Chapter Summaries

Ji Yuan returned to Ning'an County after many years, reunited with Sun Fu over noodles, and went back to Ju'an Pavilion. He cleaned the long-empty home and welcomed the paper crane and the figures from the Sword Intent Scroll, who were delighted to be back.

• Sun Fu recognized Ji Yuan at his noodle stall, recalled his late father’s affection for him, and assured him that the family was doing well.
• Ji Yuan learned that Sun Fu planned to send his granddaughter to the academy, where girls could now study under a policy promoted by Yin Wenqu.
• Sun Fu refused payment for Ji Yuan’s meal, and Ji Yuan invited him to visit Ju'an Pavilion if he needed anything.
• Ji Yuan returned to Ju'an Pavilion, aired and cleaned the house with magic, and found that the honey in the kitchen jar had crystallized over the years.
• The paper crane flew around the Large Jujube Tree, and Ji Yuan opened the Sword Intent Scroll, releasing its excited little characters into the courtyard.

Ji Yuan sent a paper crane to Yuhuai Mountain with a message that he would visit within three months, then went to collect the letters that had accumulated for him at the Ning'an County Magistrate's Office. The chapter ended with him entering the office courtyard to find the registrar who kept the stored post.

• Ji Yuan sent a paper crane to Yuhuai Mountain and asked them to wait for him if they planned to leave early for the Immortal Gathering Convention.
• Ji Yuan fetched water at Double Well Inlet, where a woman recognized him as Mister Ji from Ju'an Pavilion.
• Ji Yuan returned home, poured the water into his vat, and later set out for the Ning'an County Magistrate's Office.
• A gate officer checked Ji Yuan's Household Register Document and directed him to the Household room in the left corridor to collect his stored letters.
• Ji Yuan entered the county office courtyard to find the registrar.

Ji Yuan collected years of letters from the county yamen, where Zhu Yanxu recognized him from long ago and realized he had not changed. Zhu Yanxu visited Ji Yuan at Ju'an Pavilion with gifts, and Ji Yuan began restoring the pavilion’s plaque while accepting the gifts but refusing Zhu Yanxu’s heirloom inkstone.

• Ji Yuan presented his Household Register Document and collected a thick stack of letters that had accumulated at the county yamen.
• Zhu Yanxu heard Ji Yuan’s name from a runner, recognized him, and hurried home to retrieve the Cloud-Water Flowing Inkstone he had received from Chen Sheng.
• Zhu Yanxu took the inkstone, tea, wine, and pastries to Ju'an Pavilion to visit Ji Yuan.
• Ji Yuan explained that he planned to rewrite the worn plaque and invited Zhu Yanxu to sit.
• Ji Yuan declined the inkstone because Chen Sheng had given it to Zhu Yanxu, but accepted the other gifts and began grinding fine ink.

Zhu Yanxu visited Ji Yuan at Ju'an Pavilion, where he watched Ji Yuan rewrite the pavilion’s plaque and felt its calming effect. He left at dusk with a renewed sense that visiting Ji Yuan had been worthwhile.

• Zhu Yanxu brought tea, wine, pastries, and an inkstone to visit Ji Yuan at Ju'an Pavilion.
• Ji Yuan chose Zhu Yanxu’s Pre-Rain Tea and spoke with him about his return and the jujube tree.
• Ji Yuan cleaned the old plaque and wrote the words "Ju'an Pavilion" while Zhu Yanxu watched in silence.
• Zhu Yanxu praised the calligraphy and found that the characters eased his mind and weariness.
• Ji Yuan roused Zhu Yanxu after he had lost track of time, then sent him home with the inkstone he had brought.

Ji Yuan finished hanging a plaque at Ju'an Pavilion and read letters from his friends and the Yin family. A paper crane carried his message to Yuhuai Mountain, whose cultivators decided to visit him and travel with him to the Immortal Gathering Convention; back in Ning'an County, Ji Yuan welcomed the Old City God.

• Ji Yuan hung the plaque at Ju'an Pavilion and read letters from Monk Huitong, Lu Chengfeng, Du Heng, and the Yin Family Members.
• The Little Paper Crane crossed Yucui Mountain's illusion array, where Crane Aunt found it and brought it to Shuyun Tower.
• Great True Man Ren told the Yuhuai Mountain cultivators that Ji Yuan planned to visit and travel with them to the Immortal Gathering Convention at Nine Peaks Mountain.
• Yuhuai Mountain decided to attend the convention and send Qiu Feng, Yang Ming, Wei Yuansheng, Monk Yiyi, and Ju Yuanzi to visit Ji Yuan.
• The Little Paper Crane flew toward Ning'an County, while Ji Yuan ate pastries and drank Huadiao Wine in his courtyard.
• Old City God Song Shichang knocked at Ji Yuan's gate, and Ji Yuan welcomed him inside.

