Chapter Summaries

Fang Yuan considered how to escape prison after the Imperial City Security Department and powerful martial artists complicated his plan, while Foolish Egg recognized him as the man connected to Captain Wang’s death. The chapter left Foolish Egg asking Fang Yuan how he had ended up in the cell.

• Foolish Egg woke Third Brother and pointed out the new prisoner in the neighboring cell.
• Foolish Egg recognized Fang Yuan as the figure he had seen on the day Captain Wang died.
• Fang Yuan realized Third Brother and Foolish Egg had likely been imprisoned because of their connection to Captain Wang and his death.
• Fang Yuan weighed seeking help from the Wang Family, monk Huining, or Qin Wan, but doubted any of them could resolve his situation.
• Foolish Egg approached Fang Yuan’s cell and asked how he had been arrested, introducing himself and Third Brother.

In the prison, Fang Yuan questioned Foolish Egg about his connection to Captain Wang’s murder and realized the soldier had unusually keen senses. After learning the prison served only one meager meal each morning, Fang Yuan recognized that his own wooden cangue marked him as a more serious prisoner than Foolish Egg and Third Brother.

• Fang Yuan told Foolish Egg that he had been caught up in Captain Wang’s murder case, causing Foolish Egg to panic and deny knowing anything.
• Fang Yuan recalled Foolish Egg glancing toward his hiding place during his investigation and suspected the soldier had naturally sharp senses.
• Foolish Egg frantically apologized and slapped himself, while Fang Yuan made clear he would not pursue the matter; Third Brother realized Fang Yuan had not come to harm them.
• Fang Yuan asked when the prison served food, and Foolish Egg explained that Qinghe County prison offered only one thin meal each morning.
• Fang Yuan noticed that he wore a wooden cangue while Foolish Egg and Third Brother had no restraints, and concluded his crime was considered more serious.

Fang Yuan considered the consequences of being framed for killing an official, then tested the strength of his wooden cangue and realized he could break it if necessary. At the County yamen, Eunuch Cao questioned Han Bao about Fang Yuan and Captain Wang’s death, leaving Han Bao unsure how to answer.

• Fang Yuan weighed whether to await trial or flee, then worried that becoming a fugitive would ruin Little Bean Sprout’s prospects.
• Fang Yuan recalled the upcoming Qinghe Arena and tested his wooden cangue, cracking it before stopping so he would not reveal his strength.
• Foolish Egg saw the cracked cangue and silently wondered how powerful Fang Yuan was.
• Han Bao reported to Eunuch Cao that County Magistrate Liu had a good public reputation and that Fang Yuan had shown skill and backbone.
• Eunuch Cao asked Han Bao whether Fang Yuan had killed Captain Wang, and Han Bao struggled to determine how to respond.

Han Bao persuaded Eunuch Cao that Fang Yuan was unlikely to have killed Captain Wang and that Wang’s death was deserved. After learning about the upcoming Qinghe Arena and the influx of competitors, Eunuch Cao wondered whether the event fulfilled Foster Father’s cryptic prediction about an opportunity in a small northern county.

• Han Bao told Eunuch Cao he believed there was a seventy percent chance Fang Yuan had not killed Captain Wang and suggested the Black Calamity might be responsible.
• Han Bao praised Fang Yuan’s martial talent and described Captain Wang’s abuses, leading Eunuch Cao to call Wang’s death a cleanup of the Imperial Court’s corruption.
• Han Bao explained that the Qinghe Arena offered recommendation letters and opportunities tied to martial examinations.
• Eunuch Cao recalled Foster Father’s warning that an opportunity lay in the north, in a small county, and considered whether it related to the arena.
• Han Bao said the Qinghe Arena was about a week away and that martial arts schools and families were arriving for its new examination-free academy admissions.

Eunuch Cao reconsidered why he had been sent to Qinghe County and decided to meet the townspeople who had gathered outside the County yamen. The chapter ended with an old man and the crowd kneeling before him.

• Eunuch Cao learned that the Imperial Court’s old ancestor was watching the Martial Artist Arena and decided Fang Yuan should compete so he might attract the ancestor’s attention.
• Han Hu reported that at least a hundred townspeople had gathered outside the County yamen to see Eunuch Cao.
• Eunuch Cao recalled Fang Yuan’s words about an official being a parent to the people and chose to meet the crowd.
• Eunuch Cao emerged in his python robe, and an old man knelt before him as the crowd followed.
• The old man raised his head and began to speak to Eunuch Cao.

