Chapter Summaries

Su Fei examined the counterfeit copper coins and concluded that their near-perfect resemblance to genuine coins pointed to a problem inside the Ministry of Works Mint Bureau. He led Lei Chongxiao and an Imperial Guard party to investigate, where Lei ordered the Mint Bureau guards to notify their supervising official.

• Su Fei reassured Ji Yuyan with a jade hairpin and promised to take her to the theater and snack street after completing his investigation.
• Su Fei arrived at the Pacification Office, where Lei Chongxiao presented the counterfeit coins and case files.
• After studying the evidence, Su Fei told Lei Chongxiao that the investigation had likely gone in the wrong direction and proposed examining the Mint Bureau.
• Su Fei and Lei Chongxiao rode with several dozen Imperial Guards to the Ministry of Works Mint Bureau.
• At the Mint Bureau entrance, Lei Chongxiao identified Su Fei as commander of the Imperial Guard and ordered a guard to notify the supervising official.

Su Fei and Lei Chongxiao went to the Mint Bureau to investigate whether its workers were connected to the counterfeit copper coins. Hu Qiuyu summoned the clerks and craftsmen, and Su Fei began questioning the clerks, who denied any wrongdoing.

• The guard captain learned Su Fei was commander of the Imperial Guard and hurried inside to announce his arrival.
• Hu Qiuyu welcomed Su Fei and Lei Chongxiao into the Mint Bureau, where Su Fei said he suspected the bureau might be connected to the counterfeit coins.
• Hu Qiuyu defended the bureau's security and staff, but agreed to summon the clerks and craftsmen responsible for minting.
• Four clerks and several dozen craftsmen gathered in the meeting hall, where Su Fei asked the clerks if they had leaked minting secrets or helped cast counterfeit coins.
• The four clerks denied colluding with outsiders or taking part in illicit coin casting.

Su Fei inspected the Mint Bureau’s mold storeroom and discovered that the molds in wooden box number seven had vanished. He promised Hu Qiuyu he would investigate and asked which outsiders had entered the storeroom in the past six months.

• Su Fei questioned four clerks and found no signs that they knew about the missing molds.
• Su Fei asked Hu Qiuyu to take him to the mold storeroom, and they passed through three guarded checkpoints.
• Hu Qiuyu opened boxes one through six and found their coin molds intact.
• Hu Qiuyu discovered that wooden box number seven was empty, while boxes eight through ten still held their molds.
• Hu Qiuyu pleaded with Su Fei to find the thief, and Su Fei promised to investigate because the missing molds were connected to his counterfeit coin case.
• Su Fei asked Hu Qiuyu which outsiders had entered the mold storeroom during the past six months.

Su Fei suspected the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos of plotting to steal the coin dies after learning he had visited the Mint Bureau’s die storeroom. He set out to investigate the marquis’s residence without waiting for evidence and planned to question the marquis’s steward first.

• Hu Qiuyu revealed that the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos had visited the die storeroom with his steward about a month earlier to view the coin dies.
• Lei Chongxiao described the marquis as a powerful, greedy imperial relative, while Hu Qiuyu said he had watched the visitors and seen them touch nothing.
• Su Fei argued that the marquis’s unusual curiosity suggested he had designs on the dies and could have arranged a theft through others.
• Hu Qiuyu worried that the marquis’s status made investigating him dangerous, but Su Fei reassured him that he would go to the marquis’s residence himself.
• Lei Chongxiao urged Su Fei to gather evidence first, but Su Fei insisted the Imperial Guard did not need evidence to investigate, and Lei agreed to follow his orders.
• Su Fei told Lei Chongxiao they would question the marquis’s trusted steward first.

Su Fei arrived at the Marquis of the Bright Firmament's Residence with Lei Chongxiao and Imperial Guard attendants to summon its steward for an investigation. After Su Fei cowed the arrogant gate guards with his aura, Chen Ping came out and greeted him with a haughty salute.

• Su Fei and Lei Chongxiao rode to the Marquis of the Bright Firmament's Residence with dozens of Imperial Guard attendants.
• Lei Chongxiao told the gate guards to summon their steward, but they dismissed him and claimed the residence's status put them above the Imperial Guard.
• Lei Chongxiao confronted the guards, who surrounded him and threatened to throw him out.
• Su Fei stopped Lei Chongxiao and used his Celestial Person Realm aura to overwhelm the guards, then identified himself as the Imperial Guard Commander.
• The frightened guards ran inside and called for Steward Chen, and Chen Ping came out to meet Su Fei with a slight, haughty salute.

