Recaps

Fang Zelin and Zhenke investigated the tortured bodies of two Jade Void Mountain cultivators but found no clues, so they set out for Northern Liang to pursue the mysterious killer. Before going, Fang Zelin visited his old friend, Emperor Meng Jiuchuan, and arrived just as the aged emperor saw him.

• Fang Zelin and Zhenke found no traces at the scene, and Zhenke explained that the two dead cultivators had sent a flying letter for help.
• Fang Zelin decided to take the remains to Northern Liang and investigate, and Zhenke chose to accompany him.
• Fang Zelin told Zhenke that the current emperor of Great Qian, Meng Jiuchuan, was his old friend and that he wanted to visit him before leaving.
• Fang Zelin and Zhenke flew to Youjing City and saw that Meng Jiuchuan had grown old and frail.
• Fang Zelin and Zhenke descended into the palace under a concealing illusion, and Meng Jiuchuan recognized Fang Zelin when he appeared before the dragon palanquin.

Fang Zelin visited his old friend Meng Jiuchuan to say farewell before traveling to Northern Liang, and promised to protect Meng Jiuchuan’s descendants if Great Qian fell. Fang Zelin and Zhenke departed, while Meng Jiuchuan returned to the palace with a jar of immortal wine.

• Meng Jiuchuan stopped his sedan and greeted Fang Zelin, who explained that thirty years had passed while he cultivated in the mountains.
• Fang Zelin told Meng Jiuchuan that he was leaving for Northern Liang with Zhenke to investigate something that had happened there.
• Meng Jiuchuan asked Fang Zelin to protect his descendants if Great Qian fell, and Fang Zelin agreed so long as they were not wicked villains.
• Fang Zelin declined Meng Jiuchuan’s offer to drink with him, gave him a jar of All Things in Spring, and said farewell.
• Fang Zelin and Zhenke flew away, and Meng Jiuchuan returned to the palace, tasting the wine and thinking about spending more time with his family.

Fang Zelin and Zhenke traveled into Northern Liang to investigate the deaths of two Dinggui Mountain cultivators, following the black cloud seen fleeing the border. At the frontier town’s City God temple, the Night Wandering God revealed that he had seen the cloud three days earlier.

• Fang Zelin and Zhenke decided to search for the killer before visiting Dinggui Mountain, since they could not be certain a demon had killed the two cultivators.
• Fang Zelin and Zhenke reached a busy frontier town and split up to ask whether anyone had seen the black cloud.
• Fang Zelin visited the City God temple, struck the yin drum, and told the City God about the slain cultivators and the cloud’s flight into Northern Liang.
• The City God summoned the Day and Night Wandering Gods to ask whether they had seen the cloud.
• The Night Wandering God reported that three days earlier a black cloud had briefly blocked the moonlight before flying away.

Fang Zelin and Zhenke tracked a black cloud that had flown west, then struggled to afford an inn as they prepared to continue the search. After Fang Zelin described the poverty he had witnessed while traveling, he explained why cultivators could not simply use Turning Stone into Gold to help everyone.

• Fang Zelin learned from the Night Wandering God that the black cloud had flown west without landing, and Zhenke independently found witnesses who had seen it obscure the moon three days earlier.
• Fang Zelin decided they would follow the cloud west the next day and led Zhenke to an inn, where they discovered that a room cost eight mace of silver.
• Fang Zelin left the inn because he had only one tael of silver and Zhenke had none.
• Zhenke asked whether Turning Stone into Gold could help the poor, and Fang Zelin explained that the spell could cause future losses and that distributing gold would disrupt society.
• Zhenke realized that she had not considered the consequences of using magic to make the common people prosperous.

Fang Zelin and Zhenke spent the night in a rain shelter before following the strange black cloud west into Northern Liang. After confirming its trail at a relay station, they reached a village at sunset.

• Fang Zelin and Zhenke found no affordable lodging and spent the night in a rain shelter.
• Fang Zelin explained that he had asked the Dragon Race princess for Water-Leaving Pearls and used one to rinse his mouth; Zhenke tried the same.
• Fang Zelin bought a map and steamed buns, then led Zhenke west on foot to follow the black cloud's trail.
• Zhenke learned at a relay station that others had seen the black cloud traveling in that direction.
• Fang Zelin studied the map and continued toward a village, where they arrived as cooking smoke rose at sunset.

