Chapter Summaries

Jiang Hao’s plan to frame Wang Laoshi with a stolen Jade Disc took an unexpected turn when Shi Yan accused him before Prince Ning. Jiang Hao identified the relic as a priceless treasure, and after Wang Laoshi killed Shi Yan, Prince Ning ordered him beaten and imprisoned.

• At Jueshi Lou, Shi Yan presented Prince Ning with a Jade Disc she claimed to have found in Wang Laoshi’s room and accused Wang Laoshi of theft and disloyalty.
• Jiang Hao recognized the Jade Disc from his memorized treasury catalog and identified it as a rare relic associated with Emperor Taizong Li Shimin.
• Prince Ning confronted Wang Laoshi, who denied stealing the Jade Disc and accused Shi Yan of framing him.
• Wang Laoshi threw a knife into Shi Yan’s chest, killing her in front of Prince Ning and the gathered guests.
• Prince Ning ordered guards to give Wang Laoshi fifty lashes and throw him into the dungeon.

Wang Laoshi rebelled against Prince Ning and was shot dead after killing many guards, while Jiang Hao arranged a proper burial for Shi Yan. The next day, Jiang Hao visited the martial arts hall, where he grew suspicious that the Man in Black was Japanese and told him he wanted to learn swordsmanship.

• Wang Laoshi fought his way toward the exit, killed numerous guards with throwing knives, and was shot dead by soldiers armed with flintlock muskets.
• Prince Ning returned to the Main Hall, cursed the bloody outcome, and ordered the corpses removed.
• Jiang Hao paid a soldier twenty taels to give Shi Yan a coffin and a proper burial.
• The next day, Jiang Hao watched people train at the martial arts hall and studied the Man in Black's precise sword practice.
• The Man in Black confronted Jiang Hao, who recognized hints of a Japanese accent and explained his interest in learning swordsmanship.

Jiang Hao endured all three sessions of the Jiangxi Provincial Examination and waited at home for the results. Government runners announced that he had ranked third and achieved Jing Kui, leaving him to receive his results notice amid a crowd of neighbors.

• Jiang Hao left Jueshi Lou after learning that the Prince of Ning had colluded with Japanese pirates, then returned home to study.
• Jiang Hao exchanged letters with Yu Xiang, who told him she had begun studying Daoist arts with her father.
• Jiang Hao completed the Provincial Examination’s three grueling sessions, answering the final current affairs essay in a conventional manner.
• Jiang Hao waited at home for the examination results instead of going to see the posted list.
• Government runners announced that Jiang Hao of Nanchang Prefecture had ranked third in the Jiangxi Provincial Examination and achieved Jing Kui.

Jiang Hao celebrated placing third in the Provincial Examination, then secretly warned Wang Yangming that Prince Ning was preparing to rebel. He offered to provide intelligence from inside Prince Ning’s Jueshi Lou so they could defeat him when he rose up.

• Jiang Hao accepted the notice naming him third among the Juren, rewarded the news runners, and celebrated with his neighbors and guests.
• Jiang Hao sent a carrier pigeon to tell his wife that he had passed the Provincial Examination.
• Jiang Hao attended the Luming Banquet, where he briefly met Wang Yangming, then visited him two days later.
• Jiang Hao accused Prince Ning of abusing Jiangxi’s people and explained that eunuchs at court would keep a memorial from reaching The Court.
• Jiang Hao revealed that he had infiltrated Prince Ning’s Jueshi Lou and discovered its stockpile of weapons, horses, and possible ties to Japanese pirates.
• Jiang Hao told Wang Yangming that Prince Ning would likely rebel within a year or two and offered to supply intelligence for a coordinated attack.

Jiang Hao gained Wang Yangming’s trust as an undercover agent, then convinced Prince Ning to reveal his private firearm and recruit him. Prince Ning showed Jiang Hao a hidden workshop producing firearms and ordered Foreman Liu Bian to make him a gun.

• Jiang Hao wrote Wang Yangming a guarantee pledging to serve The Court and act as an undercover agent against Prince Ning, Zhu Chenhao, then spent the day briefing him.
• Jiang Hao returned to Jueshi Lou and asked Prince Ning for a firearm instead of another woman as a reward for placing third in the Provincial Examination.
• Prince Ning demonstrated his custom gun by shooting an oil lamp, then led Jiang Hao to a secret hall and offered him a place in his great undertaking.
• Jiang Hao accepted Prince Ning’s offer and followed him to a hidden firearm workshop where Prince Ning revealed that thousands of guns had been stockpiled.
• Prince Ning introduced Jiang Hao as his trusted confidant and ordered Foreman Liu Bian to craft a good gun for him.

Jiang Hao met Elder Jile and Yin Ji, declined their cultivation techniques, and was appointed to manage Jueshi Lou’s military supplies. After putting its logistics in order, he received the short firearm he had commissioned.

