Recaps

Xu Qi'an tested Three Flowers Temple's defenses, overcame its monks with hidden weapons and tactics, and left after Jingxin backed down in the face of twelve cannons. As Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu encountered Dongfang Wanrong and Dongfang Wanqing, Xu Qi'an kicked Li Lingsu into their procession.

• Xu Qi'an sent Li Lingsu to conceal a pouch of weapons while he confronted Three Flowers Temple's monks and knocked Kongjian down with an unseen attack.
• Hui'an tried to convert Xu Qi'an, but Xu Qi'an's Love Gu threw the monks into lustful confusion before a young monk's chant dispelled the effect.
• Jingxin confronted Xu Qi'an and ordered him to meet the Dharma-Protecting Vajra, but withdrew when Li Lingsu revealed twelve cannons aimed at the temple.
• Xu Qi'an collected the hidden weapons from Li Lingsu and claimed he had won them from the Superintendent in a chess game.
• Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu tried to pass unnoticed as Dongfang Wanrong and Dongfang Wanqing approached, but Xu Qi'an kicked Li Lingsu into their procession.

Xu Qi'an learned that the Buddhist Order and the Shaman God Cult planned to seize Dragon Qi from the Pagoda Treasure Tower, so he spread rumors to draw jianghu figures to Three Flowers Temple. He was planning how to infiltrate the tower when a talking white fox arrived and greeted him.

• Li Lingsu was beaten by East Sea Dragon Palace disciples, and Xu Qi'an learned the Dongfang sisters had entered Three Flowers Temple.
• Dongfang Wanrong told Vajra Dunan that Elder Yierbu had been delayed by Sun Xuanji, while Dunan instructed Jingxin and Jingyuan to enter the tower and help the Shaman God Cult release Nalan Tianlu.
• Dongfang Wanrong and Dongfang Wanqing concluded that internal Buddhist conflict explained why the Buddhist Order had sent only one Vajra to secure the Dragon Qi.
• Xu Qi'an asked Wenren Qianrou to spread a rumor about a treasure at Three Flowers Temple, using Li Lingsu's junior sister, the Flying Swallow Heroine, to make the story convincing.
• The Leizhou Chamber of Commerce spread the rumor, prompting jianghu figures to investigate or secretly leave for Three Flowers Temple.
• A white fox spoke to Xu Qi'an through his window and said she had finally met the legendary Silver Gong Xu.

Xu Qi'an received intelligence from Baiji about the Buddhist Order and its delegation to Three Flowers Temple, while Li Lingsu continued impersonating Li Miaozhen to draw out powerful contenders. Rumors about the temple’s treasure stirred Leizhou’s military and martial factions, and several prepared to pursue it.

• Baiji, a young fox demon sent by the Princess of Ten Thousand Demons, told Xu Qi'an about the Buddhist Order’s surviving Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Vajras, warned him about the delegation to Three Flowers Temple, and delivered an anklet.
• Xu Qi'an discovered that Baiji was Yeji’s younger sister, then bullied her into carrying him before coaxing her into forgiving him.
• Li Lingsu warned Wenren Qianrou that Xu Qi'an was an old monster after learning he had won cannons and ballistae from the Superintendent, but Qianrou kept Li Lingsu in her room overnight.
• Xu Qi'an told Li Lingsu to keep impersonating Li Miaozhen and spread the news about Three Flowers Temple, while the Regional Military Commissioner Yuan Yi came to investigate the treasure.
• Impersonating Li Miaozhen, Li Lingsu told Yuan Yi that the Pagoda Treasure Tower held captured experts who had been refined into Blood Pills and Soul Pills; the rumor spread and drew more factions toward the temple.
• Sect Master Tang Yuanwu ordered Liu Yun to lead thirty members of the Twin Sabre Sect to Three Flowers Temple, while a fourth-rank Pacification Officer rode out of his military camp to pursue the treasure.

