Anci to offer him work in the Meng household.
• Lin Mo agreed to serve for ten years so his grandmother and sister could have security, and Meng Anci began drafting a contract.
• Meng Anci wrote clauses restricting Lin Mo’s freedom and deducting his family’s living and medical costs from his wages.
• Meng Anzhi brought Meng Anci to Jin Shanyao, who scolded him for using a contract to take advantage of Lin Mo.
• Jin Shanyao advised Meng Anci to help Lin Mo through his troubles instead of trying to bind him, and Meng Anci realized his approach had been wrong.

Meng Anci took in Lin Mo, his grandmother, and his sister to work at the estate, where Lin Mo found renewed hope of clearing his father’s name. When Jin Shanyao discovered Fan Er had a plague, she ordered medicine and disinfection across the estate.

• Meng Anci told Lin Mo he would not need to sign a contract and offered the family work and shelter at the estate.
• Meng Anzhi organized the estate servants into teams to harvest, clean, and dry herbs.
• After more than a month, Meng Anzhi learned Lin Mo was a junior licentiate and encouraged him to become a renowned bookkeeper to help clear his father’s name.
• Jin Shanyao learned Fan Er’s fever had worsened and went with Meng Anzhi to examine him.
• Jin Shanyao diagnosed Fan Er with a plague and ordered Wu Yong to distribute medicine and disinfect the estate.
• Meng Anzhi asked whether Fan Er would recover and whether the illness would spread, and Jin Shanyao reassured her before Fan Er fainted.

Jin Shanyao sneaked into Su Wenqian’s study after he barred her from the prefectural office at night, then reunited with Old Madam Su and warned Su Wenqian about a plague at her estate. Su Wenqian accepted her prescription, while Old Madam Su angrily confronted him over the ban.

• The gatekeeper refused to let Jin Shanyao enter the prefectural office after sunset, so she climbed over the wall and crawled through Su Wenqian’s study window.
• Su Wenqian mistook Jin Shanyao for a ghost and tried to strike her with an inkstone before recognizing her and pulling her inside.
• Jin Shanyao summoned Old Madam Su, who scolded Su Wenqian for turning her friend away and chatted with Jin Shanyao about buying talismans for her family.
• Jin Shanyao drew talismans for Old Madam Su, accepted money for them, and urged Su Wenqian to spend more time with his mother.
• Jin Shanyao told Su Wenqian that a servant at her estate had a minor plague and gave him a prescription to distribute among the households.
• Jin Shanyao asked Su Wenqian to lift his after-sunset ban, and Old Madam Su angrily called him the one who looked like a ghost.

Su Wenqian investigated a possible epidemic after Fan Er died, but the illness soon reached Green Mountain Academy through Shi Chang'an's son, Shiyan. As the academy was sealed off, Jin Shanyao sent Xiaoli inside with pastries for Meng Anci and medicine for Shiyan.

• Su Wenqian questioned Shi Chang'an about his contacts, ordered him isolated, and secretly prepared Qingzhou Prefecture for a possible epidemic.
• Shiyan fell ill at Green Mountain Academy, and Master Cen carried him to the infirmary after he fainted.
• Soldiers sealed Green Mountain Academy, while Meng Anci and the other students were kept inside amid reports of an epidemic in Jing'an Prefecture.
• Madam Shi blamed Jin Shanyao for Shiyan's illness, and Jin Shanyao knocked her unconscious before returning to Anzhi Hall.
• Jin Shanyao sent Xiaoli into the academy with pastries for Meng Anci and ginkgo nuts for Shiyan, and Xiaoli delivered the bundle to Meng Anci.

Meng Anci tried to get his aunt’s medicine to Shiyan, who was gravely ill in the academy’s medical courtyard. After Shiyan swallowed the medicine, Meng Anci returned to the classroom, reclaimed his bedding from a classmate, and Jin Shanyao reassured Shiyan’s family that he would recover.

