Recaps

Li Lingsu questioned Du Juan about Chai Lan’s resistance to marriage and the suspicious death of Chai Xing’er’s former husband, then learned that someone had broken into the Chai residence’s corpse cellar. He entered the guarded cellar and reached a hidden room where Chai Xing’er allowed him inside.

• Li Lingsu persuaded Du Juan to reveal that Chai Lan had resisted marrying into the Huangfu Household and that Chai Xing’er had argued with Chai Jianyuan after her former husband died in an accident.
• Li Lingsu considered how the deaths and Chai Lan’s marriage might connect, then set out to report his findings to Xu Qian.
• At the Xu Residence, Auntie prepared Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin for a visit to the Wang residence and learned that the Superintendent had rejected Xu Lingyin as a disciple.
• Xu Pingzhi arrived and saw Xu Lingyin wearing the family heirloom bangles; her boast that she looked like his mother led him to chase her with his scabbard.
• Li Lingsu learned that a criminal had broken into the Chai residence’s cellar, where Chai Xian had searched for Chai Lan’s corpse, and decided to investigate the cellar himself.
• Li Lingsu pushed past the guards and entered the cellar; after reaching a guarded inner room, he identified himself to Chai Xing’er, who let him in.

Li Lingsu learned that Chai Xing'er’s former husband had been refined into an Iron Corpse, while Xu Qi'an prioritized finding Chai Xian before the Devil-Slaying Assembly. The chapter ended with Xu Qi'an reaching the village where Chai Xian had hidden and questioning a young woman and her daughter.

• Chai Xing'er explained to Li Lingsu that her brother Chai Jianyuan had refined her gravely wounded former husband into an Iron Corpse, and Li Lingsu said he believed her.
• Xu Qi'an told Li Lingsu to investigate Chai Xing'er's former husband, while Li Lingsu vowed to protect her if she was accused.
• Xu Qi'an decided that finding Chai Xian and securing the Dragon Qi mattered more urgently than solving the case, and he discussed the Nine-Colored Lotus Root with Mu Nanzhi.
• Chai Xing'er asked Jingxin to lead the righteous factions against Chai Xian at the Devil-Slaying Assembly, while Jingxin warned his monks not to act before seeing Chai Xian.
• Xu Qi'an went to the village where Chai Xian had hidden and spoke to the young woman and girl living there.

Xu Qi'an investigated Chai Xian’s whereabouts while the Devil-Slaying Assembly organized a search for him, but Chai Xian never appeared. Xu Qi'an returned to the village and found the family he had visited murdered.

• Xu Qi'an used Heart Gu to question a little girl about Chai Xian, gave her a note and silver, and learned that Chai Xian rarely stayed there, suffered nightmares, and had six toes.
• Jingxin told Jingyuan that Chai Xing'er’s former husband's death was connected to clan head Chai Jianyuan, while Chai Xing'er confronted Li Lingsu about investigating her and Xu Qian’s hostility toward the Buddhist Order.
• Xu Qi'an attended the Devil-Slaying Assembly, where the prefect and Chai Xing'er announced a joint hunt for Chai Xian and Jingyuan demonstrated the Buddhist Order’s Vajra Divine Art.
• Xu Qi'an searched the surrounding area from the Pagoda Treasure Tower but found no golden dragon shadow, then learned that Chai Xian had not attended the assembly.
• When Chai Xian still did not appear, Xu Qi'an rode to the village and found the father, mother, and little girl dead in their home.

Xu Qi'an investigated the murder of a family connected to Chai Xian and concluded that someone was manipulating events around the Devil-Slaying Assembly. As he set out to find the hidden culprit, Jingxin suspected the killer was refining a Flying Corpse, and Mu Nanzhi warned that someone was watching them.