Xu Qi'an rallied the martial artists at Three Flowers Temple by exposing the temple’s claims to the Pagoda Treasure Tower’s Blood Pills and Soul Pills, then fought off a warrior monk with the Seven Absolutes Gu. As two Third-Rank experts forced the crowd to retreat, Xu Qi'an challenged the Shaman God Cult’s Spirit Wisdom Master, leaving the standoff on the verge of erupting.

• Abbot Panlong and the elders decided to use the Demon-Subduing Formation to control the growing crowd outside Three Flowers Temple.
• Xu Qi'an arrived with the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce and accused Three Flowers Temple of claiming treasures from the Battle of Shanhai Pass for itself.
• A warrior monk attacked Mu Nanzhi after spotting the little white fox, but Xu Qi'an stopped him and used Heart Gu and Poison Gu to defeat him.
• Monk Jingxin agreed to admit Xu Qi'an, but Xu Qi'an called for allies, bringing Tang Yuanwu, Li Shaoyun, and Yuan Yi to the temple.
• Dongfang Wanqing fought Wenren Qianrou’s Fourth-Rank retainer, while the Dongfang sisters and Three Flowers Temple revealed their powerful allies.
• Vajra Dunan and a Spirit Wisdom Master of the Shaman God Cult revealed their Third-Rank strength, and Xu Qi'an mocked the Spirit Wisdom Master as he threatened the crowd.

Xu Qi'an summoned Sun Xuanji to force the Buddhist and Shaman God Cult factions to let the Leizhou heroes enter the Pagoda Treasure Tower. Inside, he discovered that the trial path offered him no resistance, and realized his connection to Mahayana Dharma might have made him the Buddha’s Son.

• Xu Qi'an summoned Sun Xuanji, who threatened to raze Three Flowers Temple with his flying artillery platform unless everyone was allowed into the Pagoda Treasure Tower.
• The Vajra agreed to let them enter, and Xu Qi'an cured the poisoned warrior monk before the gathered groups headed inside.
• The tower opened into a vast Buddha Realm containing statues of Buddha, the nine great Dharma Idols, and the eighteen Arhats; Xu Qi'an correctly named the Dharma Idols.
• Monk Jingxin led the groups along a trial path where their progress slowed under the statues' gazes, while the Three Flowers Temple monks advanced fastest.
• Xu Qi'an walked the path without feeling resistance and realized his Mahayana Dharma teachings might have formed a great karmic bond with the Buddhist Order, explaining why Bodhisattva Liuli wanted him as a Buddha's Son.

Xu Qi'an crossed the first floor of the Pagoda Treasure Tower unaffected by its Buddhist Precepts, then entered the second floor to investigate the seals and Dragon Qi. He arrived in a devastated wilderness and saw a younger Wei Yuan.

• Liu Yun struggled against the first floor's pressure, while Xu Qi'an walked through it with ease and overtook the other visitors.
• Xu Qi'an stunned Li Shaoyun, Yuan Yi, the Dongfang sisters, and the Buddhist monks by moving freely, then identified himself as a warrior of Great Feng.
• Outside the tower, Vajra Dunan guessed Xu Qi'an might be a reincarnated Arhat, while Yierbu doubted that he could pass the second floor.
• Xu Qi'an failed to draw Dragon Qi from the tower, decided to prioritize obtaining it and do what he could about Shenshu, then bowed to the Buddha's golden body and entered the second floor.
• Xu Qi'an found a devastated wilderness on the second floor and recognized a younger Wei Yuan, who declared that he would die that day.

Xu Qi'an and the others entered Nalan Tianlu’s dreamscape and witnessed scenes from the Battle of Shanhai Pass, along with the memories of those drawn into the dream. As the dreams began to merge, Xu Qi'an recognized the Eight Sufferings Formation from the contest of Buddhist arts and realized the dream had reached his past.