• Meng Anci gave Zhao Zhiyuan pastries and asked Master Cen to pass Jin Shanyao’s medicine to Shiyan, but Master Cen refused.
• Shiyan heard that Meng Anci had medicine for him and repeatedly tried to leave his bed to find him.
• Master Cen brought Meng Anci to the medical courtyard, where Meng Anci tossed white fruits to Shiyan and Shiyan swallowed them.
• Master Cen scolded Meng Anci and sent him back to the classroom, where Meng Anci kicked a classmate and reclaimed his bedding.
• Jin Shanyao told Madam Shi that Shiyan would recover, then warned Shi Chang'an to give the household her prescription against the epidemic.
• Shi Chang'an and Madam Shi returned home and brewed medicine for everyone in the household.

Jin Shanyao supplied epidemic medicine to the prefecture and entered Green Mountain Academy to help treat its patients, bringing Meng Anci out of the Licentiate Candidate Institute. At the medical compound, she found Shiyan recovering and Zhao Cheng realized her talisman had protected him from infection.

• Su Wenqian bought a small batch of Jin Shanyao's epidemic medicine at market price, and she announced free medicinal decoction for beggars.
• Jin Shanyao knocked Madam Shi unconscious when she insisted on entering the sealed academy, then offered her help to Zhao Cheng.
• Jin Shanyao spotted Meng Anci making Li Yuwen and Qian Bao deal with his soaked bedding, and Zhao Cheng learned the two students had poured water on it after taking Meng Anci's bedding.
• Jin Shanyao arranged for Meng Anci to stay at her lodgings and led him away from the Licentiate Candidate Institute.
• At the medical compound, Jin Shanyao saw Shiyan recovering and learned Zhao Yushan had refused to wear her protective talisman; Zhao Cheng realized the talisman had kept him safe.

Jin Shanyao examined the academy’s patients and reassured the teachers that Master Li was healthy, but her blunt advice convinced him he was dying and sparked a chaotic fight. The teachers struggled to separate them as Master Li learned he was not ill.

• Jin Shanyao examined the students, confirmed their conditions were under control, and told Zhao Cheng to buy more medicinal herbs.
• Meng Anzhi recorded the patients’ conditions while Meng Anci fell asleep beside her, and she covered him with a quilt.
• Master Cen bought plague-prevention talisman paper from Jin Shanyao after Zhao Cheng lent him money.
• Jin Shanyao found Master Li healthy but told him to eat whatever he wanted, causing him to think he was near death and ask for talismans.
• Jin Shanyao explained that Master Li was not sick, but their argument escalated into a scuffle as the teachers tried to pull them apart.

Jin Shanyao continued helping the academy’s recovering patients while Su Wenqian learned that his mother, Old Madam Su, had fallen ill. He brought Jin Shanyao to see her, where Old Madam Su shared her gratitude and said she wished Jin Shanyao had been her granddaughter.

• Master Li brought pastries for Jin Shanyao, who gave them to the sick children at the academy.
• Meng Anzhi coaxed Zhao Zhiyuan into drinking his medicine by promising him hawthorn candy.
• Xing'er told Su Wenqian that Old Madam Su had been ill for several days, and he went to see her.
• Old Madam Su asked Su Wenqian to bring Jin Shanyao to her, so he rode to Green Mountain Academy to fetch her.
• Jin Shanyao reached Old Madam Su and checked her pulse as they discussed the talismans and Old Madam Su’s wish that Jin Shanyao had been her granddaughter.

Old Madam Su died after giving Jin Shanyao a burial-site request and urging her son to stay close to Jin Shanyao. As the epidemic was brought under control and Green Mountain Academy’s lockdown ended, Jin Shanyao reunited with the returning students and teased Madam Shi.

