Chapter Summaries

Fang Yuan accepted a dangerous Investigative Captain post in the Imperial City Security Department, despite Eunuch Cao’s anger. As they traveled by carriage, Fang Yuan explained his resolve to face the Black Calamity and use the position to earn the money and merit he would need for the road ahead.

• Fang Yuan accepted Shen Qianshan’s appointment and was ordered to report to the Imperial City Security Department the next day.
• Eunuch Cao angrily left the grounds, and Fang Yuan followed him into his carriage.
• Eunuch Cao confronted Fang Yuan about accepting a job that sent men to their deaths.
• Fang Yuan reasoned that avoiding the Black Calamity would not make it disappear and that the department could give him useful power and protection.
• Eunuch Cao reluctantly accepted Fang Yuan’s choice and recognized that the post could help him earn merit quickly.
• Fang Yuan concluded that the dangerous post could provide the money and merit needed to advance his cultivation and reach the Capital City.

Fang Yuan learned that becoming an Investigative Captain could lead to the highest post in the Imperial City Security Department, but also tied him to a struggle over the Yin-Yang Force. He chose not to reject the appointment and began weighing the Capital City faction against the Jiangyang Dao authorities.

• Fang Yuan asked Eunuch Cao about the duties and standing of an Investigative Captain, and learned that Chief Inspectors could only be selected from their ranks.
• Eunuch Cao said the Jiangyang Dao Chief Inspector might have personally designated Fang Yuan, though he did not know who that mysterious official was.
• Eunuch Cao offered to help Fang Yuan reject the appointment, but Fang Yuan said he was not afraid and accepted the risk.
• Fang Yuan suspected the Jiangyang Dao Chief Inspector had noticed him because of the Yin-Yang Force.
• Fang Yuan identified Eunuch Cao's Capital City patron as a temporary ally and the Jiangyang Dao Imperial City Security Department as a possible rival in the contest over the resource.

Fang Yuan understood why Shen Qianshan opposed him, while Eunuch Cao’s forgotten prisoners Zhao Tie and Zhou Chen were unexpectedly released. The next morning, Fang Yuan set out alone, leaving Eunuch Cao behind as he prepared to go without Han Bao.

• Fang Yuan realized Eunuch Cao’s post let him monitor Shen Qianshan but could not remove him without the Chief Inspector of Jiangyang Dao’s support.
• Zhao Tie and Zhou Chen shouted that they had been wronged, and a jailer unexpectedly unlocked their cell and released them.
• The old man in the neighboring cell tried the same plea, but the jailer cursed at him and left him locked up.
• Eunuch Cao remembered that someone remained in prison but decided to deal with it the next day.
• Fang Yuan rose before dawn and left the Main Hall alone after Eunuch Cao asked whether he wanted Han Bao to accompany him.

Fang Yuan reported for duty at the Imperial City Security Department and learned how Investigative Captains accepted assignments. The chapter left him understanding that he had to take at least one task each year to keep his post and earn a chance at promotion.

• Fang Yuan walked alone through the prefectural city and arrived at the Imperial City Security Department to report for duty.
• Wang De greeted Fang Yuan and led him inside to complete his onboarding, while the Square-Faced Captain respectfully watched him enter.
• Wang De explained that Investigative Captains had no fixed duties and could choose tasks from a designated office.
• Fang Yuan learned that Investigative Captains had to accept at least one task each year, and that two consecutive years without a task would cost them their positions.

Fang Yuan learned the freedom and risks of serving as an Investigative Captain and completed the procedures for his new post. He received his official gear and learned that Jiangyang Dao, not Shen Qianshan, would command him, while his stipend included five taels of silver and fifty Contribution Points per month.

• Fang Yuan studied the assignment board and decided he would need to accept more than the yearly mandatory assignment to rise quickly.
• Wang De showed Fang Yuan his quiet courtyard and duty room, explaining that captains often stayed away while handling assignments.
• Fang Yuan inspected his official robes and token and learned that Investigative Captains reported directly to the Imperial City Security Department of Jiangyang Dao, not Shen Qianshan.
• Wang De told Fang Yuan to sign and leave a fingerprint to complete his appointment, with a monthly stipend of five taels of silver and fifty Contribution Points.
• Fang Yuan judged the fifty Contribution Points inadequate for obtaining valuable Cultivation Methods, while Wang De pointed out that his stipend exceeded that of nearly every official in Wushui Commandery.

Fang Yuan learned about the black market for Contribution Points and completed his appointment as an Investigative Captain, with Wang De helping him through the procedures. He considered Wang De a potentially useful ally and decided to establish himself before making plans for Qinghe County.

