Chapter Summaries

Fang Zelin and Zhang Weichu discussed rising spirit disturbances and the Great Jin’s signs of decline before changing the subject. Deep in Wangqing Mountain, the white deer told the enormous striped tiger that the immortal master had agreed to enlighten them both, and they set out to protect the ginseng for him.

• Zhang Weichu explained that spirits had been causing more trouble as the Great Jin showed signs of turmoil and possible decline.
• Fang Zelin and Zhang Weichu agreed that neither the Underworld Bureau nor cultivators should interfere in mortal affairs, then changed the subject.
• The white deer checked that the ginseng remained safe and told the enormous striped tiger that the immortal master had agreed to include it in his offer of enlightenment.
• The white deer ordered the enormous striped tiger to drive away nearby spirits and guard the ginseng until it ripened and afterward.
• The enormous striped tiger ran into the woods to search for spirits, promising to eat any that refused to leave.

Fang Zelin explored Yingping Peak, caught several pheasants, and discovered that Bearing the Heavens could keep them from escaping. After cooking one, he tended his spirit rice and continued studying the Treatise on the Supreme One's Response, eager to meet other immortal cultivators.

• Fang Zelin cooked breakfast and used a minor Law Technique to wash his dishes.
• Fang Zelin climbed Yingping Peak and failed to figure out how to merge with the wind and fly.
• Fang Zelin tracked down the pheasant and caught several more on his way down the mountain.
• Fang Zelin cooked one pheasant, while Bearing the Heavens drew a boundary that kept the others from escaping.
• Fang Zelin watered the spirit rice with a Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique and continued studying the Treatise on the Supreme One's Response.

Fang Zelin rode the white deer to a three-thousand-year-old ginseng in Wangqing Mountain, where he met the enormous tiger that guarded it. As the ginseng neared ripeness, Qingyun set off for the mountain at the calculated auspicious hour.

• Fang Zelin rode the white deer into Wangqing Mountain after it told him the ginseng was about to ripen.
• The white deer introduced Fang Zelin to an enormous tiger, which rolled over and exposed its belly instead of kneeling.
• Fang Zelin learned that the tiger was the white deer’s friend and saw the lush leaves of the three-thousand-year-old ginseng.
• The white deer told Fang Zelin to wait because the ginseng was nearly ripe.
• Qingyun calculated that the auspicious hour had arrived and flew toward Wangqing Mountain on a cloud.

Qingyun arrived at Wangqing Mountain just as a three-thousand-year-old ginseng became a spirit, and his dwindling lifespan drove him to seize it for its life-extending power. Fang Zelin resisted the temptation of the ginseng’s fragrance and faced the choice between an easy gain and the path he wanted to cultivate.

• Qingyun followed his divination to Wangqing Mountain and found Fang Zelin beside a ginseng that was about to become a spirit.
• The ginseng ripened into a spirit, and Qingyun decided it was his fortuitous opportunity to extend his life.
• Qingyun landed, claimed a share of the treasure, and used his fly whisk to pull the ginseng spirit from the earth.
• The ginseng spirit begged Qingyun and Fang Zelin to spare its life, while its scent made Fang Zelin and the two demons crave it.
• Qingyun pinned the tiger demon and deer demon to the ground, then urged Fang Zelin to decide whether to share the ginseng.
• Fang Zelin came to his senses and rejected devouring the ginseng spirit, deciding that he would rather cultivate slowly.

Fang Zelin used the Treatise on the Supreme One's Response to help Daoist Qingyun overcome the inner demon driving him to consume the ginseng spirit. Qingyun left for Jade Void Mountain without giving Fang Zelin directions, and Fang Zelin sent the ginseng spirit away.

• Fang Zelin warned Daoist Qingyun that his desire to seize the ginseng spirit for longevity was leading him toward the demonic path.
• Fang Zelin recited passages from the Treatise on the Supreme One's Response, stabilizing Qingyun's Dao heart and helping him suppress his inner demon.
• Qingyun thanked Fang Zelin and the ginseng spirit, then flew away to return to his mountain without explaining where Jade Void Mountain was.
• Fang Zelin lamented that he had no way to find Jade Void Mountain and decided to ask someone else about it later.
• Fang Zelin told the ginseng spirit to leave, hide itself, and avoid being recognized by anyone.