• Xu Qi'an watched Wei Yuan behead Nalan Tianlu and saw Arhat Du'e seal Nalan Tianlu’s Primordial Spirit in a golden bowl.
• Jingxin and the monks of Three Flowers Temple arrived, and Xu Qi'an concluded that they had entered Nalan Tianlu’s dreamscape without their physical bodies.
• Hengyin explained Nalan Tianlu’s identity to the assembled martial-world figures, while Dongfang Wanrong said they should wait to find a way out.
• The dream replayed the Battle of Shanhai Pass, revealing the Shaman God Cult’s alliance and Nalan Tianlu’s defeat at Wei Yuan’s hands.
• The dreamscape shifted through Tang Yuanwu’s memories and then the other visitors’ battles and experiences as their dreams intertwined.
• Xu Qi'an saw himself suffering inside the Eight Sufferings Formation at Buddha Mountain and recognized it as his dream from the contest of Buddhist arts.

Xu Qi'an and the others realized Nalan Tianlu’s dream had trapped everyone in the Pagoda Treasure Tower, while Dongfang Wanrong used the confusion to seek her master’s consciousness. Xu Qi'an led a pursuit through the mist, but the group kept entering other people’s dreams and had yet to find Nalan Tianlu.

• A dream replayed Xu Qi'an’s contest with the Buddhist Order, and the assembled heroes recognized him as Silver Gong Xu.
• Li Lingsu explained that Nalan Tianlu’s dream had trapped everyone on the tower’s second floor and that they needed to wake him or find his consciousness to escape.
• Dongfang Wanrong suspected Xu Qi'an was hidden among the crowd, but Liu Yun claimed the dream of the contest as her own and diverted suspicion.
• Dongfang Wanrong fled with the Buddhist monks and East Sea Dragon Palace disciples, and she concealed their escape by filling the area with thick fog.
• Xu Qi'an reasoned that Dongfang Wanrong was likely seeking Nalan Tianlu’s consciousness within his deepest obsession, the place where Wei Yuan had beheaded him.
• Xu Qi'an and his companions crossed through the mist but arrived at another dream, a bridal chamber, instead of Nalan Tianlu’s.

Xu Qi'an used Heart Gu to devour soul power and seized Dongfang Wanqing in Nalan Tianlu’s dream, forcing Dongfang Wanrong to lead everyone out. On the second floor, Chan Master Hengyin killed a sleeping Leizhou martial artist and moved to attack Xu Qi'an while Dongfang Wanrong urged the others to screen for mind control.

• Xu Qi'an and the others searched dreams for Nalan Tianlu, encountering Li Shaoyun’s embarrassing wedding memory and Liu Yun’s romantic dream.
• Yuan Yi and Li Shaoyun tested combat in the dream, and Xu Qi'an discovered that Heart Gu could devour soul power.
• The group found Xu Qi'an’s horse-filled dream before reaching Nalan Tianlu’s dream, where Dongfang Wanrong tried to guide her teacher’s consciousness.
• Xu Qi'an and his companions attacked the East Sea Dragon Palace group and took Dongfang Wanqing hostage, forcing Dongfang Wanrong to bring them out of the dream.
• Nalan Tianlu brought the group to the second floor, where Chan Master Hengyin killed a sleeping Leizhou martial artist and approached Xu Qi'an as Dongfang Wanrong called for mind-control screening.

Xu Qi'an helped the Leizhou fighters turn the battle against Three Flowers Temple and the East Sea Dragon Palace, then followed them to the Buddhist Pagoda’s third floor. As the tower spirit guided the Dragon Qi toward Jingxin, Xu Qi'an drew it into himself instead.

• Nalan Tianlu awakened and shattered the dream, while the Buddhist monks and East Sea Dragon Palace disciples fought the Leizhou martial artists.
• Xu Qi'an used Love Gu to control warrior monks, armed the Leizhou fighters with firearms and crossbows, and drove the enemy back with a cannon.
• Jingxin reached the third floor with Jingyuan and the Dongfang sisters, where the tower spirit healed everyone and revealed that the severed arm belonged to a person the Buddhist Order considered supremely evil.
• The tower spirit began guiding the Dragon Qi toward Jingxin, while the assembled fighters realized it was the pagoda’s true treasure.
• Xu Qi'an used the Earth Book fragment and the nation’s fortune to divert the Dragon Qi from Jingxin and draw it into himself.