• Xu Qi'an examined the murdered family and realized that someone might have followed him and Chai Xian to their village refuge.
• Xu Qi'an brought Li Lingsu to the village, where Li Lingsu found that the victims' souls had been dispersed and villagers reported a stranger around noon.
• Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu deduced that the killer had known Chai Xian would visit and had killed the family to frighten him away from the Devil-Slaying Assembly.
• Xu Qi'an told Li Lingsu to stay away while he secretly investigated and planned to kill the real culprit.
• Jingxin learned that two impostors had investigated the murders and suspected the killer was collecting blood essence to refine a Flying Corpse.
• Mu Nanzhi told Xu Qi'an that someone was watching them, while the little white fox said she had been frightened.

Xu Qi'an set aside his search for Dragon Qi to investigate the contradictions in the Chai Clan murders, then infiltrated the Chai estate to examine Chai Jianyuan's corpse. His autopsy uncovered an unusual clue: Chai Jianyuan had six toes on his left foot.

• After the little white fox warned that someone was watching them, Xu Qi'an hid Mu Nanzhi and the fox in the Pagoda Treasure Tower and reviewed the Chai Clan case.
• Xu Qi'an concluded that the case's motives and events were contradictory, so he decided to restart the investigation with the Chai Clan.
• Jingxin visited the inn seeking a man and woman with a warhorse, but the innkeeper told him the guests had already left.
• Xu Qi'an sneaked into the Chai estate, poisoned three guards unconscious, and entered the cellar to examine the corpses.
• Xu Qi'an identified Chai Jianyuan's body and discovered that its left foot had six toes.

Xu Qi'an found evidence that Chai Jianyuan had been poisoned and suspected Chai Xian was his illegitimate son, while identifying Chai Xing'er as a possible conspirator. Elsewhere, the Heaven Sect searched for Li Lingsu, and Chai Xing'er learned that someone had dissected Chai Jianyuan's corpse as Xu Qi'an's orange cat arrived at Li Lingsu's room.

• Xu Qi'an recognized Chai Jianyuan's six toes, dissected his corpse with the Peace Saber, and found traces of a sophisticated poison that could cause hallucinations and numbness.
• Xu Qi'an concluded that Chai Xian might be Chai Jianyuan's hidden illegitimate son and that Chai Xing'er was among the possible poisoners, but decided not to confront her directly.
• Xu Qi'an's Corpse Gu offspring tried to reproduce on the corpses, and he used his authority as their mother Gu to stop them.
• Daoist Master Xuancheng and Primordial Lady Bingyi questioned Wenren Qianrou in her dream about Li Lingsu and Xu Qian, then decided to follow Xu Qian's trail to find Li Lingsu.
• Chai Ping told Chai Xing'er that someone had dissected Chai Jianyuan's corpse; Chai Xing'er went to investigate after Li Lingsu promised to stay by her side.
• Li Lingsu wondered whether Xu Qian had uncovered anything about the case, and Xu Qian's orange cat slipped into his room.

Xu Qi'an investigated Chai Jianyuan’s death with Li Lingsu, suspecting Chai Xing'er and uncovering questions about Chai Xian’s origins. Meanwhile, Jingyuan patrolled Three Waters Town as bait for the corpse-refiner, and he sensed something swimming toward the riverside tavern.

• Xu Qi'an visited Li Lingsu in an orange cat’s body, confirmed that Chai Xian and Chai Jianyuan shared six toes, and said Chai Xian was likely Jianyuan’s illegitimate son.
• Xu Qi'an suspected Chai Xing'er had poisoned Chai Jianyuan and asked Li Lingsu to use a dream-entering spell to question one of Jianyuan’s sons about Chai Xian.
• Li Lingsu told Xu Qi'an that Chai Xing'er had gone into the southern courtyard around midnight, and Xu Qi'an planned to search the Chai residence using its small creatures.
• Jingyuan joined the night patrol in Three Waters Town to lure out the person refining corpses, while Chen Er and the other patrolmen rested at a riverside tavern.
• Jingyuan heard an unusual rushing sound in the river and realized that multiple things were swimming toward the tavern.

Jingyuan fought off an ambush by walking corpses and Iron Corpses, then discovered the attacker was a puppet controlled by someone cautious about his strength. Meanwhile, Li Lingsu questioned Chai Zhong and Chai Kai in their dreams, and Jingxin confronted Chai Xian, identifying him as a Dragon Qi host.