• Wang De told Fang Yuan that Contribution Points could be sold through the Black Market, usually for one thousand taels of silver each.
• Fang Yuan calculated that his two rare Cultivation Methods were nominally worth fifteen million taels of silver and realized how valuable his Qinghe Arena Copper Token was.
• Wang De presented Fang Yuan with an appointment checklist and asked him to evaluate his service; Fang Yuan gave him an excellent rating, earning Wang De the full mission reward.
• Wang De offered to help Fang Yuan with anything he needed in the duty room, and Fang Yuan considered him a capable person who might prove useful.
• Fang Yuan studied the map, tapped the location of Qinghe County, and decided to establish a firm foothold before making further plans.

Wang De received an Excellent evaluation from Fang Yuan and began planning how to attach himself to the new captain. Studying a map, Fang Yuan discovered that Black Calamities were spreading across Wushui Commandery and appearing near Cao Mansion, just as an ornate, plump man entered the duty room.

• Wang De submitted Captain Fang's Excellent evaluation, received one Contribution Point, and decided to curry favor with him.
• Fang Yuan studied the map and saw that Luoshui Village had been designated a restricted zone and that recent Black Calamity markings were multiplying across Wushui Commandery.
• Fang Yuan noticed black lines marking possible Black Calamities in several alleys near Cao Mansion and wondered whether missing people had been swallowed by them.
• Fang Yuan compared the distribution of Calamities across the commandery and sensed he was close to discerning a pattern.
• A plump man wearing an ornate brocade robe and a white Jade Pendant entered the duty room.

Fang Yuan met Qian Duoduo, a powerful new colleague whose friendly manner concealed a shrewd nature. Qian Duoduo asked about the Black Calamity but postponed explaining it, leaving Fang Yuan to wonder about his motives.

• A black shadow in Fang Yuan's mind stirred and appeared to look at Qian Duoduo before becoming still again.
• Qian Duoduo entered Fang Yuan's duty room, acted as though they were close friends, and praised Fang Yuan's strength after claiming to have watched his fight against Zhao Honglie.
• Fang Yuan pointed out that Qian Duoduo had entered the wrong room, and Qian Duoduo laughed off the mistake before introducing himself as an Investigative Captain.
• After a clerk came looking for him, Qian Duoduo dismissed the clerk and showed Fang Yuan his Imperial City Security Department token.
• Qian Duoduo asked Fang Yuan what he knew about the Black Calamity, then said they could discuss it after Fang Yuan had settled in and begun taking missions.
• Qian Duoduo left, and Fang Yuan watched the closed door, considering his visitor's motives.

Fang Yuan studied the Imperial Court’s resource catalog and realized its system of rewards drove Investigative Captains to risk their lives for advancement. Meanwhile, Qian Duoduo suspected Fang Yuan might be Black Calamity and decided to watch him closely.

• Fang Yuan dismissed his doubts about Qian Duoduo, then examined the map of red lines marking Black Calamity’s arrival.
• Qian Duoduo’s Jade Pendant heated when he touched Fang Yuan, leading him to suspect Fang Yuan was Black Calamity despite doubts about the accusation.
• Qian Duoduo decided to observe Fang Yuan, laid out his protective treasures, and planned to find lodging and a mission to earn Contribution Points.
• Fang Yuan read a catalog listing costly elixirs that could cultivate powerful True Bodies, including the Dragon-Tiger Elixir and Yin-Yang Elixir.
• Fang Yuan concluded the Imperial Court had built a system that gathered talented young people and urged them to risk their lives for greater rewards.

After reading about the Dragon-Tiger Elixir and the rewards for Investigative Captains, Fang Yuan became eager to take missions and pursue a Martial Dao True Body. Eunuch Cao cautioned him to learn the commandery’s complicated mission landscape first and gave him information on the seven active Investigative Captains in Wushui Commandery.

• Fang Yuan read that the Dragon-Tiger Elixir could help cultivate a Dragon-Tiger True Body and reflected on the Imperial Court’s deep ties to sects and Noble Families.
• Fang Yuan considered how a True Body was formed, why Shen Qianshan commanded respect despite being fifth rank, and how the Imperial Court’s resources and institutions differed from those of sects.
• Fang Yuan decided to take a mission the next day, but Eunuch Cao and Han Bao arrived and found him still studying the booklet and map.
• Fang Yuan told Eunuch Cao he wanted to take a mission, and Eunuch Cao advised him to learn which missions and people to avoid before acting.
• Eunuch Cao gave Fang Yuan a report on the seven active Investigative Captains, including Qian Duoduo, Su Qianxue, and Iron Hand, and warned him not to let others use him.