Xu Qi'an claimed the Dragon Qi and fought the Buddhist monks and Leizhou martial artists inside the Pagoda Treasure Tower. He turned Head Monk Hengyin into a puppet to help defeat their enemies, but Jingxin and the others escaped outside, leaving Xu Qi'an and his allies trapped in the tower.

• Xu Qi'an absorbed the Dragon Qi into his Earth Book Fragment and rallied the Leizhou martial artists against the Buddhist monks.
• Hengyin and the Chan Masters chanted scripture, weakening the fighters, while Xu Qi'an and the others battled the monks and martial artists.
• Xu Qi'an used Gu techniques to disrupt the martial monks, and one of them killed Hengyin before Corpse Gu revived him as a puppet.
• Hengyin's command left Dongfang Wanrong vulnerable to attacks from Yuan Yi and Li Shaoyun, while Jingxin asked the tower spirit to send the Buddhist and East Sea Dragon Palace groups outside.
• The tower spirit sent Jingxin's group and the others out, while Xu Qi'an and his allies remained trapped inside the tower.

Xu Qi'an weighed releasing Shenshu’s malicious left arm to escape the Pagoda Treasure Tower, while Sun Xuanji attacked the tower from outside to pressure its guards. After Xu Qi'an refused to unleash the arm, the tower spirit declared him the Pagoda Treasure Tower’s master.

• Sun Xuanji used the artillery platform to bombard the Pagoda Treasure Tower and force Vajra Dunan to defend it, while Yierbu pursued him.
• Li Shaoyun tried to persuade the tower spirit to let the trapped martial artists leave, but failed.
• Xu Qi'an rang Baiji’s anklet and awakened Shenshu’s bound left arm, then sensed its intense malice.
• The tower spirit explained the Pagoda Treasure Tower’s defenses and offered Xu Qi'an a chance to release the arm.
• Xu Qi'an chose not to release Shenshu’s left arm, and the tower spirit named him master of the Pagoda Treasure Tower.

Xu Qi'an used Bodhisattva Faji’s token to take control of the Pagoda Treasure Tower and escape Three Flowers Temple with the Leizhou martial artists. After reaching safety, he considered how to compensate them for the treasures he had promised to share.

• The old monk tower spirit identified Chu Xianglong’s token as Bodhisattva Faji’s and revealed that Shenshu’s Dharma Idol loomed above the Buddhist figures in the tower.
• Xu Qi'an awakened from the vision, discovered he could control the Pagoda Treasure Tower with the token, and told Yuan Yi and the others he would take them out.
• Xu Qi'an commanded the tower to rise, evaded Vajra Dunan and Yierbu, and flew away from Three Flowers Temple with the captives inside.
• Sun Xuanji, Mu Nanzhi, and Li Lingsu joined Xu Qi'an in the tower, while the Leizhou martial artists learned he had stolen it.
• A jianghu fighter reminded Xu Qi'an that he had promised to divide the treasures equally, and Xu Qi'an began considering how to compensate everyone.

Xu Qi'an compensated the Leizhou martial artists for giving up their claim to the Pagoda Treasure Tower and warned them that Blood Pills were usually fatal. Meanwhile, the monks of Three Flowers Temple pieced together clues about Xu Qian’s identity, ending with the Western Region monks realizing who he might be.

• Xu Qi'an gave Zhao Pan a potent poison and a mutated green widow plant, then handed out silver, firearms, and other compensation to the remaining martial artists.
• Xu Qi'an told Tang Yuanwu, Li Shaoyun, Yuan Yi, and Liu Yun that Blood Pills could help a fourth-rank martial artist reach the third rank but almost always killed the user.
• Xu Qi'an deflected questions about Silver Gong Xu, and Yuan Yi praised Xu's importance to Great Feng; afterward, Mu Nanzhi explained that Sun Xuanji had concealed the Pagoda Treasure Tower with the Tianji Technique.
• At dawn, Vajra Dunan and the monks at Three Flowers Temple reviewed written notes about the stolen Pagoda Treasure Tower and Dragon Qi, while Abbot Panlong shared their findings about Xu Qian.
• Jingxin and Jingyuan added clues about Xu Qian's disguise, cultivation, and martial abilities, and Vajra Dunan asked who in Great Feng matched the evidence.
• The Western Region monks suddenly recognized the likely identity of Xu Qian.