• Old Madam Su gave Jin Shanyao a wooden box and asked her to choose a burial site, then died as the talisman paper at her neck turned to ash.
• Old Madam Su’s soul followed Jin Shanyao, who agreed to guide her if the Underworld’s gates remained closed after forty-nine days and told her to stay nearby for her Record of Admonishing Evil-Prefectural City Section.
• Jin Shanyao explained that Old Madam Su died from a burst brain blood vessel, then met Zhao Cheng waiting outside Green Mountain Academy.
• Su Wenqian resumed his duties with court approval and oversaw the effort that brought the epidemic in Qingzhou Prefecture under control, while news came that Jing'an Prefecture suffered many deaths.
• When Green Mountain Academy’s lockdown ended, Shiyan reunited with Shi Chang'an and Madam Shi, then revealed that Jin Shanyao had told him his mother was grateful to her.
• Jin Shanyao caught Madam Shi talking about her, teased her, and left with the children while Madam Shi pulled Shiyan back by the collar.

Jin Shanyao returned home and tried using her medical book’s advice to be considerate, but her blunt offers to reunite Su Wenqian with his dead mother and her unexpected affection for Fu Congzhao unsettled her visitors. The chapter ended with Fu Congzhao blushing at Jin Shanyao while Fu Congheng wondered why his younger brother had received her attention.

• Jin Shanyao returned to Anzhi Hall, where Qing He and Nanny Zhao welcomed her and the children home with mugwort, warm water, and a meal.
• Jin Shanyao studied Medical Consultation Quotations and went to meet Su Wenqian and his cousins, Fu Congheng and Fu Congzhao.
• Su Wenqian explained that his mother's talisman papers had saved Fu Congheng's life and asked Jin Shanyao to convey his farewell message to his deceased mother.
• Jin Shanyao offered to let the visitors see Old Madam Su, but Su Wenqian declined so his mother could leave for the Underworld unburdened.
• Fu Congheng bought six talisman papers for three hundred taels, and Jin Shanyao told Fu Congzhao she was fond of him.
• Fu Congzhao blushed under Jin Shanyao's gaze, while Fu Congheng wondered why she had confessed affection to his younger brother.

Jin Shanyao received a letter from Lu Chi and spent time with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci before Old Madam Su continued teaching her how to handle social traps. Old Madam Su’s time in the mortal world ended after she taught Jin Shanyao 341 lessons, though Jin Shanyao believed she would remain in the underworld queue long enough not to forget her.

• Fu Congheng delivered a letter from Lu Chi, who had become the Capital prefect and offered to back Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci if anyone bullied them.
• Jin Shanyao showed Meng Anzhi how to keep chestnuts from bursting by cutting openings in their shells, and Meng Anci read Lu Chi’s letter aloud.
• Old Madam Su visited Jin Shanyao and reassured her that her grandnephews were well after hearing they had bought talisman papers.
• Old Madam Su taught Jin Shanyao how to respond to false accusations, suspicious invitations, damaged property, and unwanted gifts, making her record each lesson.
• After reaching the 341st lesson, Old Madam Su’s allotted time in the mortal world ended, and she said goodbye to Jin Shanyao.

While Jin Shanyao and the children reviewed the estate’s accounts, Lu Chi learned in the capital that she had not written to him and that her household had grown wealthy. After rewarding Qin Baitang and Wu Yong, Jin Shanyao explained how public rewards helped preserve the estate’s loyalty to its owners.

• At the Lu Residence, Lu Chi learned that Jin Shanyao and the Meng Household had sent him no messages, then heard that Anzhi Hall had bought two mountains and two shops and become Qingzhou Prefecture’s richest household.
• Jin Shanyao, Meng Anzhi, Meng Anci, and the bookkeepers checked the estate’s account books while Qin Baitang and Wu Yong waited nearby.
• After the review, Jin Shanyao gave Qin Baitang five hundred taels and reassured him that no one could replace him, then gave Wu Yong a separate reward and praised his work.
• Over dinner, Meng Anzhi asked why Wu Yong had received his red envelope separately, and Jin Shanyao explained that she wanted the workers to recognize the owners’ generosity.
• Meng Anci reasoned that letting Wu Yong distribute everyone’s rewards could make the estate workers loyal to him instead of Jin Shanyao, and she praised his insight.