• Jingyuan killed the walking corpses attacking the tavern, but four Iron Corpses pinned him while a black-clad figure tried to strike his head.
• Jingyuan unleashed his full strength, destroyed the Iron Corpses, and learned the black-clad attacker was a pulse-less puppet stronger than an Iron Corpse.
• Li Lingsu entered Chai Zhong's dream and learned he did not know Chai Xian was Chai Jianyuan's illegitimate son.
• Li Lingsu questioned Chai Kai in his dream, but Chai Kai revealed no knowledge of Chai Xian's six toes or Chai Jianyuan's own six toes.
• Jingxin confronted a black-clad man in the mountain forest and used a golden alms bowl to identify him as a Dragon Qi host.
• The black-clad man revealed his name was Chai Xian.

Jingxin captured Chai Xian and used Precepts to confirm that he had not killed Chai Jianyuan or controlled the walking corpses, then planned to use him to draw Xu Qi'an out. At the Chai residence, Xu Qi'an searched the southern courtyard with his Heart Gu as Li Lingsu learned of Chai Xian’s capture and hurried to warn him.

• Chai Xian told Jingxin that he had been framed and that he suspected Chai Xing'er and her hidden accomplice were behind the crimes.
• Jingxin used Precepts to question Chai Xian, who truthfully denied killing Chai Jianyuan or attacking Three Waters Town and named Chai Xing'er as his suspect.
• Jingxin and Jingyuan realized Chai Xian was a host of one of the nine crucial strands of Dragon Qi and decided to take him to the Chai residence as bait for Xu Qi'an.
• Li Lingsu reported his conversations with Chai Zhong and Chai Kai to Xu Qi'an, who sent animals throughout the southern courtyard to search for clues.
• A maid told Chai Xing'er that Jingxin and Jingyuan had returned with Chai Xian, and Li Lingsu left to alert Xu Qi'an.
• Xu Qi'an directed the animals toward the ancestral hall, but Li Lingsu's Yin Spirit arrived and told him that Jingxin and Jingyuan had captured Chai Xian.

Xu Qi'an watched Jingxin and Jingyuan question Chai Xing'er, whose answers exposed the mystery surrounding Chai Jianyuan's murder and the Xiangzhou killings. Chai Xian confessed that his other personality committed the crimes, while Xu Qi'an's search uncovered a chained woman in a secret chamber who identified herself as Chai Lan.

• Xu Qi'an learned that Jingxin and Jingyuan had captured Chai Xian and sent Li Lingsu to watch Chai Xing'er while he secretly listened in as an orange cat.
• Jingxin used the Precepts to question Chai Xing'er, who denied killing Chai Jianyuan or committing the Xiangzhou murders, and said Chai Xian had done them.
• Chai Xing'er revealed that Chai Xian was Chai Jianyuan's illegitimate son and presented Chai Jianyuan's Walking Corpse as proof that they shared six toes.
• Jingxin asked Chai Xian how he had known to pursue the killer at Three Waters Town, prompting Chai Xian's other personality to confess to killing Chai Jianyuan and the victims across Xiangzhou.
• Xu Qi'an discovered a secret chamber beneath the ancestral hall, where a chained woman woke and wrote that her name was Chai Lan.

Xu Qi'an discovered that Chai Xing'er had imprisoned Chai Lan and learned the Buddhist Order planned to take Chai Xian away at daybreak. With Li Lingsu and Chai Xing'er captured, he freed two of Shenshu’s Demon-Sealing Nails to regain some power, then sent Hengyin disguised as Xu Qian to confront the monks.