Song Shichang visited Ji Yuan to ask about rare souls whose Heaven Souls carried traces of their human souls away after death, and about a merchant whose soul appearance resembled that of a dead ghost. Ji Yuan explained that such cases could be a perilous form of reincarnation, but he remained troubled by whether an ordinary ghost could truly gain another life this way.

• Song Shichang praised the spiritual qualities of Ju'an Pavilion and joined Ji Yuan for wine beneath the stars.
• Song Shichang described how souls dispersed after death and said the Underworld Bureau had recorded seven rare cases of Heaven Souls leaving with traces of human souls.
• Song Shichang told Ji Yuan that a merchant he had seen six years earlier resembled a dead ghost in soul appearance despite having no blood relation to him.
• Ji Yuan explained that some Dragon Kin could reincarnate and recultivate through a final Water Journey, while certain demons used Bewildering the Heart or Body Snatching.
• Ji Yuan said the merchant's case could be considered reincarnation but warned that ordinary ghosts were not guaranteed another life.
• After Song Shichang left before dawn, Ji Yuan remained at the gate wondering whether a ghost could follow its lingering human-soul aura into another life.

Ji Yuan visited Jiren Hall to deliver Qin Zizhou’s bequest to his disciple Tong Xian. Tong Xian received a Daoist health-preservation technique and learned that it was meant to help physicians strengthen their own bodies.

• Ji Yuan returned to Ning'an County, slept at home, and spent the day enjoying familiar places before heading to Jiren Hall.
• Tong Xian recognized Ji Yuan and welcomed him, while his disciple prepared tea and served him lunch.
• Tong Xian told Ji Yuan about a detailed rumor that he had died of consumption while traveling home years earlier.
• Ji Yuan gave Tong Xian a scroll that Qin Zizhou had left for his disciples.
• Ji Yuan explained that the scroll showed a Daoist health-preservation technique, and Tong Xian concluded Qin Zizhou had intended it for physicians to practice themselves.

Ji Yuan returned to Ju'an Pavilion and prepared for a visit from Yuhuai Mountain, whose leaders and the Wei family arrived to meet him. The group settled in for tea, while Ju Yuanzi noticed something in the jujube tree just before drinking.

• Tong Xian told his disciple that Ji Yuan had left after delivering a Health Preservation Technique scroll entrusted by the disciple's late grandmaster.
• Ji Yuan returned to Ju'an Pavilion, quieted its bickering little characters, and told them to hide in the jujube tree while Yuhuai Mountain's visitors came.
• Ju Yuanzi, Yang Ming, Qiu Feng, Shang Yiyi, Wei Yuansheng, and Wei Wuwei traveled toward Ning'an County and admired Niu Kui Mountain along the way.
• Wei Wuwei explained the Sun Family's custom of saving noodles for Ji Yuan, then paid Sun Fu ten coins after asking whether Ji Yuan was home.
• The visitors reached Ju'an Pavilion, praised its plaque, and accepted Ji Yuan's invitation to sit for tea.
• As Ji Yuan served tea, Ju Yuanzi looked toward the jujube tree before taking his first sip.

Ji Yuan hosted Ju Yuanzi, True Person Yangming, Qiu Feng, Shang Yiyi, Wei Wuwei, and Wei Yuansheng at Ju'an Pavilion, serving them tea sweetened with Fire Jujube Honey Crystal. He agreed to travel with Yuhuai Mountain to the Immortal Gathering Convention, while learning that True Person Ziyu had stayed away from the mountain since the Dragon Lord fought his way there.

• Ji Yuan poured tea for the visitors, and Wei Yuansheng joked that his family could send better tea and pastry cooks to Ning'an County.
• Ju Yuanzi sensed the extraordinary Spiritual Qi around Ju'an Pavilion, while Yangming noticed Fire Jujubes hidden in the jujube tree.
• Ji Yuan added Fire Jujube Honey Crystal to the tea, and the guests tasted its warm, sweet fragrance.
• Ju Yuanzi and Yangming asked whether Ji Yuan would visit Yuhuai Mountain, and Ji Yuan agreed to go with them and discuss traveling to Hengzhou.
• Ju Yuanzi said Yuhuai Mountain had skipped the Immortal Gathering Convention twice after Ziyu caused a disturbance there.
• Ji Yuan asked about Ziyu, and Ju Yuanzi said Ziyu had not returned to Yuhuai Mountain since the Dragon Lord fought his way there.

Ji Yuan learned how the Immortal Gathering Convention worked and arranged to travel with Yuhuai Mountain in several years, while Ju Yuanzi and the others visited him. After Ji Yuan cooked and shared his fine wine, Ju Yuanzi left inspired by Ji Yuan’s view that immortality meant carefree freedom.

