Recaps

Chen Du discovered that Earth Sage’s seal could channel mountain spiritual energy to carry out written commands, and he used it to move an ancient peach tree to the temple. Yunzhi prepared to search farther afield for the escaped demon while a visitor from the mortal world posted a video about her strange mountain visit.

• Chen Du found that ordinary writing on bluestone, stamped with Earth Sage, could draw on the mountain’s spiritual energy to fulfill commands, though the yellow paper failed.
• Chen Du tested the seal on plants, stones, and the cat, then used it to move the ancient peach tree from the summit to the temple courtyard.
• Yunzhi found the peach tree gone from the summit and discovered it had appeared at the temple; she reported that she had found no trace of the demon.
• Chen Du told Yunzhi she could search the distant mountain villages and advised her to avoid confronting the demon if she found it.
• Two hundred li away in Yidu, the young woman edited and posted a video about her weekend mountain hike, the Daoist temple, and the temple cat chasing a snake.

Boss Liao heard that Lord Linji’s temple had trapped visitors who claimed the deity wanted to eat sheep, and he recommended that the town seek help from the mountain temple. Back at the temple, Chen Du trained his cat and Yunzhi while an approaching vehicle prompted Yunzhi to go answer the door.

• Old Li told Boss Liao and Zhang that people had been trapped inside Lord Linji’s temple after hearing a voice demand sheep.
• Boss Liao praised Xuanshuo’s abilities and showed Old Li and Zhang a Douyin post about the mountain temple.
• Chen Du asked Side-Swept Bangs about cultivating qi and studying spells, then told the cat to keep learning so he could protect him.
• Chen Du brought Senior Xie to watch television with Yunzhi, who continued worrying that the missing yaoguai had escaped her patrols.
• Hearing a vehicle approach, Yunzhi recognized that someone had arrived and went to open the door.

Yunzhi learned that strange events at Linji Temple had begun last month, before the demon escaped from the mountain, and went to investigate the temple that night. Chen Du stayed behind, tested the limits of his mountain seal by creating stone furniture, and noticed Side-Swept Bangs was missing.

• Chen Du questioned the two men about the disturbances at Linji Temple and learned that a door bearing a door-god image kept returning after being removed.
• Chen Du learned that the temple’s elderly resident had fled to town and told the men to return home while Yunzhi investigated that night.
• Yunzhi suggested the temple’s trouble might come from something awakened at the foot of the mountain, and Chen Du warned her that the demon often posed as a door god.
• Yunzhi went down the mountain alone to find Linji Temple, while Chen Du remained unable to leave the mountain.
• Chen Du used a stone talisman to create a table and stools, reflecting on the seal’s powers and limitations.
• Chen Du called for Side-Swept Bangs and realized his cat was missing.

Yunzhi investigated strange happenings at a temple and discovered a powerful demon posing as its door god. Her plan to persuade him to return to the mountain failed when she realized he was unintelligent, and her illusion spell was blocked.

• Senior Xie led Yunzhi to a butcher shop, where the shopkeeper gave him meat, before she continued toward the temple.
• Yunzhi entered Lord Linji’s temple, sensed divine light on the statue, and decided to report her discovery to the Immortal Master.
• A fierce wind trapped Yunzhi inside the temple, and she recognized that the demon was hiding in the doors and demanding goats.
• Yunzhi threatened and tried to persuade the demon to surrender, but he repeatedly insisted that he was a door god.
• Yunzhi realized the demon was unintelligent and used her Like a Dream illusion, but the door declared itself impassable and repelled the spell.

Yunzhi fought a sealed demon inside a dark temple but could neither harm it nor escape, so she returned to Chen Du for help. Chen Du lent her the treasured sword, and Yunzhi went back down the mountain to face the demon while he wondered whether he truly had a way to subdue it.

• Yunzhi used the darkness to evade the demon and wore down its magic, but its tough body and impenetrable doors left her unable to defeat it or escape the temple.
• Yunzhi called on nearby animals for help, then escaped through a roof opening with Senior Xie, who had come to retrieve a cat.
• Yunzhi told Old Li that the temple disturbance was under control and returned to the mountain to ask Chen Du for a weapon.
• Yunzhi explained that the demon was exhausted but too durable for her to hurt, and asked to borrow the treasured sword.
• Chen Du lent Yunzhi the sword, and she went back down the mountain while he wondered whether he had a way to subdue demons and exorcise evil.