Fang Zelin confronted a water ghost that had trapped a child and the child's father beneath the river, then forced it to release them with the threat of his flying sword. The villagers rescued the pair alive, and the grateful mother bowed to Fang Zelin.

• Children told Fang Zelin that San'er had fallen into the river, and a villager dived in to rescue him.
• Zhenke saw a water ghost holding San'er, and the ghost dragged the rescuing villager down to the riverbed.
• Fang Zelin asked the water ghost to spare the child and the man, but it tried to flee with them.
• Fang Zelin's tiny flying sword blocked the water ghost, which released the pair after Fang Zelin asked it again.
• Villagers pulled San'er and the man from the river and found both alive, while San'er's mother thanked Fang Zelin.

Fang Zelin saved a woman and her child from becoming the water ghost’s replacement, then apologized to the ghost with wine that ended his drowning torment. He and Zhenke reached the village, where the grateful woman invited them into her home for a meal.

• The woman bowed to Fang Zelin and invited him to stay, while the crowd dispersed and Zhenke withdrew her flying sword.
• Fang Zelin apologized to the water ghost by pouring fine wine into the river, then left with Zhenke when the ghost refused to meet him.
• The water ghost drank the wine, which eased his torment, and realized with regret that he had let an important opportunity slip away.
• Zhenke asked why Fang Zelin had not forced the water ghost to spare the family, and Fang Zelin explained that he had wanted to give the ghost a chance to earn Yin Merit.
• Fang Zelin and Zhenke arrived in the village, where the woman led them to her home and served a lavish meal that seemed beyond her means.

Fang Zelin and Zhenke stayed in a village, where he helped the villagers by secretly watering their fields with the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique. As they continued their journey, Fang Zelin spoke to Zhenke about virtue, and she suddenly gained an insight while trying to understand his words.

• Fang Zelin accepted the villagers’ meal and asked an elderly man whether he had seen a black cloud at the hour of the Dog, but the man had been asleep.
• After the villagers went to bed, Fang Zelin used the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique to water their fields twice.
• Fang Zelin and Zhenke left the village the next morning, and he explained that helping people could cultivate virtue.
• Fang Zelin recited words about revering the Dao and esteeming virtue, and Zhenke spent hours trying to comprehend them.
• Zhenke gained an inexplicable understanding and smiled.

Zhenke understood Fang Zelin’s words about the Dao and virtue, then traveled with him through the forest while listening to his music and drinking wine. After they camped for the night, she began cultivating and saw Seeking Dao Mountain appear before her.

• Zhenke explained how Fang Zelin’s words about Heaven nourishing all things helped her understand the Dao and virtue.
• Fang Zelin celebrated Zhenke’s insight by sharing wine with her, then played Falling into the Mortal World on a conch.
• Zhenke was captivated by the tune and asked Fang Zelin its name as they continued through the forest.
• Fang Zelin decided they would camp in the forest after sunset, and Zhenke grew tipsy from drinking more wine.
• Fang Zelin prepared soup and provisions, then stood guard while Zhenke cultivated.
• Zhenke’s awareness blurred during cultivation, and she saw Seeking Dao Mountain before her.

Fang Zelin and Zhenke reached Dinghe City but found no one who had seen the black cloud they were tracking. They decided to search for demons the next day, then overheard something at the inn that caught their attention.

• Fang Zelin led Zhenke toward Dinghe City and told her they would split up to ask around before meeting at the Li position.
• After searching separately, Fang Zelin and Zhenke found that neither the townspeople nor the night watchmen had seen the black cloud.
• Zhenke suggested asking nearby demons for information, and Fang Zelin agreed to search for one the next day.
• Fang Zelin and Zhenke checked into an inn, ordered food, and planned to search separately for a demon the next morning.
• A nearby diner's remark caught Fang Zelin and Zhenke's attention.

Fang Zelin and Zhenke heard diners debate the Prince of Chunan’s tale of a wondrous flower on Pine Mountain, and they suspected a cultivator might live there. Fang Zelin planned to visit the mountain the next day, while Zhenke set out to ask spirits about the black cloud.