• Ji Yuan asked Ju Yuanzi about the Immortal Gathering Convention, and Ju Yuanzi explained its changing arrangements, Dao discussions, contests, and opportunities to meet profound cultivators and exchange treasures.
• Ju Yuanzi said Yuhuai Mountain had not chosen its delegation, but he planned to attend and would recommend Wei Yuansheng and Shang Yiyi as younger disciples.
• Ji Yuan agreed to postpone his visit to Yuhuai Mountain until the beginning of the Wuxu Year and to depart for the convention with its people.
• Ji Yuan cooked a lavish dinner for the visitors and served them fine wine from his white jade Dou Pot.
• Ju Yuanzi asked what made one an immortal, and Ji Yuan answered that it was carefree freedom; Ju Yuanzi left with a renewed sense of the Dao.

After the lightning tribulation damaged his first Golden Armored Strongman, Ji Yuan struggled to repair its unstable talisman. With the Green Vine Sword’s help, he drew out the lightning concealed inside it and restored the talisman by dawn.

• Ji Yuan collected the dishes while the little characters argued noisily in Ju'an Pavilion, then went to his room to work on a damaged Golden Armored Strongman Talisman.
• Ji Yuan explained how his six Golden Armored Strongmen improved through use and attempted to repair the lightning-scorched talisman by adding new paper figures, but they burned to ash.
• The Green Vine Sword revealed its affinity with the lightning’s intent, and Ji Yuan used it to stabilize the damaged talisman and strip away its charred edges.
• Ji Yuan kept working through the night, and by dawn he held a repaired, heavier Strongmen Talisman with a dusky dark-gold color.

Ji Yuan tested the newly refined Strongmen Talisman and found that its Golden Armored Strongman had gained greater strength, momentum, and endurance. After observing the Little Characters, Ji Yuan went to sleep thinking of his old friend Yin Zhaoxian and resolved to visit him.

• Ji Yuan summoned the Golden Armored Strongman and ordered him to demonstrate his power.
• The Golden Armored Strongman struck the air with a punch that shook the courtyard and sent dust and leaves flying.
• Ji Yuan noticed the strongman breathed in Spiritual Qi and drew earth spirit energy, suggesting he could endure longer than before.
• Ji Yuan told the Little Characters to be quiet and watched them practice combining into formations before going to bed.
• Ji Yuan thought about his years apart from Yin Zhaoxian and entered a dream with the intention of visiting his friend.

Ji Yuan welcomed the Sun family’s New Year visit, shared a warming cup of sugar tea with Sun Fu and Sun Yaya, and continued his cultivation. He then visited Hu Yun on Niu Kui Mountain and took the fox to the capital of Great Zhen to see Yin Qing.

• Sun Fu and Sun Yaya brought Ji Yuan homemade New Year’s goods and invited him to celebrate with their family, but Ji Yuan politely declined.
• Ji Yuan gave Sun Yaya and Sun Fu special sugar tea that warmed them as they walked home.
• Ji Yuan finished his deductions, stored the papers, and then flew to Niu Kui Mountain.
• Ji Yuan reunited with Hu Yun, who said he did not blame Yin Qing for staying away from Ning'an County.
• Ji Yuan took Hu Yun with him to the capital of Great Zhen to visit Yin Qing.

Ji Yuan brought Hu Yun to the Great Zhen capital to visit the Yin Family, and they stopped at a temple fair so Hu Yun could buy a gift for Yin Qing. After choosing a red Fox Mask, Hu Yun noticed several yin-shrouded official runners bowing toward Ji Yuan.

• Ji Yuan and Hu Yun reached Jingji Prefecture, where the capital's powerful Human Vitality made Hu Yun feel uneasy.
• Hu Yun realized he had brought no gifts for Yin Qing or Master Yin, so Ji Yuan offered to take him shopping at Temple Quarter.
• Ji Yuan carried Hu Yun through the crowded temple fair as they looked over toys and other goods.
• Hu Yun picked a red Fox Mask, and Ji Yuan bought it for fifty coins.
• Hu Yun felt a chill and saw seven or eight yin-shrouded official runners bowing toward Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan and Hu Yun visited Yin Manor in Jingji Prefecture, reuniting with Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing after years without contact. Yin Zhaoxian welcomed them warmly and arranged a dinner banquet.

• Ji Yuan followed Hu Yun to Yin Manor, where Hu Yun finished adding his fur to a fox mask as they walked.
• Ji Yuan introduced himself to the guards as a neighbor from Ning'an County and asked them to announce his visit.
• Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing hurried to the gate when they heard a visitor named Ji had come from Ning'an County.
• Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing joyfully reunited with Ji Yuan, and Yin Qing recognized Hu Yun as his old friend.
• Yin Zhaoxian invited Ji Yuan inside, ordered a dinner banquet, and welcomed the group in the reception room.
• Ji Yuan gave Yin Zhaoxian cured food from Ning'an County, while Hu Yun told Yin Qing that he had a gift for him that was not ready yet.