Vajra Dunan learned that Xu Qian was Xu Qi'an and received orders to bring him to Aranda, while Xu Qi'an questioned Hengyin and Shenshu about the Dragon Qi, the Buddhist Order, and the Demon-Sealing Nails. Meanwhile, Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Hengyuan encountered a Heaven Sect contact signal and expected to meet Number Seven.

• Vajra Dunan consulted Bodhisattva Jialuoshu, who ordered Arhat Duqing and Vajra Dufan to capture the Buddha's Son and convert him, with Dunan assisting.
• Jingyuan revealed to Abbot Panlong that Xu Qian was Xu Qi'an, whose cultivation had been sealed by Demon-Sealing Nails.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Hengyin and learned that the Buddhist Order planned to seize Dragon Qi and convert its hosts.
• Xu Qi'an questioned the tower spirit and Shenshu, learning that Shenshu's head might be in Aranda and that finding it could free him.
• Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Hengyuan returned from destroying the Vicious Wolf Stronghold and spotted a Heaven Sect contact signal announcing Number Seven's presence.

Primordial Lady Bingyi captured Li Miaozhen under the Heavenly Venerable’s order and set out to find the Heaven Sect’s Holy Son, Li Lingsu. After Hengyuan warned Xu Qi'an, Xu realized the Holy Son was already traveling beside him and prepared to pass a message back to Li Miaozhen.

• Li Miaozhen reunited with her master, Primordial Lady Bingyi, who bound her and ordered her return to the Heaven Sect for further study.
• Primordial Lady Bingyi said she also had to apprehend the Holy Son, and Li Miaozhen warned Hengyuan and Chu Yuanzhen not to interfere.
• Li Miaozhen urged Hengyuan to find Xu Qi'an, while she and her master flew away and Chu Yuanzhen and Hengyuan followed.
• Xu Qi'an visited Zheng Xinghuai’s grave in Zhangzhou and paid his respects before receiving Hengyuan’s urgent Earth Book message.
• Hengyuan told Xu Qi'an that Primordial Lady Bingyi was pursuing the Holy Son, Li Lingsu, who was traveling with Xu Qi'an near the East Sea Dragon Palace.
• Xu Qi'an realized Li Lingsu was the Holy Son and told Hengyuan to pass a message to Li Miaozhen.

Xu Qi'an planned to keep Li Lingsu under control while he prepared to rescue Li Miaozhen, then discovered a collapsed pit and eagerly went to investigate it. Meanwhile, Ji Xuan’s group learned that Xu Qian had taken Dragon Qi from Three Flowers Temple and headed for a martial arts gathering in Yongzhou, while Yang Qianhuan left the Directorate of Astronomy determined to make a name for himself.

• Xu Qi'an told Master Hengyuan to relay his instructions to Li Miaozhen and learned that Hengyuan was studying the Vajra Divine Art while Chu Yuanzhen had yet to forge his own path of the sword.
• Li Lingsu explained the Heaven Sect’s Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion, and Xu Qi'an resolved to keep him under control and use the Heaven Sect’s strength when the time was right.
• Xu Qi'an saw a deep pit after sending Mu Nanzhi, Li Lingsu, and the others back to the inn, then eagerly jumped into it.
• Ji Xuan’s group discussed the Dragon Qi taken from Three Flowers Temple by Sun Xuanji and Xu Qian, considered who Xu Qian might be, and decided to search for Dragon Qi at a martial arts gathering in Yongzhou.
• Yang Qianhuan told Zhong Li that the Superintendent had let him leave and declared he would use Xu Qi'an’s absence to become famous in the capital.

Yang Qianhuan resolved to win the capital's affection by helping its people, while Xu Qi'an and his companions traveled through Xiangzhou and took shelter from a storm in a ruined temple. There, they met three travelers who were heading to the Chai Clan's Devil-Slaying Assembly.