Su Fei questioned Chen Ping about the stolen coin molds and, suspecting his involvement, arrested him and brought him to the Imperial Guard Imperial Prison. After torture began, Chen Ping begged for mercy, but he had not yet confessed when the chapter ended.

• Su Fei questioned Chen Ping about whether the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos had planned to steal the coin molds, and Chen Ping denied knowing anything.
• Su Fei noticed Chen Ping's anxious reactions, sealed his acupoints, and ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest him.
• Su Fei questioned Chen Ping again in the Imperial Guard Imperial Prison, but Chen Ping continued to deny the marquis's involvement.
• Su Fei ordered the jailers to torture Chen Ping, who screamed and begged them to stop.
• Su Fei stopped the torture when Chen Ping's voice grew hoarse, leaving the matter without a confession.

Su Fei questioned Chen Ping about the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos’s interest in the Mint Bureau’s coin molds, then arranged covert surveillance of the Marquis of the Bright Firmament’s Residence. After spending more than ten days at home with Ji Yuyan, Su Fei received Imperial Guards bearing an important lead, but the chapter ended before they revealed it.

• Chen Ping confessed that the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos had asked him about obtaining the coin molds, but said he knew nothing about the theft itself.
• Su Fei determined Chen Ping was telling the truth and ordered jailers to keep him under strict guard in the Imperial Prison.
• Su Fei instructed Lei Chongxiao to send plainclothes Imperial Guards to watch the Marquis of the Bright Firmament’s Residence around the clock.
• Su Fei returned home and spent more than ten peaceful days with Ji Yuyan while awaiting news from the surveillance team.
• Several Imperial Guards arrived at Su Fei’s home and announced that they had discovered an important lead, then began reporting on their watch.

Su Fei investigated the suspicious Great Thoroughfare Bank after learning that Lord Li, deputy minister of the Court of Judicial Review, regularly visited it and the Marquis of the Bright Firmament's Residence. The bank’s ordinary-looking search revealed nothing, so Su Fei used his Celestial Person Realm soul power to examine the premises.

• An Imperial Guard Hundred Households Officer reported that a black-robed visitor to the Marquis of the Bright Firmament's Residence was likely Lord Li, who also spent hours at the heavily guarded Great Thoroughfare Bank.
• Su Fei ordered the Imperial Guards to surround the Great Thoroughfare Bank and prevent anyone from entering or leaving.
• The bank guards yielded after learning Su Fei was the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and he ordered the manager and attendants brought before him.
• Su Fei rejected the manager's offer of fifty taels of gold and ordered a thorough search of the bank.
• The Imperial Guards found only ordinary furnishings, account books, paintings, and calligraphy, so Su Fei released his soul power to search the bank.

Su Fei uncovered a counterfeit coin workshop beneath the Great Thoroughfare Bank and recovered the stolen number seven coin-casting mold. The prisoners’ confessions identified Li Zhong, deputy chief of the Court of Judicial Review, as the man behind the operation, and Su Fei prepared to pursue the masterminds.

• Su Fei sensed people hidden beneath the bank and ordered Officer Zhang to investigate the cellar concealed under two porcelain vases.
• Officer Zhang and the Imperial Guards fought the hidden men, arrested seven or eight suspects, and brought up chests of counterfeit copper coins and a coin-casting mold.
• Su Fei recognized the mold as the one stolen from the Mint Bureau and ordered the bank manager, clerks, and suspects taken to the Imperial Guard Imperial Prison for separate interrogations.
• The prisoners confessed that Li Zhong had taken them from prison and forced them to mint counterfeit coins, while his household servants ran the bank and supervised the workshop.

After uncovering evidence linking Li Zhong to counterfeit coin production, Su Fei led over a hundred Imperial Guards to arrest the Vice Minister at his residence. Li Zhong denied the charges, and Su Fei prepared to seize him by force.

• Su Fei concluded that Li Zhong was behind the stolen coin mold and counterfeit coins, then ordered the Imperial Guards to assemble.
• Su Fei led the force to Li Zhong's residence, where Li Zhong emerged with four martial artists, including one Martial Saint and three Grandmasters.
• Su Fei presented the coin minting mold and accused Li Zhong of freeing prisoners and arranging the counterfeit operation.
• Li Zhong denied the accusations and claimed the evidence had been fabricated to frame him.
• Su Fei lost patience, gripped his saber, and prepared to arrest Li Zhong by force.