• Diners discussed Wu Laosan’s search for immortals and argued over whether immortals and the Prince of Chunan’s wondrous flower existed.
• A young scholar defended the Prince of Chunan’s account, but a burly diner challenged him by pointing out that nobody had found the flower or lived beyond a hundred years since.
• Fang Zelin connected the Pine Mountain rumors to the possibility of a cultivator living outside the city.
• Fang Zelin decided to visit Pine Mountain the next day and ask about the black cloud, while Zhenke chose to seek out spirits and make inquiries separately.

Fang Zelin and Zhenke split up to search for clues about the killer, and Fang Zelin went to Pine Mountain to seek the rumored immortal. A young woman joined him, hoping to find an exotic blossom to save her gravely ill father, and they stopped to rest on the way up the mountain.

• Fang Zelin told Zhenke to search elsewhere while he went to Pine Mountain, and Zhenke left to investigate.
• Fang Zelin met a young woman and her servants on the mountain path, and she asked to accompany him in seeking the immortal.
• The young woman told Fang Zelin that her father was gravely ill and that she hoped to obtain an exotic blossom to save him.
• Fang Zelin led the young woman and her party farther up Pine Mountain, where more people joined the search.
• Fang Zelin stopped at an octagonal rain shelter to rest, and the young woman's maid massaged her tired legs and questioned why she had come herself.

Wu Biling explained that she followed Fang Zelin because she believed a scholar might be more likely to encounter the immortal on Pine Mountain. As they continued toward the mountain, Fang Zelin learned why more people were searching for the Wondrous Blossom, while Wu Biling grew suspicious of his unusual stamina.

• Wu Biling told her maid that she thought Fang Zelin had a better chance of seeing the immortal, and Fang Zelin overheard their conversation.
• Fang Zelin considered whether the immortal might be a plant spirit and decided he would ask about the black cloud if he found one.
• Fang Zelin and Wu Biling resumed their journey toward Pine Mountain, where he noticed that people who had dismissed the rumors were now heading up the mountain.
• Wu Biling explained that wealthy merchants had offered a huge reward for the Wondrous Blossom, drawing people to Pine Mountain to investigate.
• Fang Zelin said he believed immortals existed, and Wu Biling quietly wondered why he showed no fatigue after their long walk.

Fang Zelin explained that immortals should set things right, while a burly man challenged him with the tragedies he had suffered. Fang Zelin and Wu Biling reached Pine Mountain’s summit, where he searched for signs of a cultivator or illusion but found nothing unusual.

• Fang Zelin said immortals should follow the Heavenly Dao and set things right, prompting a burly man to recount how disasters and plague destroyed his village.
• Fang Zelin recalled that immortal sects had repeatedly sacrificed themselves to protect the mortal world, but he chose not to explain this to the burly man.
• Fang Zelin continued up Pine Mountain with Wu Biling as they approached the summit and its growing crowds.
• Fang Zelin and Wu Biling reached a pavilion marked with the eight trigrams and a yin-yang symbol, where Wu Biling felt disappointed by the ordinary, crowded scene.
• Fang Zelin examined the summit and surrounding mountains for signs of a Law Technique or illusion but found none.

Fang Zelin and the others waited on Pine Mountain for the rumored immortal, but no one appeared as the crowd dwindled. By evening, Fang Zelin, Wu Biling, and Yan Hong'an remained, each with their own reasons for waiting.

• Fang Zelin searched the crowded platform for the immortal’s dwelling but saw nothing unusual, while Yan Hong'an dismissed the rumors and Wu Biling chose to wait.
• Wu Biling sent Qiao'er to offer Fang Zelin pastries, and he accepted them before settling down to wait calmly.
• As the day passed, many visitors left Pine Mountain, while Wu Biling stayed and sent a servant back with a message.
• At dusk, Qiao'er asked Yan Hong'an why he remained despite doubting the immortals, and he said he wanted to expose whoever was playing gods and ghosts.

Fang Zelin realized that an unusually bright moonlight signaled a demon’s cultivation, and an old man appeared, revealing his connection to the Wondrous Blossom and Chu Lixiu. The old man exposed the misfortunes behind Yan Hong'an’s hatred of immortals, leaving Yan Hong'an shaken by the revelation.