• Xu Qi'an found Chai Lan imprisoned in the cellar and confirmed that Chai Xing'er had kept her there.
• Jingxin and Jingyuan bound Li Lingsu and Chai Xing'er, announced that they would take Chai Xian to the Western Regions, and began converting the captives with scripture.
• Xu Qi'an decided to act before daybreak, entered the Pagoda Treasure Tower, and struck a bargain with Shenshu to remove the Demon-Sealing Nails in exchange for breaking the Superintendent's seal.
• Shenshu removed the nails from Xu Qi'an's dantian and brow, restoring his ability to use Qi and unsealing his Primordial Spirit.
• Xu Qi'an sent Hengyin, disguised as Xu Qian, to the inner hall, where Jingyuan recognized that he had come.

Xu Qi'an broke the Buddhist monks’ seal and defeated Jingyuan with one saber strike, then questioned Jingxin and Chai Xian about the Dragon Qi and the murders. After revealing Chai Xian’s split personality, he suggested the case was not finished and addressed Chai Xing'er.

• Jingyuan’s Precepts sent Jingyuan back to his starting point, while poison spread through the inner hall and Xu Qi'an emerged from Hengyin’s shadow.
• Jingxin and the Chan Masters sealed the hall in a Lesser Formless Realm, but Xu Qi'an resisted their bronze mirror and Jingyuan’s Vajra Divine Art.
• Xu Qi'an broke Jingyuan’s golden body with one saber strike, forcing Jingxin to withdraw the formation and release Li Lingsu and Chai Xing'er.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Jingxin, who confirmed that the Buddhist Order had sent monks to capture him and that Vajra Dunan planned to meet them in Yongzhou.
• Xu Qi'an learned that Chai Xian’s other personality had killed Erya’s family, then told Chai Xian about his split personality and showed him Chai Jianyuan’s six toes.
• Xu Qi'an said the case was not over and asked Chai Xing'er what she thought.

Xu Qi'an exposed Chai Xing'er as the mastermind behind Chai Jianyuan's murder and Chai Lan's imprisonment, then learned she was a Tianji Palace operative keeping Chai Xian in Xiangzhou because he hosted Dragon Qi. After Chai Xian confessed to his crimes and struck himself dead, Dragon Qi burst from his body and tried to escape.

• Xu Qi'an deduced that Chai Xing'er had poisoned Chai Jianyuan, worsened Chai Xian's disorder, and imprisoned Chai Lan, whom Li Lingsu brought back alive.
• Chai Xing'er tried to kill herself, but Xu Qi'an stopped her and questioned her about her motives and Chai Lan's imprisonment.
• Xu Qi'an exposed Chai Xing'er's claim about Chai Jianyuan's plot as a distraction and used Hengyin's Precepts to make her admit she imprisoned Chai Lan to keep Chai Xian in Xiangzhou.
• Chai Xing'er confessed that she was a covert operative of Tianji Palace, had reported Chai Xian's rapidly advancing cultivation, and had leaked information about Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu to the Buddhist Order.
• Chai Xian asked Xu Qi'an to free him, confessed his regret and guilt, and killed himself; Dragon Qi then burst from his body and surged toward the roof.

Xu Qi'an captured Chai Xing'er after learning about Tianji Palace and its connection to a great tomb, then left the Chai Residence with Li Lingsu and Hengyin. As they headed toward Yongzhou, Xu Qi'an received a message from the Imperial Preceptor, while Ji Xuan’s group tracked a Dragon Qi host in the same direction.

• Xu Qi'an absorbed Chai Xian’s Dragon Qi, questioned Chai Xing'er about Tianji Palace, and learned that Xu Pingfeng had recruited her to help open a great tomb.
• Xu Qi'an imprisoned Chai Xing'er in the Pagoda Treasure Tower and left the Buddhist monks at the Chai Residence to await Martial Uncle Dunan.
• On the road, Xu Qi'an explained Chai Xing'er's plan to Li Lingsu and said he would keep her alive for now.
• Xu Qi'an received a talisman message from the Imperial Preceptor and told her he was heading to Yongzhou, where she would arrive in three days.
• Ji Xuan’s group tracked a Dragon Qi host toward Yongzhou, and Ji Xuan wondered whether the Imperial Preceptor had another move planned.

Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin visited the Wang Residence, where Xu Lingyin startled the Wang women by asking whether they were also marrying Xu Erlang. In the study, Xu Xinnian learned from Grand Secretary Wang that the court had run out of silver, and he had no news from his elder brother.

• Auntie woke to find Lina and Xu Lingyin playing in the snow, then urged Xu Erlang and his sisters to behave during their visit to the Wang Residence.
• Wang Simu's sisters-in-law planned to test Xu Lingyue, but Xu Lingyin's question about whether they were marrying Xu Erlang left them speechless.
• Madam Wang welcomed the Xu sisters, and Zhao Yurong bragged about the Wang Residence's imperial Beast Gold Charcoal until Xu Lingyin said the Xu Household had some too.
• Xu Xinnian asked Grand Secretary Wang why he had withheld his request for disaster relief, and Wang showed him memorials revealing the treasury was empty.
• Grand Secretary Wang said the court needed time to recover and asked about Xu Xinnian's elder brother, who had sent no letters home.

Xu Lingyue and Xu Xinnian visited the Wang Household, where Xu Lingyue quietly overturned the women’s assumptions about the Xu family’s standing, while Xu Lingyin stunned everyone with her strength. Elsewhere, the court remained wary of Yunzhou, and Vajra Dunan arrived at the Chai Residence in Xiangzhou.

• Grand Secretary Wang told Xu Xinnian that the court had prepared for a possible Yunzhou rebellion but had no resources to spare for disaster relief.
• Xu Lingyue answered the Wang women’s attempts to flaunt their household’s wealth and connections by mentioning the Xu family’s imperial gifts, income, and Xu Qi’an’s influence.
• Xu Lingyin lifted a stone table with one hand, shocking the Wang family and ending Wang Hao’s proposed sparring match.
• After the visit, the Wang women agreed that the Xu and Wang households were equals, while Wang Simu told her father that she would not take responsibility for rescinding an offer to let Xu Lingyin study at the Wang Household.
• Xu Lingyue returned home and reassured Auntie that the Wang family had treated her courteously.
• Vajra Dunan arrived at the Chai Residence in Xiangzhou and asked the gatekeeper to announce him.

Vajra Dunan learned that Xu Qi'an had escaped and worked with a Tianji Palace spy to plan a trap for him in Yongzhou. Xu Qi'an reached the city in disguise, arranged for the Gongsun Clan to watch for Buddhist monks, and sensed a Dragon Qi host nearby.

• Vajra Dunan healed Jingyuan's wounds and concluded that Xu Qi'an's fourth-rank Saber Intent could make a same-realm opponent perish with him.
• A Tianji Palace spy asked Dunan to return Chai Xing'er, then proposed using Dragon Qi hosts to lure Xu Qi'an into a trap at Yongzhou's martial assembly.
• Xu Qi'an and his companions arrived in crowded Yongzhou City disguised, and he decided to use the Gongsun Clan to gather information.
• Li Lingsu visited Gongsun Manor in Xu Qi'an's guise and asked Gongsun Xiangyang to report any Buddhist monks spotted in the city.
• Xu Qi'an kept a sparrow at Gongsun Manor as a spy, then sensed that a Dragon Qi host was nearby.

Xu Qi'an was ambushed by Vajra Dunan while pursuing a Dragon Qi host and fought to reach the Pagoda Treasure Tower, where he escaped inside and healed his wounds. With Dunan still pounding the tower and other Buddhist forces possibly nearby, Xu Qi'an called for help and learned that Luo Yuheng had reached Yongzhou's borders.

• Xu Qi'an followed a Dragon Qi host through Yongzhou, but the host's shattered artifact opened a gate through which Vajra Dunan appeared and attacked him.
• Xu Qi'an tried to escape Dunan with Shadow Jump and the Pagoda Treasure Tower, but Dunan threw the tower away and relentlessly pursued him out of the city.
• Xu Qi'an reached the tower, but Dunan pierced his chest with the Peace Saber; Hengyin intervened with Precepts and was killed, giving the tower time to draw Xu Qi'an inside and flee.
• Xu Qi'an received healing from the Pharmacist Dharma Idol while Dunan clung to the tower and hammered it, and the tower spirit said it would take an hour to shake him off.
• Xu Qi'an rejected Shenshu's offer to help kill Dunan and sent a message asking Senior Brother Sun for help; then he caught a protective talisman carrying Luo Yuheng's message that she had reached Yongzhou's borders.