Eunuch Cao heard Qinghe County residents’ grievances and promised to make County Magistrate Liu answer for them, while two women from Sù Nǚ Palace watched from a teahouse and planned to secure the release of a man connected to Wang Yushuang. The chapter ended with Liu Wenhe quietly reviewing and marking official documents in the County yamen.

• Residents gathered at the County yamen and told Eunuch Cao about land seizures, missing conscripts, and unpaid debts.
• Eunuch Cao helped an old man up and promised the crowd he would make County Magistrate Liu explain himself.
• Han Bao noticed Eunuch Cao’s clenched hand as the crowd praised him, while an old Monk watched silently from beneath the Old Scholar Tree.
• A woman in white told Wang Yushuang she would speak to Eunuch Cao and have the County yamen release the man.
• Liu Wenhe read and annotated official documents in the County yamen’s main hall.

After more than a hundred commoners gathered at the county yamen to petition the imperial envoy, Liu Wenhe realized Eunuch Cao had witnessed the incident and suspected Fang Yuan was behind it. Eunuch Cao ordered Liu Wenhe to prevent any further disturbances in Qinghe County before the Qinghe Arena.

• Liu Wenhe learned that over a hundred commoners had come to the county yamen demanding to see the imperial envoy and file a complaint.
• Liu Wenhe discovered Eunuch Cao had already seen the crowd and ordered an investigation, suspecting Fang Yuan might have organized them.
• Eunuch Cao praised Han Bao and Han Hu for promptly reporting the crowd before Liu Wenhe could disperse it.
• Eunuch Cao told Han Bao to warn Liu Wenhe to settle the matter before the Qinghe Arena and allow no disturbances in Qinghe County until then.

Liu Wenhe received Eunuch Cao’s warning through Han Bao and decided to keep Qinghe County quiet while plotting against Fang Yuan. In the dungeon, Wang Fugui brought Fang Yuan a lavish meal and news about the Wang Family’s encounter with Imperial City Security Department officers.

• Han Bao told Liu Wenhe to settle the county’s past abuses and prevent unrest before the Qinghe Arena, then added a remark about Liu’s porridge-and-pickles breakfast.
• Liu Wenhe agreed to avoid visible trouble, considered releasing or suppressing prisoners as needed, and decided Fang Yuan could not be left alive.
• Wang Fugui bribed a constable for a brief visit and entered Fang Yuan’s cell with servants carrying food and wine.
• Fang Yuan asked Wang Fugui whether the county yamen had targeted the Wang Family, and Wang Fugui said Imperial City Security Department officers had only asked about Captain Wang’s visit.
• Fang Yuan realized that keeping the Wang Family uninformed about Captain Wang’s affair had helped protect them from suspicion.

Fang Yuan learned that the Wang Family’s complaints against Liu Wenhe were all true and considered how to force the official’s hand without risking a backlash. As he worried that Liu might keep him from the Qinghe Arena, he also learned Master Huining had left and shared food with Foolish Egg and Third Brother.

• Wang Fugui assured Fang Yuan that every grievance raised against Liu Wenhe was true, though the group had found only a little over a hundred victims.
• Wang Fugui said his father had warned the county magistrate to release Liu Wenhe or face an even larger public protest.
• Wang Fugui told Fang Yuan that the Qinghe Arena was approaching and that visitors from the prefectural city had filled the inns and crowded the streets.
• Fang Yuan worried Liu Wenhe might delay his release until he missed the Qinghe Arena, and Wang Fugui reported that Master Huining had left the porridge shed.
• Fang Yuan told Wang Fugui to share food with Foolish Egg and Third Brother, who thanked them from behind the bars.

Fang Yuan refused Eunuch Cao’s offer to become his foster son, explaining that he respected him as a benefactor rather than because of his status. Impressed by Fang Yuan’s answer, Eunuch Cao ordered Han Bao to release him, and Han Bao asked whether Fang Yuan had feared the eunuch would turn against him.

• Wang Fugui brought food to Fang Yuan and the two prisoners, then promised to return at noon the next day.
• Eunuch Cao arrived with Han Bao and offered to free Fang Yuan if Fang Yuan called him Foster Father.
• Fang Yuan declined, saying a martial artist kneels only to Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher.
• Fang Yuan told Eunuch Cao that he respected him for helping and acting fairly, not because of his rank or identity as a eunuch.
• Eunuch Cao praised Fang Yuan and ordered Han Bao to release him.
• Han Bao removed Fang Yuan’s cangue and asked whether he had feared Eunuch Cao would turn hostile.