Chen Du learned from the cat how Yunzhi had defeated a giant spider monster with the treasured sword and brought it back to the temple. After the spider broke the temple gate and begged for mercy, Chen Du decided it could not be released, and the damage gave him an idea for what to do with it.

• Chen Du questioned the cat about its trip down the mountain and heard how it had watched Yunzhi and the monster.
• Yunzhi returned to the temple, used the treasured sword to injure the giant spider, and shrank it with an illusion before bringing it to Chen Du.
• Chen Du told Yunzhi to keep the spider sealed, but it broke free of her hand and smashed into the temple gate.
• Chen Du used the jade plaque to frighten the spider into begging for mercy, then considered keeping it suppressed and using the broken gate to strengthen the temple.

Chen Du bound the spider demon to the Taoist temple's gate as its Door God, then praised Yunzhi for handling the danger without letting outsiders see the fight. The next morning, local men investigated the damaged earth god temple, and Chen Du finished setting rules for the new guardian before visitors arrived.

• Chen Du sealed the spider demon into the Taoist temple's gate, wrote the reason for its binding on the jade tablet, and named it Door God.
• Chen Du summoned his treasured sword back, asked Yunzhi about her second trip down the mountain, and praised her for keeping the fight inside the temple.
• Yunzhi considered asking Chen Du for spells, while Side-Swept Bangs avoided revealing more about the Taoist's abilities.
• Old Li and the middle-aged man surnamed Zhang found the earth god temple's gate missing and its interior damaged, then decided to ask the Taoist temple about it.
• Chen Du instructed Door God not to harm or frighten people and to keep demons and ghosts from entering the Taoist temple, promising it food if it behaved.

Chen Du settled the aftermath of the mountain’s supernatural incident, tested his spiritual sword, and continued developing his temple’s powers. Yunzhi worried about the new Door God but felt reassured when Chen Du gave her money, a new hen to buy, and lessons on riding his electric tricycle.

• Chen Du told the local officials that Yunzhi had handled the incident and asked them not to spread the story; Zhang offered to seek cultural-relic funding for temple repairs.
• Chen Du trained the Door God to follow his rules, then tested his treasured sword and found it could cut paper without touching it.
• Yunzhi worried that the Door God surpassed her in cultivation and made plans to improve her modern knowledge and catch up.
• Senior Xie changed the television channel, startling Yunzhi with images of a web-swinging figure and a hammer-wielding figure summoning lightning.
• Chen Du gave Yunzhi money to buy food and another laying hen, then offered to teach her to ride his electric tricycle, reassuring her that she had a place at the temple.

Chen Du taught Yunzhi to ride an electric trike and sent her down the mountain to town, where she struggled through the crowds, overheard people praising the Taoist temple, and went to buy laying hens. The chapter ended with Yunzhi asking the chickens which one laid the most eggs.

• Chen Du taught Yunzhi the trike’s controls, and she learned to ride it around the courtyard.
• Chen Du explained the trike’s features and road rules, gave Yunzhi money for clothes, and sent her to town.
• Yunzhi slowly pushed the trike through the crowded market and bought bones for the fellow Daoists who had helped her.
• Yunzhi overheard townspeople discussing the temple’s recent success and stopped to listen to more gossip.
• Yunzhi went to a chicken coop and asked the hens which one laid eggs most often and best.

Chen Du cultivated beneath the Three-Pearl Tree and learned to use fire- and water-element spiritual qi while the temple grew busier with visitors. After Yunzhi mentioned a restriction in the study and bowed to someone or something inside, Chen Du suspected a hidden spirit and entered the room with his cat and treasured sword to investigate.

• Chen Du cultivated beneath the Three-Pearl Tree, bringing his total to eleven Essence Platforms and practicing breath techniques that could ignite paper, extinguish fire, and create mist or dew.
• Two middle-aged men brought offerings and helped Chen Du apply for funds to repair a historical relic as more pilgrims and young visitors came to the temple.
• Yunzhi bowed to the study and said a restriction kept her from entering, leading Chen Du to realize she might have been addressing something inside.
• Chen Du recalled that Yunzhi had avoided the study before and worried a hidden spirit might know about his diary and cultivation research.
• After sending Yunzhi down the mountain for food, Chen Du summoned his treasured sword and cat, then entered the study to investigate.

Chen Du confronted a tiny book spirit hiding in the study and learned that it had secretly watched him deceive Yunzhi. Shu Yidu pleaded for his life and offered his knowledge of the Daoist temple and the books he had eaten.