• Fang Zelin noticed the moonlight was unusually bright and warned the others that something was amiss.
• An old man appeared and said he had given Chu Lixiu the Wondrous Blossom, regretting that Chu had written about it and exposed his cultivation place.
• Yan Hong'an challenged the old man, accusing immortals of ignoring injustice and helping no one.
• The old man told Yan Hong'an that his wife had died in childbirth and that he had lost a child, startling him with knowledge of his past.
• Yan Hong'an recalled how his physician father-in-law died rushing home for the wedding, followed by his first wife’s death in childbirth, which had fueled his resentment of immortals.

Yan Hong'an challenged the tree spirit over why he did not save everyone, and the spirit explained his motives and defended cultivators who protected the Human Race. The tree spirit gave Wu Biling a Wondrous Blossom to cure her father, then announced he would leave after that day.

• Yan Hong'an accused the tree spirit of refusing to help people despite his great abilities, and the spirit revealed that he was a demon who saved people to accumulate Yin Merit.
• Yan Hong'an suggested the spirit helped people to impress immortals, and the spirit admitted he hoped to avoid their punishment and receive their guidance.
• The tree spirit told Yan Hong'an that cultivators had risked their lives to protect the Human Race, but Yan Hong'an rejected the claim.
• Wu Biling asked for help saving her gravely ill father, and the tree spirit gave her a Wondrous Blossom that would cure him.
• The tree spirit told Wu Biling to keep the gift secret and announced he would leave after that day, prompting her to ask whether the crowds had disturbed his peace.

The tree demon revealed that members of the Demon Race were preparing to join forces against cultivators, while Fang Zelin learned nothing about the strange black cloud he was tracking. Before leaving Pine Mountain, Fang Zelin noticed Wu Biling’s servants coveting her Wondrous Blossom and secretly placed a protective talisman in her waterskin.

• The tree demon said he planned to leave because demons had invited him to join an attack on cultivators and he feared being forced into the conflict.
• Fang Zelin questioned the tree demon about the demons and a strange black cloud, but the tree demon knew nothing about its origin.
• Wu Biling rejoiced over obtaining a Wondrous Blossom, while her servants grew greedy and the tree demon refused to give them blossoms.
• Fang Zelin noticed the servants’ covetous looks and secretly inscribed a talismanic incantation into Wu Biling’s waterskin.
• Fang Zelin bid farewell and disappeared down the mountain before Wu Biling could warn him about the dangers of descending at night.

Wu Biling and her maid descended the mountain with the Wondrous Blossom, while Yan Hong'an watched the tree demon depart and reconsidered his beliefs about the immortals. At a rundown hut, Wu Biling's household guards surrounded the women and demanded the blossom, leaving them threatened and outnumbered.

• Wu Biling and her maid worried that Fang Zelin might be plotting against them, then decided to descend the mountain and rest near the city until daybreak.
• The tree demon grew impatient with Yan Hong'an, declared that finding the immortals was no longer his concern, and vanished.
• Wu Biling gave her household guards instructions and led the group down the mountain, unaware that the guards behind her planned to steal the Wondrous Blossom.
• At a rundown hut, the lead guard demanded that Wu Biling hand over the Wondrous Blossom as the other guards surrounded her and her maid with drawn sabers.
• Wu Biling offered the guards fertile fields and a house if they abandoned their plan, but the lead guard refused and continued to approach.

Wu Biling and her maid escaped the household guards after a golden talisman hidden in their water skin put the guards to sleep, and they realized Fang Zelin had likely protected them. Fang Zelin reached Zhenke and a mountain god, shared news of a plot against cultivators, and left Zhenke gravely concerned for Northern Liang.

• As Wu Biling prepared to hand over the Wondrous Blossom, a golden talisman emerged from the maid's water skin and put the household guards to sleep.
• Wu Biling and her maid fled, then concluded Fang Zelin had used the water skin to protect them after drinking from it earlier.
• Fang Zelin left Pine Mountain and flew with Bearing the Heavens to find Zhenke.
• Zhenke told Fang Zelin that the demon behind the black cloud seemed to be an outsider and that nearby demons had been gathering furtively.
• Fang Zelin told Zhenke that cultivators had been murdered and that demons were plotting against Northern Liang's cultivators.
• Zhenke realized the plot could threaten all Northern Liang cultivators and feared many might die.