• The Prince of Ning introduced Jiang Hao to Elder Jile, who offered to teach him a cultivation technique, but Jiang Hao refused.
• The Prince of Ning took Jiang Hao to meet Yin Ji, who invited him to stay in her cave, and Jiang Hao rejected her offer.
• The Prince of Ning explained that Elder Jile and Yin Ji sought a way to complete their techniques and reach the Innate Realm, then assigned Jiang Hao to manage Jueshi Lou’s military supplies.
• Jiang Hao accepted the Prince of Ning’s Gold Token and organized Jueshi Lou’s logistics over the following two months, earning the prince’s greater trust.
• Old Liu Tou reported that Jiang Hao’s firearm was complete and presented it to him.

Jiang Hao advised Prince Ning on how to rebel after the emperor rejected his plan to make the Heir Crown Prince. Prince Ning chose to build from Nanchang rather than seize Jinling or strike directly at the capital, leaving Jiang Hao convinced he had picked the strategy most likely to fail.

• Jiang Hao tested an antique gun and ordered Old Liu Tou to make two more of the same size.
• By the spring of the fourteenth year of Zhengde, Jiang Hao had become Prince Ning’s trusted subordinate and taken control of his logistics system.
• Prince Ning summoned Jiang Hao and explained that Jiang Bin and Zhang Zhong had ruined his effort to have the Heir adopted by the emperor.
• Prince Ning declared his intention to overthrow Zhu Houzhao and asked Jiang Hao for a strategy.
• Jiang Hao proposed striking the capital, seizing Jinling, or advancing from Nanchang, but Prince Ning chose to make Nanchang his base and later seek Jinling.

Jiang Hao saw that Prince Ning was still hesitant about rebellion, but a distorted report that the emperor planned to strip him of his guards and summon him to the capital forced him to act. Prince Ning raised an army, appointed his trusted followers to government and military posts, and agreed to use his birthday gathering to declare rebellion against officials who refused to join him.

• Jiang Hao judged Prince Ning indecisive and continued cultivating, becoming stronger and more sensitive to danger and hostility.
• Jiang Bin brought Sun Sui and Xiao Zhun’s accusation against Zhu Chenhao to Zhu Houzhao, who ordered a warning for Prince Ning and threatened to strip him of his guards if he continued causing trouble.
• A distorted version of the emperor’s order reached Prince Ning, who summoned his six trusted confidants and asked what he should do.
• Li Shishi and the others urged Prince Ning to strike first, and Prince Ning agreed to raise an army.
• Prince Ning appointed Li Shishi and Liu Yangzheng as chancellors, Wang Lun as Minister of War, Jiang Hao as Minister of Revenue, and Ma Sui and Gan Qingning as grand marshals.
• Li Shishi proposed using Prince Ning’s birthday to summon Jiangxi officials and declare a rebellion, killing those who refused to join; Prince Ning accepted the plan.

The Prince of Ning launched his rebellion by seizing officials and marching on Jiujiang, while Jiang Hao stayed behind to manage the rear in Nanchang. With the prince’s forces away, Jiang Hao entered the treasury at Jueshi Lou and began collecting its vast hoard of treasures, expecting Wang Yangming’s arrival to take several more days.

• The Prince of Ning accused Zhu Houzhao of illegitimacy, executed Sun Sui and other dissenting officials, abolished the Zhengde era name, and proclaimed a campaign against the emperor.
• Jiang Hao sent a pigeon north and wrote a long letter to Wang Shuren.
• The Prince of Ning marched with thirty thousand soldiers, captured Jiujiang and Nankang, and attacked Anqing, while Jiang Hao remained in charge of provisions in the rear.
• Jiang Hao moved Min'er and Mu Xue into the Jiang residence, then took Cheng Dong and guards to Jueshi Lou after the Prince of Ning left Nanchang.
• Jiang Hao used the hidden key to enter the treasury and began collecting its paintings, calligraphy, and other treasures one by one.

Jiang Hao emptied the Prince of Ning’s treasury, killed the black-clad swordsman who discovered his secret, and prepared to receive Wang Yangming’s forces outside Nanchang City. He secretly sent his household out through the south gate and returned to the east gate to carry out his plan to open it for Wang Yangming’s troops.

• Jiang Hao collected the remaining treasures in the Prince of Ning’s treasury, but the black-clad swordsman caught him and demanded to know where they had gone.
• Jiang Hao distracted the swordsman by speaking Japanese, then shot him with hidden muskets and concealed his body.
• Jiang Hao took gold and silver to Nanchang City and prepared to receive Wang Yangming’s forces, which were expected to arrive in two days.
• Jiang Hao received a message from Wang Yangming and sent word that he would trick the guards into opening the east gate at midnight.
• Jiang Hao used Soul-Confusing Smoke to incapacitate the guards and the women in his household, then sent Uncle Fu and the others out through the south gate.
• After the convoy left, Jiang Hao returned to Nanchang City and headed to the east gate.