• Yang Qianhuan told Zhong Li that he would open free shops in the capital to surpass Xu Qi'an as a hero in the people's eyes.
• Xu Qi'an, Mu Nanzhi, Baiji, and Li Lingsu discussed Xiangzhou's water ghosts and corpse-driving traditions, including the Chai Clan's history.
• The group took shelter in a ruined mountain god temple and made a fire and stew while rain battered the mountains.
• Feng Xiu, Wang Jun, and Lü Wei arrived at the temple; Feng Xiu introduced them and said they were traveling to the Chai Clan's Devil-Slaying Assembly.

Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu learned that Chai Xian had been blamed for a wave of killings in Zhangzhou, and Li Lingsu asked to investigate the Chai family. After they defeated a corpse-raising schemer on the road, they reached Xiangzhou and Li Lingsu requested an audience with Chai Xing'er.

• Feng Xiu told Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu that Chai Xian had allegedly murdered his adoptive father and others, prompting Chai Xing'er to summon a Devil-Slaying Assembly.
• Li Lingsu recalled meeting Chai Xian and said the man had seemed too kind to commit the crimes, then persuaded Xu Qi'an to let him visit the Chai family.
• A blood corpse attacked the travelers at a ruined temple, but Li Lingsu killed it and Xu Qi'an killed its master, Lü Wei, who had poisoned Feng Xiu and Wang Jun.
• Xu Qi'an and his companions set out for Xiangzhou the next morning, and Feng Xiu and Wang Jun parted ways with them after they reached the city.
• Li Lingsu brought Xu Qi'an to the Chai Residence and asked the gatekeeper to announce him to Chai Xing'er as an old acquaintance.

Xu Qi'an investigated the Chai Residence's clan-head murder and Xiaolan's abduction, suspecting that someone had impersonated Chai Xian. In the capital, Yang Qianhuan struggled with the absurd demands of the public, while the chapter ended with Li Lingsu reporting that monks led by Jingxin had arrived at the Chai Residence.

• Li Lingsu reunited with Chai Xing'er, who explained that Chai Xian had supposedly killed Chai Jianyuan and fled after Xiaolan disappeared.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Chai Xing'er about Chai Xian's character and proposed that a powerful Corpse Gu master might have impersonated him and controlled his iron corpses.
• Yang Qianhuan heard a series of unreasonable requests from people gathered outside the Directorate of Astronomy and gave up on his charitable undertaking.
• Xu Qi'an consumed poisonous herbs and fruits in the Chai Residence's garden while Hengyin's corpse kept Li Lingsu from interrupting him.
• Li Lingsu hurried into the pavilion and warned Xu Qi'an that monks led by Jingxin had arrived.

Xu Qi'an left the Chai Residence to avoid the Buddhist monks and sent Li Lingsu back to watch Chai Xing'er while he investigated Chai Xian’s case. He later possessed an orange cat and sneaked into the residence, leaving the truth about the case unresolved.

• Li Lingsu told Xu Qi'an that Jingxin and the other Buddhist monks had come to Xiangzhou to intervene in Chai Xian's case, so Xu Qi'an decided they should leave the Chai Residence.
• Xu Qi'an asked Li Lingsu to stay behind and keep watch on Chai Xing'er, arguing that she might have framed Chai Xian to remove a rival.
• Li Lingsu returned to the main hall, concealed his identity from Jingxin, and agreed to stay and help Chai Xing'er.
• Jingxin and Jingyuan discussed Chai Xian's upcoming Devil-Slaying Assembly and noted that the evidence against him seemed suspicious despite its strength.
• Xu Qi'an predicted an unusually harsh winter, then rested at an inn while Mu Nanzhi read.
• After nightfall, Xu Qi'an used Heart Gu to control the innkeeper's orange cat and sent it into the Chai Residence to investigate Chai Xing'er and eavesdrop on the Buddhist monks.

Xu Qi'an used an orange cat to spy on Chai Xing'er and Li Lingsu, then followed a corpse into a vast underground cellar beneath the Chai residence. The chapter ended with Mu Nanzhi discovering Xu Qi'an breathing heavily in his sleep after what he had witnessed.