Fang Yuan left with Eunuch Cao, while Gu Changqing and Shen Qianshan worried that the Superior Resource would become a source of conflict now that Eunuch Cao had withdrawn. As Fang Yuan rested in the carriage, Eunuch Cao asked what Shen Qianshan might be thinking.

• Eunuch Cao took Fang Yuan home in his carriage, prompting the Captains to gossip about their relationship and Gu Changqing’s lost opportunity.
• Gu Changqing watched the carriage leave as Shen Qianshan remarked that Fang Yuan’s arrival had changed everything.
• Gu Changqing warned Shen Qianshan that Wushui Commandery’s Noble Families and meritorious nobles would demand answers about the Superior Resource, which Eunuch Cao would no longer claim.
• Shen Qianshan told Gu Changqing to wait, then wrote the word “wait” on a sheet of paper.
• Eunuch Cao asked Fang Yuan to guess what Shen Qianshan was thinking.

Fang Yuan discussed the Superior Resource with Eunuch Cao, who warned him that Shen Qianshan might retaliate. On the way back, Fang Yuan took another street and spotted the nearest Black Calamity red circle on his map: a quiet residence marked by fresh red lanterns.

• Fang Yuan explained that Eunuch Cao’s withdrawal from the Superior Resource could set Wushui Commandery’s forces against one another, and Eunuch Cao pretended the plan had been deliberate.
• Eunuch Cao warned Fang Yuan to watch out for Shen Qianshan, and Fang Yuan agreed to stay cautious while continuing to train and take missions.
• Fang Yuan told Han Bao to take another street as their carriage left the Inner City, and Eunuch Cao waited for him to explain.
• Fang Yuan recognized a quiet residence with dusty stone lions and new red lanterns as the nearest Black Calamity red circle to Cao Mansion.

Fang Yuan sensed a Black Calamity residence watching him as the carriage passed and warned his companions to avoid the street. He planned to investigate the residence, locate Zhou Chen and Zhao Tie through Senior Brother Wang, and find a stronger lightness Cultivation Method.

• As the carriage passed an abandoned residence marked as a Black Calamity, Fang Yuan's black shadow stood and pointed its blade toward it.
• Fang Yuan ordered Han Bao to hurry, and the carriage sped away until the feeling of being watched disappeared.
• Fang Yuan warned Eunuch Cao and Han Bao not to take that street again, then resolved to alert Senior Brother Wang about dangerous places.
• Fang Yuan decided Senior Brother Wang's side should quietly search for Zhou Chen and Zhao Tie rather than involve Eunuch Cao's conspicuous channels.
• Fang Yuan planned to investigate the residence's history at the Imperial City Security Department and seek a better lightness Cultivation Method.

Fang Yuan tested the first stance of Six Harmonies Defense against Eunuch Cao’s hidden weapons and discovered its extraordinary defensive power. He left the courtyard confident that Guard the Front could stop far more attacks than the five needles he had faced.

• Fang Yuan stayed alert after returning home and, reassured that no one had followed him, spent the afternoon cultivating instead of reporting to the Imperial City Security Department.
• Fang Yuan asked Eunuch Cao to test his saber, and Eunuch Cao warned him that his exquisite hidden-weapon technique was dangerous.
• Eunuch Cao hurled five silver needles at Fang Yuan from different angles, and Fang Yuan used Guard the Front to knock them all aside or cut them apart without opening his eyes.
• Eunuch Cao was stunned by Fang Yuan’s skill but concealed his shock and insisted he had not used his full strength.
• Fang Yuan reflected that Guard the Front relied on perception and prediction to guard every possible angle, and concluded that the strike was far from his limit.

Fang Yuan reflected on his growing ability to challenge fifth-rank martial artists after catching Eunuch Cao’s needles, then continued practicing. Meanwhile, Qian Duoduo discovered a dangerous Black Calamity inside a mansion near Cao Mansion and fled to seek help.

• Fang Yuan considered how the Six Harmonies Defense’s first form had let him catch Eunuch Cao’s five needles and tried to comprehend the second form, Light and shadow.
• Fang Yuan concluded that his current strength might let him fight a fifth-rank martial artist, and Eunuch Cao left the courtyard.
• Qian Duoduo followed his compass to a deserted street near Cao Mansion, where it warned him of a Black Calamity.
• The mansion gates opened onto impenetrable darkness, and Qian Duoduo fled when his compass spun wildly.
• Qian Duoduo decided he needed help and headed home, while the red lanterns watched over the silent street.