Jiang Hao helped Wang Yangming take Nanchang without bloodshed, then left to reunite with his family and travel to Huguang. He reached the Tie Family estate and reunited with Tie Yuxiang, who welcomed him as he prepared to bathe.

• Jiang Hao arranged for Wang Yangming's soldiers to enter Nanchang through the east gate, allowing them to seize the city without losing a soldier.
• Wang Yangming praised Jiang Hao's contributions, but Jiang Hao declined rewards and left for Huguang to reunite with his family.
• Jiang Hao told Min'er, Mu Xue, and their maids that they were free from the Prince of Ning's service, then agreed they could travel with him for now.
• Jiang Hao's convoy traveled for half a month and reached Anlu Prefecture, where he found the Tie Family residence.
• Tie Yuxiang rushed to embrace Jiang Hao, and Daoist Tie Fei welcomed him and asked about the situation in Jiangxi.
• Tie Yuxiang accompanied Jiang Hao to the bathhouse and offered to help him undress.

Jiang Hao persuaded Tie Yuxiang to let Min'er and Mu Xue stay in their household, then accompanied her to meet Daoist Yuan Jing. There he discovered that Yuan Jing was caring for Zhu Houcong, the young Heir of Prince Xingxian, whose future as emperor Jiang Hao recognized.

• Jiang Hao told Tie Yuxiang that Min'er and Mu Xue had been forced to serve him while he was undercover, and Tie Yuxiang agreed to keep them as maidservants under her rules.
• Daoist Tie Fei invited Jiang Hao and Tie Yuxiang to visit his senior brother Yuan Jing, who had been teaching Tie Yuxiang Daoist arts.
• Jiang Hao met Yuan Jing and learned that the young boy visiting Tie Yuxiang was Zhu Houcong, Heir of Prince Xingxian.
• Yuan Jing explained that Zhu Houcong was frail and that he had been treating him for a year after saving him from a near-drowning.
• Jiang Hao recognized Zhu Houcong as the future Emperor Jiajing and wondered whether Tie Yuxiang's good fortune might help him rise as well.

Jiang Hao received the Maoshan Talisman Scripture from Daoist Yuan Jing and began memorizing its talismans, hoping to learn how to use his spiritual power and possibly treat his father's illness. The chapter ended the next morning when Zhu Houcong arrived at the Tie residence with birds for Jiang Hao to train.

• Zhu Houcong asked Jiang Hao to train him a pair of clever birds, and Jiang Hao agreed.
• Daoist Yuan Jing gave Jiang Hao the Maoshan Talisman Scripture after hearing how he had cultivated spiritual power.
• Daoist Tie Fei explained that Yuan Jing had shared the sect classic to repay Jiang Hao for showing him the Golden Booklet, and encouraged Jiang Hao to ask Yuan Jing for guidance.
• Jiang Hao studied the scripture, memorized nearly half of its 108 talismans, and wondered whether he could use them to cure his father's rheumatism.
• Min'er and Mu Xue began serving Jiang Hao and Tie Yuxiang entrusted the household wealth to her husband's care.
• Zhu Houcong arrived at the Tie Family residence with birds and called for Jiang Hao and Tie Yuxiang to come help him tame them.

Jiang Hao tamed two Red-crowned Cranes for Zhu Houcong, then mastered the Maoshan Talisman Scripture and sought Yuan Jing’s instruction in drawing genuine talismans. Yuan Jing began teaching him that talismans gained their spirituality from cultivated True spiritual energy.

• Jiang Hao tamed two Red-crowned Cranes and had them acknowledge Zhu Houcong as their master.
• Zhu Houcong named the cranes Big Feather and Little Feather, then left happily with them.
• Jiang Hao memorized all 108 talismans in the Maoshan Talisman Scripture and practiced drawing them, but his copies had no spirituality.
• Jiang Hao visited Yuan Jing and explained that he had memorized the scripture and practiced drawing talismans.
• Yuan Jing took Jiang Hao to a pavilion and explained that a talisman’s spirituality came from the True spiritual energy cultivated through practice.

Yuan Jing taught Jiang Hao how to draw, consecrate, and use spiritual talismans, then gave him his consecrated Celestial Master Seal. Jiang Hao tried drawing talismans but failed repeatedly, and Tie Yuxiang asked him to teach her.

• Yuan Jing explained the principles of drawing and activating talismans and gave Jiang Hao his consecrated Celestial Master Seal.
• Jiang Hao drew an Illness Dispelling Talisman, stamped it with the seal, and found that his first attempt had failed.
• Jiang Hao replenished his spiritual power in Mu Xue's room and tried drawing talismans twice more, but both attempts failed.
• Tie Yuxiang confronted Jiang Hao about visiting Mu Xue and Min'er, then became interested in learning talisman drawing herself.
• Jiang Hao agreed to teach Tie Yuxiang the next day.