Meng Anzhi and Qing He were ambushed by bandits hired by rival medicine halls to punish Anzhi Hall. Meng Anzhi learned who had arranged the attack, but Qing He was sent home to fetch 250 taels while the bandits realized they had let her go alone.

• Meng Anzhi and Qing He were stopped on their way home by two bandits demanding their valuables.
• The bandit chief demanded Meng Anzhi's mink coat and revealed that someone had hired him because Anzhi Hall was blocking other businesses.
• Meng Anzhi bargained with the chief until he admitted that Benevolent Heart Hall, Hundred Herbs Hall, Spring Restoration Hall, Vast Virtue Hall, Longevity Preservation Hall, Spring Harmony Hall, and Distant Apricot Hall had pooled money to hire him.
• The chief said he had been ordered to hold Meng Anzhi for five nights and starve her for fifteen meals, then demanded 250 taels from her.
• Meng Anzhi said she had no money with her and persuaded the chief to send Qing He home to fetch it.
• The underling warned that they had let the tiger return to the mountain, and the bandits hurried after Qing He.

Meng Anzhi brought two hired bandits to Anzhi Hall, where Jin Shanyao paid them and Meng Anzhi won their money in a series of tricks. The bandits left with the promised silver and advice to start over, while Jin Shanyao accepted their criticism of her conduct.

• Meng Anzhi persuaded the bandit chief and his underling to go to Anzhi Hall, and they revealed their employer had told them about the family and accused Anzhi Hall of profiteering during the plague.
• The bandits entered Anzhi Hall, where Meng Anzhi told Jin Shanyao she had promised them two hundred and fifty taels; Jin Shanyao handed over the silver without protest.
• As the bandits prepared to leave, Meng Anzhi challenged them to games involving taking banknotes without moving paper, books, or a hat, and she repeatedly outsmarted them.
• Jin Shanyao returned the promised two hundred and fifty taels, urged the bandits to use it to live well, and told them she would keep learning to be a decent person after the bandit chief criticized her.

After bandits kidnapped Meng Anzhi, Jin Shanyao invited Qingzhou’s apothecary shopkeepers to a banquet and confronted them with their hidden crimes. The shopkeepers panicked as Jin Shanyao began exposing their secrets, and she left them waiting to learn what she would do next.

• The bandit chief and his underling suffered through five days of poison after returning to their hideout, then were relieved that Anzhi Hall had spared their lives as promised.
• Meng Anzhi explained that keeping her word would protect Anzhi Hall’s reputation, while Jin Shanyao praised her and promised to deal with those who had bullied her.
• Jin Shanyao sent Zhou Xiaosi to deliver banquet invitations to the apothecary shopkeepers, using Shopkeeper Hao’s secret mistress to ensure he accepted.
• Jin Shanyao arrived at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci, then began naming shopkeepers and revealing their illegal dealings.
• Shopkeeper Yan admitted that the kidnapping had been the other shopkeepers’ idea, sparking an argument that Jin Shanyao silenced before warning that she had more secrets to expose.

Jin Shanyao watched Old Medicine Zhou reassure his patients to learn how he communicated, while Meng Anzhi forgave the shopkeepers involved in her kidnapping. After observing several consultations, Jin Shanyao concluded that Old Medicine Zhou blended comforting falsehoods with the truth and recorded his approach.

• Jin Shanyao challenged the shopkeepers’ accusations, and Shopkeeper Xun confessed to arranging Meng Anzhi’s kidnapping and begged for mercy.
• Meng Anzhi forgave Shopkeeper Xun and the other shopkeepers after they promised to behave honestly, then Jin Shanyao took the children away.
• Jin Shanyao followed Old Medicine Zhou to his pharmacy and recorded how he reassured a patient about her recovery.
• Jin Shanyao examined the patient and accused Old Medicine Zhou of lying, but he explained that reassurance helped patients keep taking their medicine.
• Jin Shanyao watched Old Medicine Zhou reassure another patient and concluded that he mixed lies with truth to gain patients’ trust.