Su Fei confronted Li Zhong over his crimes, but Lingering Snow of the Five Poisons Cult intervened with Golden Silkworm Gu that debilitated the Imperial Guards. Su Fei remained unaffected and caught all the insects, leaving Lingering Snow and Li Zhong stunned.

• Lingering Snow identified himself as a member of the Five Poisons Cult and demanded that Su Fei spare Li Zhong, but Su Fei refused and ordered him to stand aside.
• Lingering Snow released Golden Silkworm Gu whose buzzing weakened the Imperial Guards and disrupted their True Essence, while Su Fei remained unaffected.
• Li Zhong regained his confidence and threatened Su Fei after Lingering Snow claimed the insects could not be harmed by weapons.
• Four Imperial Guards fired refined-steel crossbow bolts at the Golden Silkworm Gu, but the bolts bounced off without injuring them.
• Su Fei unleashed his Indestructible Golden Body, rushed beneath the insects, and caught every Golden Silkworm Gu in his hand.

Su Fei crushed the Golden Silkworm Gu, killed Lingering Snow and three Grandmasters, and pursued Li Zhong into the Li Mansion. The Imperial Guards followed him inside as the mansion’s servants and maids noticed the commotion.

• Su Fei crushed the Golden Silkworm Gu, ending their attack on the Imperial Guards and enraging Lingering Snow.
• Lingering Snow attacked Su Fei with the Five Poisons Palm, but Su Fei broke his fingers and struck him down, leaving him to die.
• Li Zhong ordered three imprisoned Grandmasters to stop Su Fei, then fled into the mansion.
• Su Fei killed the three Grandmasters with Sword Qi as the Imperial Guards praised their commander.
• Su Fei led the Imperial Guards into the Li Mansion in pursuit of Li Zhong, and the servants and maids noticed the commotion.

Su Fei captured Li Zhong in his mansion and brought him to the Imperial Guard Imperial Prison, where Li Zhong pretended to be insane to avoid interrogation. Su Fei used the God-tier Insight Technique to recognize the deception.

• Su Fei ordered the Imperial Guards to seal the Li Mansion and search until they found Li Zhong in his bedroom clutching his valuables.
• Su Fei had Li Zhong bound and taken away, while the Imperial Guards recorded and confiscated his wealth.
• The Imperial Guards dragged Li Zhong to the Imperial Guard Imperial Prison as he cried for his valuables, drawing the attention of onlookers.
• The Imperial Guards suspected Li Zhong had lost his mind, but Su Fei observed his steady physical condition with the God-tier Insight Technique and realized he was feigning madness.

Su Fei summoned Doctor Hu to use Golden Needle Acupoint Piercing on Li Zhong, whose apparent madness was exposed when the pain made him scream. Su Fei stopped the treatment and prepared to take over the interrogation, leaving Li Zhong exhausted and terrified.

• Su Fei ordered a jailer to bring in the Imperial Prison’s best torturer, and the jailer introduced the prison physician, Doctor Hu.
• Doctor Hu heated three silver needles and pierced acupoints around Li Zhong’s neck and shoulders.
• After the first stage passed, the second stage’s intense pain brought Li Zhong out of his feigned madness and made him scream.
• Su Fei told Doctor Hu to stop and leave what came next to him.
• Doctor Hu removed the needles, and Li Zhong slumped against the torture post, gasping and afraid.

Su Fei secured Li Zhong’s signed confession implicating the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos in the counterfeit-coin scheme. He rallied the Imperial Guards to arrest the powerful marquis despite their fears of offending the imperial family.

• Li Zhong confessed that he had released prisoners, used his household servants to run the counterfeiting operation, and partnered with the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos.
• Su Fei had Li Zhong write, sign, and fingerprint his confession, then reviewed it alongside the other evidence.
• Su Fei saw that the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos remained at large and ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest him at the Marquis of the Bright Firmament's Residence.
• Song Lian warned Su Fei that arresting the empress dowager’s brother could bring serious consequences, but Su Fei insisted that the law applied to everyone.
• Song Lian and the other Imperial Guards pledged to accompany Su Fei and uphold the law.