• Chen Du drew his sword and threatened the unseen presence in the study while Side-Swept Bangs searched with him.
• Shu Yidu emerged from a bookshelf and asked Chen Du to keep the cat away from him.
• Shu Yidu explained that he had eaten an immortal's books during the Ming dynasty, gained a spirit's form, and been sealed on the back mountain.
• Shu Yidu said he had escaped a month earlier, hidden in the study, and witnessed Chen Du's encounter with Yunzhi without revealing himself.
• Chen Du accused Shu Yidu of knowing his secret and reading his diary, but Shu Yidu denied reading it and offered to be useful.
• Shu Yidu said he knew things about the Daoist temple and had several classics in his mind after eating its pages.

Chen Du discovered that the tiny bookworm Shu Yidu could read sealed knowledge by eating books, then found evidence that he had been punished for stealing books long ago. Chen Du kept Shu Yidu confined to the study as a translator and cultivation adviser, leaving him unable to meet Yunzhi.

• Chen Du questioned Shu Yidu about the temple and learned he could absorb a book’s meaning by eating its written pages.
• Chen Du tested Shu Yidu with Yang Xiong’s Model Sayings and placed talisman seals on him to prevent him from leaving or using magic.
• Chen Du excavated two stone boxes and a jade plaque behind the study, confirming Shu Yidu had been suppressed for stealing books.
• Shu Yidu ate part of Model Sayings and revealed that it contained the Greater Earth Evasion spell.
• Chen Du offered Shu Yidu food and protection in exchange for translating classics, but kept him confined to the study so he could not meet Yunzhi.

Chen Du learned about the ancient temple’s origins, cultivation practices, and the history of spiritual qi from the little figure, then considered creating a modern cultivation ranking system. Meanwhile, Yunzhi returned from shopping, and a girl on a train found a video about an extraordinary Daoist temple on a mountain.

• Chen Du opened a stone box containing a bell and jade tablet, and the little figure explained that the bell had gained the power to calm the mind after spending time with an immortal.
• The little figure admitted that it had attained physical form by eating the immortal’s journal and had been punished for eating it again.
• The little figure described ancient cultivation practices and explained that cultivation ranks emerged later as Daoists exchanged ideas; it suggested Chen Du could establish ranks for the modern era.
• Chen Du questioned the little figure about spiritual qi’s cycles and its concentration at the temple, but the little figure could only offer guesses.
• Yunzhi returned from shopping, and Chen Du heard her sound the horn.
• A girl scrolling Douyin on a train found a video describing an extraordinary Daoist temple on a mountain.

A nearly broke girl decided to visit Earth Sage Temple after watching a video about its clever cat and reading comments praising the temple. There, Chen Du received the translation of Greater Earth Evasion and considered how to test the spell, while Yunzhi spoke with visitors and the girl asked to stay overnight.

• The girl watched a video of a cat chasing a snake at Earth Sage Temple, dismissed the comments as planted at first, then decided to visit despite her dwindling savings.
• The little fellow gave Chen Du the translated Greater Earth Evasion spell and told him that one passage denying the existence of immortals had no hidden meaning.
• Chen Du wondered why that passage was unchanged and decided to have Yunzhi test the spell before he practiced it himself.
• Yunzhi told an elderly couple that the temple offered a free first night and inexpensive meals, while noticing the girl listening nearby.
• The elderly couple decided to stay, and the girl also politely asked Yunzhi for a room.

Chen Du rewarded Yunzhi with a cultivation technique after she taught Xie the Night Tour of the Palace, while a young guest’s unusual interest in the temple’s treasure tree prompted him to have the cat watch her. The cat reported that she had done nothing suspicious, though he was irritated by how much she wanted to pet Xie.

• Yunzhi told Chen Du that the Door God had obeyed the rules, and Chen Du promised to buy him a cheap chicken to restore his strength.
• Yunzhi reported that an elderly couple and a young girl from Yidu were staying at the temple, and she noted the girl’s unusual interest in the treasure tree.
• Chen Du learned that Yunzhi had taught Xie the Night Tour of the Palace and gave her the Greater Earth Evasion technique in return.
• The young girl sensed spiritual energy around the treasure tree and spent the day petting Xie, while Chen Du asked the cat to keep watch on her.
• The cat followed the girl throughout the day and later told Chen Du that she liked the tree and Xie but had done nothing else unusual.