After Meng Anzhi poisoned the shopkeepers who had threatened Anzhi Hall, they recovered and left the hall in peace. During a New Year outing, a pair of fugitives fled when they recognized Meng Anzhi, then rescued a freezing woman and her child.

• The shopkeepers blamed Meng Anzhi for their blackened hands, which took half a month to return to normal, and no one dared trouble Anzhi Hall afterward.
• Jin Shanyao took Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci out for New Year, but the children wandered over to a gambling stall run by the bandit chief and his underling.
• The bandit chief and his underling recognized Meng Anzhi and fled, then discussed why they could not return to Jing'an Prefecture.
• The underling found a freezing woman and child, and the bandit chief urged him to help carry them to safety.
• Jin Shanyao told Meng Anzhi not to blame herself for the gambling trick, then took the children to buy rice cakes.

Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi rescued Zhang Su'e and her son after they were abandoned outside Anzhi Hall, and Zhang Su'e explained that she was searching for her husband, who was presumed buried in a landslide. When the bandit chief and his underling brought another unconscious person to the hall, Jin Shanyao sent three ghosts to frighten them into stopping.

• Qing He told Jin Shanyao that an unconscious woman and her child had been left outside Anzhi Hall, and Jin Shanyao had Meng Anzhi treat the woman for frostbite.
• The woman woke and told Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi that she was Zhang Su'e, searching for her husband Shi Dun after hearing he had been buried in a mountain flood.
• Zhang Su'e recovered at Anzhi Hall, and Meng Anzhi and Qing He gave her and her son clothes, money, and frostbite ointment before they left.
• The bandit chief and his underling brought another unconscious person to Anzhi Hall, angering Jin Shanyao.
• Jin Shanyao assigned Ghost One, Ghost Two, and Ghost Three to warn the bandit chief and his underling not to leave anyone at Anzhi Hall again.
• The ghosts frightened the bandit chief and his underling, who stopped bringing unconscious people to Anzhi Hall.

Qiao Qingran visited Anzhi Hall and asked Jin Shanyao to investigate why her twin sons reacted badly around their grandfather, suspecting something supernatural at the Fu Household. Jin Shanyao agreed to travel to the capital with her, leaving the chapter with a new exorcism job arranged.

• During a snowy lull at Anzhi Hall, Qiao Qingran arrived with Nanny Qi, and Jin Shanyao eventually recognized her as the woman she had helped deliver over a year earlier.
• Qiao Qingran explained that her twin sons cried and fell ill around their grandfather, but her younger son once stayed calm while carrying Fu Congxi's protection talisman.
• After the talisman was found among the younger son's clothes, the children returned to crying around their grandfather, and Qiao Qingran tried temple talismans without resolving the problem.
• Qiao Qingran asked Jin Shanyao to visit the Fu Household and examine her elderly father-in-law, offering to take Jin Shanyao and her children to the capital.
• Jin Shanyao agreed to take the case for extra travel fees, while Qiao Qingran kept the request secret from the rest of the Fu Household in case she could not persuade her.

Jin Shanyao prepared to travel to the capital with Meng Anzhi, Meng Anci, and their pets to catch ghosts, leaving Xie Chao to watch the house. Before they departed, Madam Su gave Jin Shanyao clothes to deliver to her mother, and Meng Anci guessed she was trying to introduce Jin Shanyao to her family.

• Jin Shanyao told Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci they would leave for the capital the next morning, and she asked Xie Chao to watch the house while they were away.
• Qiao Qingran watched Jin Shanyao load the ox cart with supplies, the two children, a cat, and a dog, then traveled ahead in her carriage.
• Jin Shanyao overheard Nanny Qi disparage her and decided to add five hundred taels to her fee.
• Madam Su stopped the caravan and asked Jin Shanyao to deliver winter clothes to her mother; Jin Shanyao inspected the garments for hidden evidence but found nothing.
• Meng Anci concluded that Madam Su wanted to introduce Jin Shanyao to her family, and Jin Shanyao joked that her brilliance attracted admirers.