Xu Qi'an escaped Vajra Dunan with help from Luo Yuheng, whose sword strike badly injured the Vajra. After regrouping at Green Apricot Garden, Xu Qi'an asked Luo Yuheng to undo Li Lingsu’s seal, but Li Lingsu froze when he saw her.

• Xu Qi'an summoned Luo Yuheng, who arrived and drove Vajra Dunan into a mountainside with a single sword strike.
• Xu Qi'an and Luo Yuheng fled in the Pagoda Treasure Tower, then discussed Bodhisattva Faji and Shenshu’s advice about surviving the Heavenly Tribulation.
• Dufan and Arhat Duqing found the injured Dunan and discussed working with Tianji Palace to pursue Xu Qi'an and the Dragon Qi hosts.
• Mu Nanzhi and Li Lingsu worried about Xu Qi'an until a wild bird carrying his message reassured them and summoned Li Lingsu.
• Xu Qi'an asked Luo Yuheng to undo Li Lingsu’s seal at Green Apricot Garden, and Li Lingsu stopped speaking when he saw her.

Li Lingsu met Luo Yuheng as Xu Qi'an discussed the Dragon Qi, Xu Pingfeng’s plans, and the Dao Venerable’s mysterious history. Tianji Palace and the Buddhist monks plotted to capture a Dragon Qi host to lure Xu Qi'an out, while Mu Nanzhi’s arrival interrupted Xu Qi'an’s plans with Luo Yuheng.

• Li Lingsu met Luo Yuheng, learned she was the Human Sect leader and State Preceptor, and had her restore his sealed cultivation.
• Luo Yuheng warned that the winter would bring many possible turns, prompting Xu Qi'an to realize Xu Pingfeng could rebel without first reclaiming his Fate or gathering all the Dragon Qi.
• Xu Qi'an asked Luo Yuheng about advancing to first rank and the Heaven Sect’s missing Heavenly Venerables, then explained his theory that the Dao Venerable had founded the three sects rather than the ancient Daoist Order.
• In Yongzhou City, a cloaked Tianji Palace agent argued with Vajra Dunan before revealing a plan to capture a Dragon Qi host and draw out Xu Qi'an; Azure Dragon Star Mansions were sent to assist.
• Sun Xuanji arrived, exchanged written messages with Xu Qi'an, and delivered five letters from the capital before Xu Qi'an sent Li Lingsu back to the inn.
• A white fox led Mu Nanzhi to the tea room, where her arrival made Xu Qi'an’s face fall and Luo Yuheng narrow her eyes.

Xu Qi'an was caught between Mu Nanzhi and Luo Yuheng after Mu Nanzhi discovered their relationship, but Luo Yuheng persuaded her to leave for the capital. As Luo Yuheng’s Karmic Fire arrived at midnight, Xu Qi'an approached her bedroom after hearing her struggle with it.

• Mu Nanzhi confronted Xu Qi'an and Luo Yuheng, while Li Lingsu learned that their relationship was real.
• Mu Nanzhi removed her bodhi bracelet and revealed her extraordinary true beauty, stunning Li Lingsu before Xu Qi'an put the bracelet back on.
• Xu Qi'an persuaded Mu Nanzhi to leave by explaining that Luo Yuheng faced an imminent Tribulation Transcendence, and Luo Yuheng spoke privately with her.
• Mu Nanzhi agreed to return to the capital, and Xu Qi'an sent her and the little white fox away in the Pagoda Treasure Tower.
• Luo Yuheng told Xu Qi'an that her Karmic Fire would come at midnight, then went to meditate while he waited and reviewed the Buddhist Order's ambush.
• At the hour of the Rat, Xu Qi'an heard Luo Yuheng panting in the bedroom and approached the door.