Fang Yuan left prison after refusing Eunuch Cao’s offer to become his foster son and resolved to focus on the Qinghe Arena. Eunuch Cao reflected on Fang Yuan’s character, then returned to his courtyard and encountered a mysterious monk whom Han Hu suspected was a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist.

• Han Bao marveled that Fang Yuan had rejected Eunuch Cao, and Fang Yuan explained that he would not abandon his principles to accept the offer.
• Fang Yuan left the prison and decided to build his reputation at the Qinghe Arena so the Imperial Court would notice him.
• Foolish Egg and Third Brother worried that they would remain imprisoned and lamented that Fang Yuan might not bring them roast chicken again.
• Eunuch Cao concluded that Fang Yuan had treated him without disdain and decided he would take him to the Capital City someday.
• Eunuch Cao returned to his courtyard with Han Hu and found a yellow-robed monk standing beneath a tree; Han Hu warned that the monk was likely a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist.

Huining beat Eunuch Cao to make him release a lay disciple, then realized he had never named the disciple and left it to the county yamen to figure out. Eunuch Cao waited for Han Hu to bring a towel, but a mysterious woman in white appeared in his courtyard.

• Huining struck Eunuch Cao repeatedly and demanded that he release a lay disciple of Formless Temple.
• Eunuch Cao said he had arrested only Fang Yuan and had already released him, while Han Hu failed to understand what had happened.
• Huining left, then worried that Eunuch Cao might not know whom he meant and decided he would return to beat him again if necessary.
• Eunuch Cao ordered Han Hu to fetch a towel and waited beneath the wintersweet tree, cursing his delay.
• A woman in white appeared silently in the courtyard, and Eunuch Cao cautiously asked who she was and what she wanted.

A veiled woman from Sù Nǚ Palace forced Eunuch Cao to release a prisoner she cryptically called a toad, then left him with two bruised eyes. Fang Yuan walked free and saw Qinghe County filling with powerful martial artists from the prefectural city ahead of the Qinghe Arena.

• Eunuch Cao recognized the veiled woman as someone from Sù Nǚ Palace and heard her demand that he release a prisoner she described as a toad who wanted to eat swan meat.
• The woman struck Eunuch Cao in his other eye and vanished, leaving him to order Han Hu to search the prison for someone called Toad.
• Fang Yuan left the county office without anyone from the Wang Family coming to meet him.
• Fang Yuan noticed that unfamiliar martial artists from the prefectural city had flooded Qinghe County and judged that their strength threatened the local competitors' chances at the Qinghe Arena.

Fang Yuan learned that Myriad Treasures Pavilion and commandery-city Noble Families had organized a massive betting pool on the Qinghe Arena, whose favorites were all outsiders. He noticed Huangfu Song ranked tenth and considered the odds, leaving the waiter unsettled by his sudden smile.

• Fang Yuan stopped at a restaurant and read a ranking board listing Qinghe Arena contenders, including Huangfu Song.
• A waiter explained that the listed martial artists were favorites to win and described Huangfu Song as an obscure Noble Family member whose odds had worsened.
• The waiter said Myriad Treasures Pavilion and several major Noble Families backed the betting pool, which held more than a million taels of silver.
• Fang Yuan asked why no local martial artists appeared on the list, and the waiter said the commandery-city favorites had much shorter odds.
• Fang Yuan studied the odds, smiled, and left the waiter nervously asking what was wrong.

Fang Yuan placed a three-thousand-tael wager on himself to win the championship, despite not appearing on the list and being offered odds of one to one hundred. He filled out the betting paperwork, leaving the wager officially recorded and unrecoverable once placed.

• Fang Yuan studied the betting list and realized Myriad Treasures Pavilion and the county-seat families were exploiting local gamblers.
• Fang Yuan told the waiter he wanted to bet three thousand taels on Fang Yuan to win the championship, and the waiter warned that the wager could not be changed or withdrawn.
• The waiter explained the detailed wagers on listed martial artists, but Fang Yuan refused them and insisted on betting on himself.
• Fang Yuan urged the waiter to buy a share too, but the waiter declined because he could not afford the risk.
• The waiter recorded Fang Yuan's details and wager in the booklet, then gave him a voucher to fill in.