After receiving ginseng juice from a ginseng spirit, Fang Zelin consumed it and entered the mysterious realm beneath the towering mountain again. The elders there recognized his unusual Dao affinity, while he met the old fisherman, who introduced himself as Zhou.

• The ginseng spirit thanked Fang Zelin for saving it and gave him ginseng juice before vanishing into a tree.
• The white deer gave Fang Zelin ginseng leaves, and he let it and the tiger demon keep the leaves and invited them to share his ripening spirit rice.
• After returning to his cabin, Fang Zelin swallowed the ginseng juice and began cultivating.
• Fang Zelin found himself before the towering mountain again, and the elders remarked on his deep Dao understanding and immortal affinity.
• Fang Zelin greeted the old fisherman, who told him his surname was Zhou.

Qingyun entered Seeking Dao Mountain after receiving a fortuitous opportunity and discovered Fang Zelin chatting with the Fishing Old Man. After Fang Zelin returned to Yingping Peak, he decided that visiting the mysterious mountain while cultivating might help him become an immortal.

• Qingyun returned to the sect with a fortuitous opportunity and asked Qingcheng to guard him while he cultivated.
• Qingyun entered Seeking Dao Mountain and saw Fang Zelin sitting and chatting with the Fishing Old Man.
• Qingyun hesitated to approach Fang Zelin, but Fang Zelin vanished when his time on the mountain ended.
• Fang Zelin woke at the foot of Yingping Peak and noticed that his body had changed after absorbing the ginseng liquid.
• Fang Zelin connected the mountain to the saying that an immortal was one who moved into the mountains, then cast the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique over the fields.

After entering Seeking Dao Mountain, Qingyun told Qingcheng about the mysterious cultivator who had helped him, while the creatures on Wangqing Mountain argued over the Dao they had heard. Fang Zelin discovered that a mouthful of ginseng liquid had given him thirty years of cultivation.

• Qingyun emerged from Seeking Dao Mountain and thanked Qingcheng for guarding him before recounting how a mysterious cultivator’s Dao scripture had dispelled his inner demon and helped him enter the mountain.
• Qingyun told Qingcheng that he had invited the mysterious cultivator to Jade Void Mountain and worried about how to repay his great kindness.
• The white deer claimed it had comprehended the Dao scripture but could not explain it, and it argued with the giant tiger as the ginseng spirit watched and recalled Fang Zelin’s words.
• Fang Zelin examined his Spiritual Power and realized that drinking the ginseng liquid had added thirty years of cultivation.

Fang Zelin planned to grow spirit medicine to increase his cultivation and summoned Zhang Weichu to ask about Jade Void Mountain. Zhang Weichu had never heard of it, so Fang Zelin resolved to search for the mountain himself and later conceal Yingping Peak before planting herbs there.

• Fang Zelin decided that growing spirit medicine could help him gain cultivation, but he postponed the plan until he could make the area safer and learn more about cultivation.
• Fang Zelin used a technique from the Comprehensive Regulations of the Underworld Bureau to summon Zhang Weichu and asked him about Jade Void Mountain.
• Zhang Weichu said he had never heard of Jade Void Mountain and reported that he had been catching minor ghosts, many of them forest outlaws targeted by foreign visitors.
• Fang Zelin planned to search for Jade Void Mountain, conceal Yingping Peak, and grow medicinal herbs there using the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique.
• Fang Zelin offered to set aside some spirit rice to brew wine for Zhang Weichu and the kappa once the crop ripened.

Fang Zelin received Judge Wen’s collection of ancient wine recipes from Zhang Weichu and chose Clear as the Void to brew with his spirit rice. After inspecting the promising rice harvest, he headed to Anzi County to buy brewing supplies before the rice ripened.

• Zhang Weichu told Fang Zelin that Judge Wen had preserved ancient wine recipes and offered to bring them over.
• Zhang Weichu left after the Underworld Bureau summoned him, and Fang Zelin inspected his thriving spirit rice after the spirit rain stopped.
• The next morning, Fang Zelin found the ancient recipes Zhang Weichu had delivered and read Judge Wen’s descriptions of the wines.
• Fang Zelin chose Clear as the Void because it seemed the most suitable recipe to brew with his limited spirit rice.
• Fang Zelin went to Anzi County to purchase brewing equipment ahead of the harvest.

