Chapter Summaries

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.

Xu Qi'an learned that Xu Pingfeng’s team was pursuing Dragon Qi hosts and considered joining forces with Heaven Sect experts to confront them. After Luo Yuheng claimed she could endure the night without dual cultivation, Xu Qi'an heard her struggling with the Karmic Fire and entered her bedroom.

• Xu Yuanshuang told Ji Xuan’s group that Xu Qian had abducted her, questioned her with Heart Gu methods, and taken her brocade pouch; Qihuan Danxiang suspected Xu Qian had somehow used several kinds of Gu.
• Xu Yuanhuai confronted Xu Yuanshuang privately and vowed to kill Xu Qian if he had harmed her, but a Tianji Palace spy urged the siblings to capture a Dragon Qi host and use him as bait for Xu Qian.
• Xu Qi'an considered why Xu Pingfeng’s children had come after him, then visited his mare and was turned away when he tried to see Luo Yuheng.
• At dinner, Luo Yuheng said she had quelled the Karmic Fire and would not need Xu Qi'an that night, disappointing him.
• Xu Qi'an planned to recruit the Heaven Sect’s Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix to help face Xu Pingfeng’s team and the Buddhist forces, then messaged Li Miaozhen, who said she and her companions were heading to Yongzhou.
• After hearing Luo Yuheng panting in her bedroom, Xu Qi'an entered; she trembled and told him to leave.

Xu Qi'an endured Luo Yuheng’s shifting personalities and prolonged dual cultivation before visiting the Pagoda Treasure Tower, where he claimed to have attained enlightenment. Meanwhile, lucky traveler Miao Youfang won heavily at a Yongzhou gambling house and was summoned to meet its owner, Liu Lang.

• Xu Qi'an argued with the angry Luo Yuheng about dual cultivation, then struggled with her until she gave in to the Karmic Fire’s demands.
• By morning, Luo Yuheng’s desire-filled personality kept Xu Qi'an in bed for hours, and her cautious personality asked him to dual cultivate again after the change.
• Xu Qi'an went to the Pagoda Treasure Tower and told the old monk tower spirit that he had understood that form was emptiness, astonishing Mu Nanzhi.
• Miao Youfang entered Liubo Gambling House to meet Liu Lang and earn travel money, relying on the extraordinary luck he had gained over the past month.
• Miao Youfang won six hundred taels, and a gambling-house guard told him that Liu Lang wanted to see him.

Miao Youfang killed Liubo Gambling House owner Chen Er after confronting him over a murder, while Xu Qi'an learned that the killer was the Dragon Qi host sought by the Qingzhou men. Xu Qi'an planned to search for the man himself and left Li Lingsu fuming after asking for kidney-strengthening medicine.

• Miao Youfang confronted Second Master about Zhang Hei's murder and killed him when he admitted the authorities would not intervene.
• Luo Yuheng worried that Xu Qi'an would not return before midnight and that Karmic Fire would consume her.
• Li Lingsu told Xu Qi'an that the Buddhist monks remained unlocated and that Gongsun Xiangyang's men had identified the killer of Chen Er as the man sought by the Qingzhou men.
• Xu Qi'an agreed to share the killer's whereabouts with the Qingzhou men and planned to use his sensitivity to Dragon Qi to find him first.
• Xu Qi'an asked Li Lingsu for kidney-strengthening medicine, prompting Li Lingsu to declare that he was about to comprehend Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion.

Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu searched Yongzhou for a Dragon Qi host while Ji Xuan learned that Xu Qi'an had been involved with an ancient tomb outside the city. Xu Qi'an read five letters from people in the capital, catching up on court affairs and family news before the search continued.

• Xu Qi'an gave Li Lingsu a storage pouch and veiled hat, then warned him not to pry into his identity as they searched Yongzhou for Dragon Qi hosts.
• Secret Agent Chen told Ji Xuan, Xu Yuanshuang, and Xu Yuanhuai that Xu Qi'an had visited an ancient tomb outside Yongzhou and asked the Gongsun Clan and Dragon God Fort to seal it.
• Xu Yuanhuai wanted to confront the Gongsun Clan, but Ji Xuan stopped him and Secret Agent Chen went to investigate a report that the Dragon Qi host was at the Liubo Gambling House.
• Xu Qi'an read Lin'an's and Huaiqing's letters about Emperor Yongxing and the court, then read Chu Caiwei's, Zhong Li's, Xu Lingyue's, and Xu Erlang's news about their lives and family affairs.

Xu Qi'an warned Li Lingsu that Heaven Sect leaders were coming to capture him and Li Miaozhen, while Ji Xuan's group planned their search for a Dragon Qi host. The chapter ended with Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu encountering Vajra Dunan in Yongzhou.

• Xu Qi'an told Li Lingsu to ignore Heaven Sect contact signals and revealed that Primordial Lady Bingyi and Daoist Master Xuancheng had already captured Li Miaozhen and were heading to Yongzhou.
• Primordial Lady Bingyi forced Li Miaozhen to bark like a dog as they walked through Yongzhou City.
• Ji Xuan's group discussed how to find the Dragon Qi host and hinder Xu Qian, and Xu Yuanshuang announced the arrival of the Seven Azure Dragon Mansions.
• Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu returned from the closed gambling house and Xu Qi'an asked Li Lingsu to have Gongsun Xiangyang watch the city's inns.
• Li Lingsu spotted Vajra Dunan approaching, and Xu Qi'an warned him not to panic while privately worrying that Dunan would recognize him.