After taking a break from talisman practice, Jiang Hao successfully drew an Illness Dispelling Talisman and tested it on an elderly man with bi syndrome. Daoist Yuan Jing confirmed that it eased the man’s illness and explained that repeated talismans could cure him completely.

• Tie Yuxiang encouraged Jiang Hao after four days of failed attempts, and he spent several days exploring Anlu Prefecture instead of practicing.
• Jiang Hao calmed his mind, drew his first successful spirit talisman, and showed it to Tie Yuxiang, who identified it as an Illness Dispelling Talisman.
• Jiang Hao and Tie Yuxiang brought the talisman to Daoist Yuan Jing and asked him to help test it on a patient with mixed cold heat bi syndrome.
• Jiang Hao activated the talisman in a bowl of water, and an elderly patient drank the spirit water.
• Daoist Yuan Jing found that the talisman had removed about thirty percent of the patient’s illness and said two more talismans could cure him completely.

After spending more than half a year cultivating in the Ming dynasty, Jiang Hao returned to Binhai City and claimed the rewards for completing his mission. He gained Eidetic Memory and a World Key, but chose to focus on curing his father before visiting Malena, and discovered that buying jade for a talisman seal would strain his finances.

• Jiang Hao learned that Prince Ning's rebellion had failed and spent more than half a year cultivating talismans and the Supreme Bliss Ode.
• Prince Xing Zhu Youyuan died, while Zhu Houcong grew close to Jiang Hao and Yu Xiang began cultivating talismans.
• Jiang Hao completed the mission and returned to Binhai City, where he claimed Eidetic Memory and a World Key that unlocked the world of Malena.
• Jiang Hao decided to treat his father's illness before visiting Malena and began planning to make a Celestial Master Seal.
• Jiang Hao asked Zhou Xinyan to look after Little Lark while he went to Maoshan, then searched Binhai's jade market and realized he could not afford fine jade.

Jiang Hao went to Maoshan to have his Celestial Master Seal nurtured with incense offerings and claimed descent from a Maoshan lineage. After he offered to restore the lost Maoshan Talisman Scripture from memory, Sect Leader Hong Lü welcomed him to stay on the mountain and copy it out.

• Jiang Hao had a chicken blood stone Celestial Master Seal carved and traveled to Maoshan to request that it be nurtured in the main hall.
• A Taoist priest asked Jiang Hao about his lineage, then told him to return after reporting his request to the sect leader.
• Jiang Hao met Sect Leader Hong Lü and said he remembered all 108 talismans in the lost Maoshan Talisman Scripture.
• Hong Lü agreed to nurture Jiang Hao's seal and invited him to stay on the mountain and write out the scripture.
• Jiang Hao's seal was placed in the Three Pure Ones Hall, and he settled on Maoshan, sent photos to Zhou Xinyan, and began copying the scripture for Hong Lü.

Jiang Hao completed the Maoshan Talisman Scripture, joined Maoshan as Hong Lü’s disciple, and drew five successful Illness Dispelling Talismans for his father. After leaving the sect, he learned that Hong Lü understood ghosts as special forms of energy and had once studied semiconductor physics.

• Jiang Hao finished the 108 talisman diagrams, and Daoist Hong Lü preserved the originals in the library.
• Hong Lü invited Jiang Hao to join Maoshan, and Jiang Hao became his officially recognized disciple after two days.
• Jiang Hao received a consecrated Celestial Master Seal and drew seven Illness Dispelling Talismans, five of which succeeded.
• Jiang Hao told Hong Lü he was leaving Maoshan with enough talismans to treat his father, and Hong Lü warned him not to misuse Daoist arts or break the law.
• After leaving Maoshan, Jiang Hao asked Hong Lü whether ghosts existed, and Hong Lü explained that they were forms of special energy and revealed he had graduated in semiconductor physics.

Jiang Hao returned home and secretly cured his parents’ ailments before going back to Binhai and reuniting with Malena in Sicily. As Governor Bonanno, he demanded the king approve Sicilian autonomy and his other proposals within half a month, then shared a peaceful afternoon with Malena.

• Jiang Hao returned to his hometown, gave his parents healing water for three nights, and saw their illnesses improve.
• Jiang Hao arranged the start of his parents’ home renovations, returned to Binhai, and met Zhou Xinyan for a run.
• Jiang Hao used the system to travel to Sicily and reunited with Malena after a long absence from his perspective.
• Jiang Hao met the king’s envoy and demanded approval of Sicilian autonomy and his proposals within half a month, or he would consult the United States government.
• Jiang Hao and Malena walked together in the garden and spoke of their peaceful life and hopes for the future.