In Anzi County, Fang Zelin studied a map and decided to search Jiangnan for Jade Void Mountain, though he worried it might lie overseas. Back at Yingping Peak, he practiced the Wind-Riding Sword Art with Spiritual Power, startling He Chenyi with its force.

• Fang Zelin traced the Daoist priest’s direction on a map and found it led toward the sea, but he could not locate Jade Void Mountain.
• A shop assistant told Fang Zelin that the region he was pointing to was Jiangnan and described its prosperity and women.
• Fang Zelin returned to the foot of Yingping Peak with his wine-brewing equipment and took up the Wind-Riding Sword Art again.
• Fang Zelin’s Spiritual Power drew fallen leaves into a cutting storm that gouged a rock and struck the Yongding River.
• He Chenyi emerged from the river and asked what had happened, and Fang Zelin apologized for disturbing him with his sword practice.

Fang Zelin harvested his ripened spirit rice and began brewing Clear as Empty with spirit rain. The white deer and a nervous giant tiger arrived to taste it, and Zhang Weichu and He Chenyi joined them as the rice steamed.

• Fang Zelin harvested some ripened spirit rice and chose spirit rain over mountain spring water for brewing Clear as Empty.
• The white deer arrived with the giant tiger, and Fang Zelin invited them to wait while he finished brewing.
• Fang Zelin noticed the demons’ spiritual sheen from eating ginseng leaves, then stroked the tiger’s head, leaving it confused.
• Fang Zelin communicated with the spirit rice and gathered its grains into a wooden basin.
• Zhang Weichu and He Chenyi arrived as the spirit rice steamed, and Fang Zelin told them the wine would be ready soon.

Fang Zelin prepared spirit rice, shared it with his companions, and set out for Jiangnan on the white deer. After reaching the borders of Xu Prefecture, he parted ways with the deer and continued on foot.

• Fang Zelin told Zhang Weichu that the wine he had started brewing would be ready when he returned.
• Fang Zelin shared cooked spirit rice with Zhang Weichu, He Chenyi, the white deer, and the tiger demon, who swallowed his portion without tasting it.
• The tiger demon promised to bring spiritual objects in exchange for spirit rice on his next visit.
• Fang Zelin departed on the white deer after casting the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique over the spirit rice.
• The white deer carried Fang Zelin to the borders of Xu Prefecture, where Fang Zelin dismounted and sent him back to Wangqing Mountain.
• Fang Zelin continued toward Jiangnan on foot, planning to use the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique whenever he passed farmland.

Fang Zelin traveled through the scenic Jiangnan countryside, stopping at a roadside inn before secretly using the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique to water nearby rice fields. The next day, he continued toward Jade Void Mountain and left a poem about willows carved into a boulder, signing it Blazing Summer.

• Fang Zelin stopped at a roadside inn in Xu Prefecture, ate Jiangnan dishes, and stayed the night.
• At midnight, Fang Zelin used the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique to irrigate ten mu of rice paddies.
• The next morning, farmers puzzled over the wet rice seedlings as Fang Zelin passed by and continued along the road.
• Fang Zelin admired a spring scene by a willow-lined stream and carved a poem onto a boulder, signing it Blazing Summer.

Fang Zelin spent the night in a village, repaid his hosts’ hospitality with protective magic, and continued toward Qinlan City. He reached the city’s outskirts, eager to try its famous steamed buns.

• Fang Zelin asked to stay the night in a village and was welcomed to the Li family’s wedding feast.
• Fang Zelin enjoyed the family’s aged Nü'erhong and refused to let them accept his wedding gift money.
• Fang Zelin secretly placed a peace spell on the village’s entrance and cast the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique in the fields.
• Fang Zelin left the village at dawn and continued toward Qinlan City.
• After two hours of travel, Fang Zelin saw Qinlan City’s walls and bustling approach.

Fang Zelin toured Qinlan City, bought a map of its nearby scenic spots, and stopped for lunch on a riverside boat restaurant. There, he learned that the poems he had written anonymously had spread through the region, but the scholars’ conversation then made him freeze.