Xu Qi'an and Luo Yuheng began dual cultivation to quell her Karmic Fire, and she warned him that the next seven days would bring the Human Sect’s seven emotions. The chapter ended with an enraged Luo Yuheng confronting Xu Qi'an for leaving her alone at dawn.

• Xu Qi'an realized Luo Yuheng was partly pretending to be delirious, then helped her quell her Karmic Fire through dual cultivation.
• After their first night together, Luo Yuheng insisted their arrangement was only a transaction, while Xu Qi'an called them Dao companions.
• Luo Yuheng explained that the seven emotions would rule her for seven days and made Xu Qi'an promise to visit her before the hour of the Rat without telling anyone.
• Xu Qi'an went to bathe in the hot spring after Luo Yuheng fell asleep.
• At dawn, Luo Yuheng appeared before Xu Qi'an and angrily demanded to know where he had gone.

Xu Qi'an struggled with Luo Yuheng’s irritable mood after their night together, then visited Mu Nanzhi before searching the Yongzhou martial arts assembly for Dragon Qi hosts. There he discovered a powerful group led by Ji Xuan, who asked Gongsun Xiangyang to find someone in a portrait and Xu Qian.

• Luo Yuheng grew angry when Xu Qi'an looked at her and reminded him that their dual cultivation was only a transaction, while Xu Qi'an tried to improve their relationship.
• Xu Qi'an brought food and clothes to Mu Nanzhi in the Pagoda Treasure Tower, but she remained cold toward him as he left.
• Xu Qi'an disguised himself and searched the crowded Yongzhou martial arts assembly with his divine sense, detecting two hosts of scattered Dragon Qi.
• Xu Qi'an spotted Gongsun Xiangyang meeting Ji Xuan and a group of formidable companions, including a Dragon Qi host.
• Ji Xuan asked Gongsun Xiangyang to find the person in a portrait and to keep watch for Xu Qian, making Gongsun Xiangyang tense.

Xu Qi'an discovered that Ji Xuan's group were Xu Pingfeng's people and chose to abduct Xu Yuanshuang to learn what she knew. He escaped with her from Yongzhou City, but she woke on a haystack poisoned by an aphrodisiac and demanded to know who he was.

• Gongsun Xiangyang learned that Ji Xuan's party was searching for Xu Qian and secretly relayed their identities and details to Xu Qi'an through a sparrow.
• Xu Qi'an overheard Ji Xuan's group discuss their hunt for Dragon Qi and Xu Qian, then realized Xu Yuanshuang had strayed apart from her companions.
• Xu Qi'an approached Xu Yuanshuang and seized her with his shadow technique, overpowering her magical artifacts with Love Gu before she could teleport away.
• Xu Yuanhuai hurled his spear to rescue Xu Yuanshuang, but arrived too late and found her gone.
• Xu Qi'an carried Xu Yuanshuang outside Yongzhou City, where she woke on a haystack suffering from an aphrodisiac and asked him who he was.

Xu Qi'an interrogated Xu Yuanshuang and discovered that she was Xu Pingfeng’s daughter and his younger sister, but he chose to let her go. Xu Yuanshuang returned to Yongzhou and reunited with her companions, who began asking what had happened.

• Xu Qi'an captured Xu Yuanshuang, took her brocade pouch, removed her Love Gu, and questioned her about Hidden Dragon City and her companions.
• Xu Yuanshuang revealed details about Ji Xuan’s group and Hidden Dragon City, but claimed she was merely the Tianji Palace master’s talented disciple.
• Xu Qi'an used the Heart Gu to force Xu Yuanshuang to reveal that Xu Pingfeng was her father and that her real name was Xu Yuanshuang.
• Xu Qi'an withdrew the worm, released Xu Yuanshuang, and left using a magical jade pendant.
• Xu Yuanshuang fled back to Yongzhou, where Liu Hongmian questioned her and Xu Yuanhuai, Ji Xuan, and the others returned to ask what had happened.