Fang Zelin and Zhenke prepared to notify Dinggui Mountain about a deceased fellow cultivator, while Fang Zelin continued pursuing the Demon Race. Before they left, he advised a mountain god whose cultivation had stalled, then explained to Zhenke why cultivators generally did not face the same obstacle.

• Fang Zelin asked Zhenke to notify Dinggui Mountain while he continued following the Demon Race.
• The mountain god asked Fang Zelin and Zhenke for advice because his cultivation had not advanced in a thousand years.
• Fang Zelin learned the mountain god felt lost in a bewildering miasma and told him his Dao Heart was troubled, advising him to cultivate his heart.
• Fang Zelin and Zhenke departed, and Fang Zelin told her cultivators generally avoided the bewildering miasma because their Dao Hearts were firm from thirty years of tempering in the mortal world.

Fang Zelin sent Zhenke to Dinggui Mountain with the bodies of two fellow Daoists while he set out to hunt the spirit behind the scheme. The spirit's ruler learned that Great Qian had sent only two cultivators to Northern Liang and planned to wait until Northern Liang's cultivators fell before drawing Great Qian into the conflict.

• Fang Zelin told Zhenke that the Historical Records of the Immortal Sects contained useful cultivation accounts, and she resolved to read its miscellaneous chapters.
• Fang Zelin gave Zhenke the preserved bodies of the two fellow Daoists and sent her toward Dinggui Mountain.
• Fang Zelin prepared to track down the spirit, confident that Bearing the Heavens could slay it, and decided to rest for the night first.
• A subordinate reported to the figure in the cave that the tree spirit on Pine Mountain had fled, and the figure excused the failure.
• The subordinate said Great Qian had sent only two cultivators to Northern Liang, based on a divination using an iron turtle shell.
• The figure decided to wait for Northern Liang's cultivators to fall before Great Qian would be forced to act.

Zhenke visited Dinggui Mountain and reported the deaths of Chunyun and Danyan, along with evidence that yao spirits were plotting against Northern Liang’s cultivators. Daoist Priest Fuqing thanked her and asked her to stay so she could brief the other cultivators.

• Zhenke arrived at Dinggui Mountain and asked to meet an elder about an important matter.
• Dinggui Mountain cultivators led Zhenke to the main hall, where she met Daoist Priest Fuqing.
• Zhenke placed the bodies of Chunyun and Danyan before Fuqing, and the disciples carried them away in grief.
• Zhenke explained that Chunyun and Danyan had died near Zhen'an Pass and described the investigation that linked their deaths to a yao spirits’ plot against Northern Liang.
• Fuqing thanked Zhenke and her absent companion, then invited Zhenke to stay and tell the other cultivators what she had learned.

Fang Zelin learned that a severe drought had devastated several Northern Liang prefectures and questioned the local land god about it as he continued investigating the yao's plot. A villager mistook her baby's happy reaction to the unseen immortal for something frightening and slapped him, leaving Fang Zelin to witness the child's unforeseen calamity.

• Daoist Master Fuqing arranged a gathering of fellow Daoists to discuss the yao's plot, and Zhenke agreed to stay and meet cultivators from Rising Tide Valley.
• Fang Zelin noticed that his route was bringing him close to Dinggui Mountain, but he found no dense Yao Qi or signs of many yao along the way.
• Fang Zelin helped an old man haul his ox cart and learned that last year's drought had ruined crops across several Northern Liang prefectures and left many people hungry.
• After taking the cart to the village, Fang Zelin summoned the land god and asked about the drought.
• A woman saw her baby smiling and waving toward the apparently empty Land God Temple, panicked, and slapped him; Fang Zelin witnessed the child begin to cry.

After thanking the Earth God, Fang Zelin continued investigating whether a yao had caused the drought and stopped for the night in a dilapidated mountain temple. His spirit rice drew a wary band of merchants inside, and its growing fragrance caught their attention.

• Fang Zelin thanked the Earth God for his information and left to continue investigating the possible cause of the drought.
• Fang Zelin found a dilapidated temple in the mountain forest, cleaned it, and lit a fire to cook spirit rice.
• The fragrance from Fang Zelin’s cooking attracted a group of merchants, who cautiously entered the temple and set up camp.
• Fang Zelin’s spirit rice finished cooking, and the merchants paused over their dry rations as its fragrance grew stronger.