Yin Chong was summoned from the imperial palace to meet Ji Yuan, the longtime friend his family had often described as extraordinary. At Yin Manor, he discovered that Hu Yun was a talking spirit fox, leaving him convinced that Ji Yuan might truly be an immortal figure.

• During a lesson at the Hall of Literary Culture, Yin Chong explained his views on the arts of governing and questioned the Junior Tutor about cultivating the body and mind.
• A guard informed Yin Chong that a visitor from his family's hometown had arrived, so he left the palace and hurried home to meet Mister Ji.
• At Yin Manor, Yin Chong greeted Ji Yuan and examined him, noticing his unusual appearance and ashen Inner Appearance.
• Hu Yun spoke to Yin Chong, then revealed that she was a spirit fox who had been friends with Yin Qing since childhood.
• Yin Chong recoiled in surprise, and his family and Ji Yuan laughed as he realized that demons existed and wondered if Ji Yuan was an immortal.

During the New Year at Yin Manor, Ji Yuan spoke with Yin Chong about his ambitions and gave him a book called "Character Array." Yin Chong left with advice to study literature and martial arts while keeping his conscience clear, and a mysterious book that Ji Yuan was still developing.

• Yin Chong recognized Hu Yun as the fox from Yin Qing's childhood stories while Ji Yuan and Yin Zhaoxian played chess and discussed women attending school and Great Zhen's future.
• Ji Yuan spent the New Year with the Yin family, and a streak of sword light rose from Yin Manor as they welcomed the New Spring Qi.
• After Yin Qing took Hu Yun out, Yin Chong visited Ji Yuan and revealed that he wanted to become a wandering hero or, failing that, a great general.
• Ji Yuan explained that Yin Chong's family position could prevent him from rising too high in the military, and advised him to study, train, and keep his conscience clear.
• Ji Yuan gave Yin Chong his unfinished book, "Character Array," and told him to carry it wherever he went.

Yin Chong received Ji Yuan’s Character Array and learned that his father’s Righteous Qi made him a powerful force against evil. At Daliang Temple, Tiefeng encountered Old Dragon, whose refusal to worship the Buddha reminded him of a similar meeting.

• Yin Chong admired Ji Yuan’s Character Array and stayed up all night studying its formations.
• Ji Yuan told Yin Chong that mortals could oppose demons and explained that Yin Zhaoxian’s Righteous Qi made him the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle of Great Zhen.
• Tiefeng accompanied his mother to Daliang Temple, where he met an elder surnamed Ying who introduced himself and went ahead into the temple.
• Tiefeng saw Old Dragon standing outside Buddha Seal Ming King Hall and invited him to worship, but Old Dragon refused and walked west, leaving Tiefeng recalling a similar encounter.

The Old Dragon entered Daliang Temple’s Forbidden Area and used mist to recreate the Dao discussion between Ji Yuan and Old Monk Foyin. The strange visions spread across Tongqiu Prefecture, and Tiefeng glimpsed a giant hand holding an Ink Jade Hairpin before the apparitions vanished.

• Tiefeng recalled the elegant gentleman with the Ink Jade Hairpin, then entered the Buddha Seal Ming King Hall with his mother and Huanhuan.
• The Old Dragon bypassed Daliang Temple’s guards and reached the tree in the Forbidden Area, where Huitong and two other monks were meditating.
• After examining the lingering Dao Charm beneath the tree, the Old Dragon released strange water vapor that spread mist across Tongqiu Prefecture.
• The Old Dragon’s mist magnified visions of Ji Yuan and Old Monk Foyin discussing the Dao, while the monks and sensitive pilgrims began noticing supernatural changes.
• Tiefeng saw an enormous hand holding an Ink Jade Hairpin draw a heavenly river, then watched a golden hand turn its water into a ship marked “Ferry”; the vision disappeared when he looked again.

A strange mist covered Tongqiu Prefecture City for half a month, drawing monks into visions before a dragon's roar heralded its disappearance. In Jingji Prefecture City, Hu Yun completed a magical fox mask and showed it to Ji Yuan.

• The abbot and another monk guarded Huitong and two monks as they meditated through visions in the mist, then woke them after seven days.
• Huitong and the abbot could not identify the mist's source, while the Old Dragon watched the visions and found new insights in Ji Yuan and old monk Foyin's discourse on the Dao.
• A dragon's roar sounded at Daliang Temple, and Huitong concluded that the dragon behind the mist had departed; the fog cleared that day.
• Hu Yun stayed out of the Imperial Palace at Ji Yuan's warning and devoted himself to making a mask.
• Hu Yun showed Ji Yuan his completed Fox Mask, which could imitate people from remembered images and deceive ordinary eyes.