Chen Du overheard Xixi, Nan, and Bei communicating through an incense burner in a dream and learned that they were newly awakened seekers of cultivation, not a threat. Meanwhile, Yunzhi stayed up reading the Great Five Elements Evasion and saw how it might help her escape danger.

• Chen Du dreamed of a smoky hall where Xixi, Nan, and Bei discussed the incense burner that let them communicate and their search for someone who could teach them cultivation.
• Xixi told Nan and Bei that she had found a place rich in spiritual energy and a plant absorbing it, and confirmed that someone there might know cultivation.
• Nan and Bei advised Xixi to be cautious around the person she had found, and the three agreed to speak again the next night before the incense smoke dispersed.
• Chen Du woke, concluded the incense burner’s visitors meant no harm, and went back to sleep after considering what he had overheard.
• Yunzhi read the Great Five Elements Evasion through the night and realized its techniques could have helped her escape when the Door God trapped her.

Chen Du questioned the little figure about ancient cultivation and asked it to write down essence-gathering methods, while Xixi stayed at the temple to observe him and Yunzhi. After a day of watching, Xixi remained unsure whether they had begun cultivating, and her companions urged her to approach Chen Du with their Daoist scriptures before she left.

• Chen Du learned from the little figure that the ancient general Yachang had possessed over three hundred Essence Platforms, then asked it to record the essence-gathering methods it remembered.
• Xixi paid to stay another night and questioned Chen Du about a strange round-leaved tree, but Doubao's guesses failed to identify it.
• Xixi spent the day watching Chen Du, Yunzhi, and the cat, noting Yunzhi's tireless work and Chen Du's gentle manner.
• Xixi told Bei and Nan she had seen no conclusive signs of cultivation and could not afford to stay another night.
• Bei offered to send Xixi money, while Nan advised her to show Chen Du their three books and ask him for guidance; Xixi decided to observe longer.

Chen Du sensed that a seal on the mountain was coming loose and took Yunzhi and the Door God to investigate. The girl descended the mountain, reconsidered her doubts after hearing a farmer praise Chen Du’s powers, and hurried back with a plan to offer volunteer work.

• Chen Du watched the girl leave and considered taking her on as a human disciple and helper, but decided he needed to assess her character first.
• Chen Du noticed a black dot shifting on the seal, warned Yunzhi, and led her and the Door God out to inspect the mountain while Side-Swept Bangs guarded the temple.
• The girl walked down the mountain and overheard a farmer tell tourists that Chen Du had wielded his treasured sword and caused the mountain to shake.
• The girl weighed whether Chen Du was capable and trustworthy, then realized she could offer volunteer work instead of paying for her stay and ran back up the mountain.

Chen Du and Yunzhi unearthed a sealed demon and tried to renew its seal, but the powerful demon broke free and attacked them. Chen Du’s talismans and Yunzhi’s sword slowed it, though the battle was still underway.

• Chen Du used the seal to turn over the mountainside, uncovering a jade jar said to contain the Heavenly Palace on a Leaf and the stone casket holding a demon.
• Chen Du renewed the demon’s seal, but an unseen force stalled the mountain’s spiritual energy and the demon escaped as swirling black-and-white qi.
• Yunzhi slashed at the demon, but it struck her aside and charged Chen Du.
• The Door God’s voice blocked the demon’s attack, and Chen Du threw a suppressing talisman that drove it back but shattered.
• Yunzhi followed up with sword qi as the demon split into several masses and roared in pain.

Chen Du sent Yunzhi after the escaped demon while he and Door God returned to Earth Sage Temple. There he took in the girl with the schoolbag as a volunteer for the night, unaware that the demon’s smoke had followed her through the gate.

• The demon destroyed the jade tablet while escaping, and Chen Du gave Yunzhi a protective talisman and sent her to track it down.
• Chen Du returned to the temple with Door God, wary that the cunning demon might target them there.
• The girl with the schoolbag came back to ask about volunteering, and Chen Du agreed to let her stay and work at the temple.
• The girl followed Chen Du into the courtyard as smoke slipped through the gate behind her, changing the gate’s appearance.

Chen Du learned about jinyu and the temple’s Three-Pearl Tree from the little person, then learned that the demon was still on the mountain after it attacked the temple and fled. As Liu Yun and her friend drove back to the temple in the rain, they found an animal lying in a pool of blood on the road.