Fang Yuan placed a three-thousand-tael wager on winning the championship at odds of 1 to 100, then left the restaurant pleased at the thought of the potential payout. Qin Wan arrived shortly afterward, believing her maid had spotted him, and asked the attendant to recount his visit.

• Fang Yuan received a sealed betting certificate for his wager and tucked it safely inside his robes.
• Fang Yuan considered the possible three-hundred-thousand-tael payout and reasoned that the betting organizers should honor their odds if he won.
• Green Vine spotted Fang Yuan from Qin Wan's carriage, but he disappeared into the crowd before Qin Wan could see him.
• Qin Wan agreed to visit the restaurant after Green Vine insisted she had seen Fang Yuan there.
• Green Vine asked the attendant to describe what Fang Yuan had said and done, but he hesitated to reveal a customer's affairs.

After learning Fang Yuan had been released and bet three thousand taels on himself to win the Qinghe Arena championship, Qin Wan and Green Vine placed their own wagers on him. The waiter was so inspired by their confidence that he bet his own money too, leaving several wagers on Fang Yuan recorded in the shop ledger.

• Green Vine paid the waiter for information, and he told her and Qin Wan that Fang Yuan had bet three thousand taels on himself to win the championship at 1-to-100 odds.
• Qin Wan learned Fang Yuan had recently left home and realized he had likely just been released from prison.
• Green Vine wagered all two hundred taels of her savings on Fang Yuan.
• Qin Wan placed a two-thousand-tael wager on Fang Yuan, and she and Green Vine left with their betting slips.
• After the women departed, the waiter bet his own four taels on Fang Yuan and added his wager to the ledger.

Fang Yuan returned to Zhengyang Martial Arts School after his release, while several people placed large bets on him winning the martial arts contest. He reunited with Liu Wanwan, who had been weeping while he was away.

• Green Vine worried that Fang Yuan might lose after Qin Wan placed a two-hundred-tael bet on him.
• Wang Yushuang and Bai Susu each bet on Fang Yuan, wagering three thousand and two thousand taels respectively.
• Bai Susu grew angry that Fang Yuan had not come to greet them after his release, while Wang Yushuang defended him.
• Fang Yuan returned to Zhengyang Martial Arts School and slipped past the Gatekeepers into the courtyard.
• Fang Yuan found Liu Wanwan crying with Little Bean Sprout asleep on her knees, then crouched beside Liu Wanwan and took her hand.

After Liu Wanwan comforted Fang Yuan, he trained with his saber until sunset, driven by the need to become stronger. At Drunken Moon Restaurant, Huangfu Ying and Huangfu Song reflected on their loss of status and the opportunity they had come to Qinghe County to pursue.

• Liu Wanwan wept, then offered to warm porridge for Fang Yuan, who went outside after watching her leave.
• Fang Yuan practiced his saber at the Training Ground, sharpening his technique as he released the tension in his chest.
• Huangfu Ying and Huangfu Song sat at a low-ranking table in Drunken Moon Restaurant while the county’s powerful guests occupied the central tables.
• Huangfu Ying learned that Zhou Jin had been turned away after Manager Li removed his table, and that Zhou Zhan had been injured after losing a fight in three moves.
• Huangfu Song admitted that the Huangfu Family had come seeking an opportunity and recognized that Manager Li and the prefectural scions had never treated him as an equal.

At a banquet, Chen Bo Zhao discussed the Qinghe Arena and learned that more than ten thousand taels had been wagered on the unknown local Fang Yuan. He dismissed Fang Yuan as insignificant and vowed to cripple him if he entered the arena.

• Huangfu Song watched Chen Bo Zhao and Manager Li hold court at the main table while the other guests treated the Earl's Mansion heir with deference.
• Chen Bo Zhao said he would fight Zhao Lingyun if they met in the Qinghe Arena, though he remembered how difficult his victory over him had been last year.
• A messenger brought Manager Li the latest betting ledger, and Manager Li noted that Chen Bo Zhao's ranking had risen slightly.
• Manager Li found more than ten thousand taels wagered on Fang Yuan, an unfamiliar local whose name appeared among the prefectural city's fighters.
• Chen Bo Zhao dismissed Fang Yuan as a nobody and said he would cripple him if Fang Yuan dared enter the arena.