Fang Yuan visited the Imperial City Security Department’s Mission Courtyard to learn how its unresolved cases were collected and reviewed. He began browsing the case files and learned that he could access any case still awaiting a conclusion.

• Fang Yuan walked to the Imperial City Security Department and entered the Mission Courtyard, where the clerks greeted him.
• Wang De welcomed Fang Yuan and explained that the courtyard gathered suspicious reports and unresolved cases for Investigative Captains to examine.
• Fang Yuan inspected the crowded case-file room and read reports about a vanished village and elderly people disappearing from an alley.
• Fang Yuan asked whether he could read all the files, and Wang De said he could access cases without conclusions but needed Old Hei’s approval for concluded Black Calamity records.

Fang Yuan discovered that the youthful Old Hei controlled the Mission Courtyard and could see through his Dantian. Old Hei warned him to beware the person who had directed him to the Imperial City Security Department, leaving Fang Yuan to question the Wang Family Senior's note and its missing words.

• Wang De told Fang Yuan that Old Hei oversaw the Mission Courtyard and that Fang Yuan would need to report missions directly to him.
• Fang Yuan met the youthful-looking Old Hei, who recognized his talent and luck and briefly stopped the Taiji Diagram in his Dantian with a glance.
• Fang Yuan collected a case file, but Old Hei privately warned him to beware the person who had sent him to the Imperial City Security Department to seek force.
• Back in his duty room, Fang Yuan recalled the Wang Family Senior's note and suspected that someone had erased part of it to steer him toward the Yin-Yang Force.

Fang Yuan reconsidered the dangers surrounding the Wang Family Senior and Old Hei, then opened the case file for the residence in Yongfu Lane. He read a woman’s unfinished account of how she came to believe her husband had been replaced by something else, leaving the truth—and her fate—unknown.

• Fang Yuan concluded that the Wang Family Senior’s warning about the world’s deep waters had been a serious warning, and questioned whether the senior intended to make him an heir or a pawn.
• Fang Yuan decided that increasing his strength was his priority and focused on the black shadow that had appeared within his mind after he broke through in Yin-Yang Force.
• Fang Yuan opened the case file labeled Red Lantern Lane and noticed that the map instead called the street Yongfu Lane.
• Fang Yuan read the complainant’s account describing how her husband, Chen Wang, stopped traveling and began acting in ways that made her feel he was no longer himself.
• Fang Yuan read that Chen Wang repeatedly studied his reflection and that his wife saw his face change when he looked into the mirror at night.
• Fang Yuan reached the end of the account, which stopped abruptly before explaining what the wife had seen.

Fang Yuan investigated the case of Chen Li and Chen Wang, who had both vanished after Chen Li repeatedly claimed her husband was an impostor. He concluded the case was a Black Calamity confined to Chen Manor, then learned that the Constable Captain and constables who handled it had also vanished.

• Fang Yuan read the case records showing that officials had dismissed Chen Li’s reports and that the couple later vanished from Chen Manor.
• Fang Yuan connected the case to the imitating entities he had seen in Luoshui Village and suspected the Black Calamity was active within the manor.
• Wang De told Fang Yuan the yamen had reported the case only a few days earlier, and Fang Yuan judged it to be a Black Calamity.
• Fang Yuan reasoned that the Calamity’s range appeared limited to Chen Manor and that investigating it early could keep it under control.
• Wang De revealed that the Constable Captain and constables who had handled Chen Li’s reports had vanished too.

Fang Yuan accepted Grade A Case No. 17 and was assigned to investigate it with Qian Duoduo. After Qian Duoduo described the terrifying street, Fang Yuan decided to go there immediately, leaving Qian Duoduo to ask if he would prepare first.

• Fang Yuan chose Chen Wang's case and followed Wang De to register it with Old Hei.
• Old Hei revealed that Qian Duoduo would be his partner and offered them a cooperative mission worth an extra thousand Contribution Points each.
• Fang Yuan and Qian Duoduo both chose to team up rather than take the lower-paying solo mission.
• Qian Duoduo told Fang Yuan that he had scouted the street at night, where a door opened by itself and the deserted, blood-red-lit street nearly trapped him.
• Fang Yuan recalled the hostile eyes he had sensed from the street and said they would go there now.
• Qian Duoduo was startled by Fang Yuan's urgency and asked whether he would prepare first.