• Fang Zelin entered Qinlan City, sampled its local buns, and bought a map marking nearby mountains, rivers, and Twin Moon Pool.
• Fang Zelin strolled through the city and boarded a boat restaurant for lunch.
• Fang Zelin overheard scholars discussing how his anonymous Ode to the Willow had spread through Qinlan City and reached the prefect.
• The scholars also mentioned the poem Fang Zelin had left near Yunmeng Marsh and praised the literary talent of someone from Blazing Summer.
• Fang Zelin smiled at the poems’ growing reputation, then froze when the scholars’ conversation took an unexpected turn.

Qiao Qinglan warned his fellow licentiates that rising reports of spirits and ghosts might signal trouble for Great Jin, while Fang Zelin connected the rumors to his research. In Li Family Village, Li Guangfeng struck a weasel that stole his prey, and the animal fled after fixing him with a vengeful stare.

• Qiao Qinglan told Ji Haiyue and the other scholars that reports of speaking spirits and ghosts had increased and cited an ancient saying that monsters appeared when a nation neared its end.
• Qiao Qinglan predicted that poor governance and failed disaster relief could bring trouble to Great Jin, but Ji Haiyue urged him to stop speculating.
• Fang Zelin recalled that reports of immortal cultivators and roaming evil entities dated to the fall of the State of Wei and wondered if the strange occurrences were an omen.
• Li Guangfeng and a burly villager found a wild rabbit in their mountain trap, but a weasel rushed out and seized it.
• Li Guangfeng struck the weasel as it fled, and the burly man warned that it would remember the attack and seek revenge.

After Li Guangfeng angered a weasel, the village elders offered it food and wine and sought their ancestors’ protection, but the weasel rejected the apology and headed for his home. A clan ancestor appeared to stop it, yet the weasel dismissed his warning and challenged him to complain to the City God.

• Li Jianbo brought Li Guangfeng back to the village, where the village head gathered the elders to discuss the weasel.
• The village head arranged an offering of wine and dishes at the village entrance and had Li Guangfeng explain the incident in the ancestral hall.
• After nightfall, the weasel ate the offering, overturned the table, and vowed to ruin Li Guangfeng’s family.
• The weasel followed Li Guangfeng’s scent toward his home, but an old clan ancestor appeared and pleaded for the junior’s safety.
• The weasel mocked the ancestor’s limited power and said the City God could not keep the day and night wandering gods on guard there forever.

A weasel spirit broke into Li Guangfeng’s house, but a golden character for “peace” appeared and destroyed it. The village head realized Fang Zelin had likely protected Li Guangfeng, and the villagers agreed to keep the incident secret.

• The weasel threatened the old man and slipped into Li Guangfeng’s house, while Li Guangfeng and Lady Wu feared it had rejected their apology.
• A golden character for “peace” appeared on the main beam and pinned the weasel, which begged for mercy as its body and cultivation were destroyed.
• Li Guangfeng and the villagers saw the golden light fade, leaving only the weasel’s skin, and Li Guangfeng recounted what he had witnessed.
• The village head recalled Fang Zelin’s visit and concluded that the master had used his magic to protect Li Guangfeng.
• The village head warned everyone to keep the incident secret, and the villagers agreed.

Fang Zelin visited Falling Stream Mountain and heard Song Zheli recount a legend that a sword from the heavens split the mountain during the Great Han Dynasty. He joined Song Zheli and the others on a hidden path between the cliffs, where he began using Supreme Sensitivity to sense the mountain’s momentum.

• Fang Zelin examined Falling Stream Mountain and thought its straight ravine looked as if a sword had cleaved the mountain in two.
• Song Zheli told Fang Zelin and Yang Qijie a local legend about a sword light splitting the mountain during the Great Han Dynasty.
• Fang Zelin was inspired by the tale, thanked Song Zheli, and accepted his invitation to explore the area with the group.
• Song Zheli led Fang Zelin and the others down a hidden path between the cliffs.
• Fang Zelin touched the smooth cliff, sensed nothing unusual with Spiritual Power, and began using Supreme Sensitivity.