• Xu Qi'an overheard Chai Xing'er offer Li Lingsu a place beside her as head of the Chai Clan, then watched her poison him and threaten him with scissors unless he answered her questions.
• Chai Xing'er revealed that she had given Li Lingsu Love Gu, and he appeased her with declarations of love until she dropped the scissors and embraced him.
• Xu Qi'an overheard Buddhist monks say that an Arhat and two Vajras were coming for a man whose identity they had uncovered, and suspected that they meant him.
• Xu Qi'an followed a wandering corpse into a secluded courtyard, entered its underground passage, and discovered a labyrinth filled with corpses.
• Mu Nanzhi found Xu Qi'an breathing heavily in his sleep, and he murmured, "Heaven on earth."

Xu Qi'an followed a walking corpse from the Chai estate to a village and discovered that it was Chai Xian, a Dragon Qi host. Chai Xian denied killing his adoptive father or abducting Xiaolan and said he had stayed in Xiangzhou to find the person framing him.

• Mu Nanzhi and the little white fox playfully struck Xu Qi'an while he lay unconscious.
• Xu Qi'an used Orange Cat An to follow a walking corpse from the Chai estate through a river and out of the city.
• The walking corpse reached a village and was welcomed into a house by a girl who called him Uncle Xian and asked whether he had found Sister Xiaolan.
• Four corpses discovered Orange Cat An, and Chai Xian came out to speak with him.
• Xu Qi'an recognized the Dragon Qi around Chai Xian and questioned him about the apparent murder and abduction.
• Chai Xian denied the accusations and said he was searching for whoever had framed him.

Chai Xian told Xu Qi'an that he had been framed for his adoptive father’s murder and suspected Chai Xing'er, while his missing beloved Chai Lan might hold the key to the case. Xu Qi'an planned to investigate the Chai residence and find Chai Xian before the Buddhist monks discovered his Dragon Qi, as the Devil-Slaying Assembly approached.

• Chai Xian recounted how he found his adoptive father murdered, was accused by his aunt and the clansmen, and fought his way out of the Chai residence.
• Chai Xian denied abducting Chai Lan and said someone was impersonating him to commit murders and keep him from leaving; he suspected Chai Xing'er of framing him.
• Chai Xian agreed to use Erya as a contact but knocked Orange Cat An unconscious before Xu Qi'an arrived and found the alley empty.
• The next morning, Li Lingsu told Xu Qi'an that Chai Xing'er had afflicted him with Love Gu, and Xu Qi'an warned him that Chai Xing'er was a suspect.
• Xu Qi'an told Li Lingsu to investigate the Chai residence and search for Chai Lan, while he focused on finding Chai Xian and recovering the Dragon Qi before the Devil-Slaying Assembly at the Xiang River.

Primordial Lady Bingyi and Daoist Master Xuancheng discussed Li Lingsu’s relations with the East Sea Dragon Palace and considered bringing him back to the sect for punishment. Meanwhile, Xu Qi'an learned two incantations that could remove Shenshu’s Demon-Sealing Nails, and Li Lingsu questioned a maid about Chai Xian’s family.

• Primordial Lady Bingyi and Li Miaozhen met Daoist Master Xuancheng, who confirmed Li Miaozhen had reached the fourth rank and reported that Li Lingsu had spent months with the East Sea Dragon Palace’s two palace mistresses.
• After learning the Celestial Venerable’s information about Li Lingsu was accurate, Primordial Lady Bingyi proposed castrating him, but Daoist Master Xuancheng said they should take him to the sect first.
• Xu Qi'an confronted Shenshu’s severed arm with a seal-breaking sword, and Shenshu revealed the incantations for the Demon-Sealing Nails at the Sea of Qi and Hundred Convergences.
• Li Lingsu reviewed conflicting accounts of Chai Xian’s flight and suspected the missing Chai Lan might have framed him.
• Li Lingsu asked the maid Du Juan about her years in the Chai household, then asked what the eldest young lady’s relationship with the clan head had been.