Su Fei led the Imperial Guards to the Marquis of the Bright Firmament's Residence to arrest Chen Haoyu. After Chen Haoyu invoked his imperial connections and threatened the guards, Su Fei slapped him and ordered his arrest, leaving the Imperial Guards ready to carry out the command.

• Su Fei assembled the Imperial Guards and led them to the Marquis of the Bright Firmament's Residence.
• Song Lian announced the Imperial Guard's investigation and demanded that Chen Haoyu come out.
• Chen Haoyu threatened the guards by boasting of his ties to the empress dowager and the emperor.
• Su Fei slapped Chen Haoyu and declared that no one stood above the law.
• Su Fei ordered Song Lian to seize Chen Haoyu and take him to the Imperial Guard Imperial Prison for interrogation.

Su Fei arrested Chen Haoyu on suspicion of counterfeiting coins and refused to release him when Eunuch Li arrived with the empress dowager’s decree. The dispute turned into a clash between the Imperial Guards and the palace guards on the imperial avenue.

• Su Fei ordered the Imperial Guards to bind Chen Haoyu, stationed men to watch the marquis’s residence, and continued toward the Imperial Guard Imperial Prison.
• Eunuch Li intercepted Su Fei’s party and read the empress dowager’s decree ordering Chen Haoyu’s release and his delivery to the palace.
• Su Fei refused to obey, insisting that only an Imperial Decree from His Majesty could pardon Chen Haoyu’s crimes.
• Eunuch Li ordered the palace guards to seize Chen Haoyu, and Song Lian commanded the Imperial Guards to protect the prisoner and stop them.
• The Imperial Guards and palace guards charged and clashed with their sabers on the imperial avenue.

Su Fei defeated Eunuch Li’s palace guards and brought Chen Haoyu, Eunuch Li, and the surrendered guards to the Imperial Prison. His mission to solve the counterfeit coin case remained incomplete, and the emperor summoned him to the palace.

• Su Fei knocked Eunuch Li unconscious, and the remaining palace guards surrendered.
• Su Fei ordered Song Lian to escort Chen Haoyu, Eunuch Li, and the guards to the Imperial Prison.
• Su Fei had Chen Haoyu held under strict guard and ordered Eunuch Li and the guards detained separately for questioning.
• Su Fei checked his system panel but received no mission-completion notice, so he suspected other accomplices remained hidden.
• An imperial envoy delivered the emperor’s command for Su Fei to enter the palace immediately for an audience.

Su Fei appeared before Emperor Xuan to answer for arresting Chen Haoyu, the Marquis of the Radiant Cosmos, and refused the emperor’s plea for leniency. He presented Li Zhong’s confession and physical evidence of the counterfeit-coin operation, leaving Chen Haoyu’s fate contested at court.

• After learning the Empress Dowager had pleaded for Chen Haoyu, Emperor Xuan summoned Su Fei to the imperial study.
• Su Fei ordered Song Lian to guard Chen Haoyu and Eunuch Li and prevent anyone from interfering with the investigation.
• Emperor Xuan asked Su Fei to spare Chen Haoyu’s life for the sake of their family ties and the Empress Dowager’s well-being.
• Su Fei refused, arguing that Chen Haoyu’s counterfeit minting and other crimes warranted the death penalty.
• Su Fei presented Li Zhong’s signed confession and cited the recovered molds, counterfeit coins, and other evidence against Chen Haoyu.

Su Fei secured Emperor Xuan’s approval to handle Chen Haoyu’s case according to the law, then questioned Chen Haoyu about his accomplices. Chen Haoyu named Palace Guard commander Cao An, and Su Fei set out to arrest him.

• Emperor Xuan agreed that Chen Haoyu’s case should be handled according to the law after Su Fei argued against granting him leniency.
• Su Fei returned to the Imperial Guard Imperial Prison and ordered Song Lian to prepare for Chen Haoyu’s interrogation.
• Chen Haoyu confessed that Cao An had arranged for counterfeit copper coins to be distributed and had helped disrupt the court’s financial order.
• Chen Haoyu revealed that Cao An was a grandmaster realm ninth-layer cultivator and the disciple of the Prince Who Pacifies the South.
• Su Fei ordered Song Lian to assemble the Imperial Guard’s elite and accompany him to arrest Cao An at the Palace Guard camp.