• Jiang Xi arrived at the temple and agreed to begin cleaning the guest rooms the next day, while Chen Du told her which places she must not enter.
• The little person explained that jinyu was spiritual jade capable of storing spiritual energy, but he knew little about the Three-Pearl Tree or whether immortals existed.
• A cloud of black-and-white smoke attacked the temple, but the Door God repelled it and the demon fled.
• A bird brought Chen Du a leaf bearing a message that the demon had not left the mountain, and Chen Du returned to the rear courtyard to study the Heavenly Palace on a Leaf.
• Liu Yun and her friend drove toward the temple in the rain, but they stopped after spotting an animal and a large pool of blood on the road.

Yunzhi failed to track the wounded pig demon after rain erased its scent, though she found blood that suggested it may have escaped in a vehicle. Chen Du rewarded Yunzhi and the Door God, sent Yunzhi to keep searching, and entrusted the temple’s safety to the Door God while a new volunteer stayed at the temple.

• Rain washed away the pig demon’s trail, and Yunzhi found suspicious blood on the road after a vehicle convoy passed.
• Yunzhi told Chen Du she had failed to catch the demon, and he reassured her that the rain and the demon’s cunning had made the pursuit difficult.
• Yunzhi volunteered to search the surrounding area for the demon, while Chen Du told her a volunteer had returned to help at the temple.
• Chen Du gave Yunzhi a spiritual fruit and asked her to post a notice that the Daoist temple was temporarily closed to visitors.
• Chen Du rewarded the Door God with a spiritual fruit, expanded its range to the entire temple, and entrusted it with protecting the temple while Yunzhi searched.

After Yunzhi returned from searching for the monster, Chen Du learned that an enormous injured giant panda had been rescued near Yidu and suspected the monster might have attacked it or transformed into it. The temple closed to visitors while the panda disappeared from the rescue center, leaving its identity and whereabouts unresolved.

• Yunzhi returned from her search empty-handed, and Chen Du told Jiang Xi to sweep the courtyard while he and Yunzhi watched the news.
• Chen Du and Yunzhi heard that an unusually large, badly injured giant panda had been found near Yidu, and they considered whether the monster had attacked it or become it.
• Chen Du told Yunzhi to post a temporary closure notice and planned to warn tourists away from the mountain because of the dangerous wild animal.
• Tourists found the temple gates shut and read a notice announcing its temporary closure for wildlife protection and maintenance.
• The tourist who had discovered the panda asked rescue-center staff about its condition, while a staff member concealed that it had vanished from its monitored treatment room.

Chen Du arranged for Jiang Xi to take Yunzhi to a jade market so Yunzhi could choose spiritual jade for the temple. Jiang Xi agreed, hiding her curiosity about Yunzhi’s unfamiliarity with modern life, and the trip was set to begin after Yunzhi slept.

• In a dream, Jiang Xi told Nan and Bei that the cultivator she had found could use spells, and they agreed that his obscure inheritance could become famous because he was ahead of his time.
• Chen Du considered searching for jade containing spiritual energy, which he needed to make jade talismans to prepare for the threat of the great yao.
• Chen Du noticed Jiang Xi using the Chain-Form Health Preservation and Essence Gathering Method in the courtyard to quietly demonstrate her cultivation.
• Yunzhi returned from searching for the yao without finding it, and Chen Du asked Jiang Xi to take her to a jade market near Yidu.
• Chen Du explained that Yunzhi could choose and bargain for jade while Jiang Xi handled directions and payment, and Jiang Xi agreed to go after Yunzhi rested.

Chen Du sent Yunzhi and Jiang Xi to the city to find spirit jade for a new tablet to control the escaped monster, while the monster itself passed nearby disguised as a cat. The cat ended up in Liu Yun’s home as she defended Earth Sage Temple online, unaware that the temple had closed because the monster had escaped.

• Chen Du explained that he needed spirit jade to carve a new tablet capable of controlling or sealing the monster, and Yunzhi agreed to search for it with Jiang Xi.
• Yunzhi rode a car into the city with Jiang Xi, marveling at modern roads, trains, and skyscrapers before they arrived at the antiques and curio stones market.
• Liu Yun adopted a stray cat resembling a panda, not realizing it was the escaped monster, and took it home after visiting a pet hospital.
• Jiang Xi and Yunzhi went into the market to look for rough stones, unaware that they had just passed the monster.
• Liu Yun read a video about Earth Sage Temple’s closure and defended the temple master in a comment, unaware that the temple had closed because the cat had escaped.