Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai and Chen You learned about Chu’s strict laws and the feared Zhao Xing Office while traveling toward Ziwei City. As the city came into view, they prepared to disembark and continue their journey from there.

• A general at Yongning Pass checked the Ziwei Merchant Guild’s pass document and let its spirit boat enter Chu after warning the passengers to obey Chu’s laws.
• The captain explained that Chu’s Violet Gold and White Silver mines belonged to the imperial family and warned that private mining could bring punishment from the Zhao Xing Office.
• Chen You told Lin Bai that the Zhao Xing Office answered only to the Chu Emperor, had far-reaching authority, and recruited outstanding warriors in various fields.
• Chen You listed the benefits of joining the Zhao Xing Office, while the Crow teased Lin Bai about his reputation with women.
• Ziwei City appeared ahead, and the captain explained that passengers heading elsewhere would need to use its teleportation formation or another Ziwei Merchant Guild boat.

Lin Bai arrived in Ziwei City, obtained a Chu Kingdom travel token, and explored the city's bustling streets and entertainment district. As he left for the teleportation array to seek Violet Star City, Chen You burst through a pleasure boat's hull and fell into the water, bleeding.

• Lin Bai and Chen You arrived in Ziwei City, where a hidden group of Dao God realm martial artists watched the spirit boat's passengers.
• Chen You advised Lin Bai to register at the City Lord's Mansion for a travel token, and the two parted ways.
• Lin Bai obtained his travel token and surveyed Ziwei City's shops, government office, and strict laws.
• Lin Bai explored the southern district by boat, then spotted Chen You boarding Caidie Pavilion and decided to head for the teleportation array.
• As Lin Bai's boat passed Caidie Pavilion, Chen You burst through its seventh floor and fell into the water, covered in blood.

Lin Bai rescued Chen You from a group of Black-Robed Men pursuing him through Ziwei City, then joined the fight after they trapped and overwhelmed him. The chapter ended with Lin Bai facing the attackers as they charged him.

• Lin Bai recognized Chen You falling from Caidie Pavilion’s pleasure boat and used his spiritual power to pull him aboard.
• Chen You told Lin Bai he was in trouble, then fled across the rooftops while dozens of Black-Robed Men pursued him.
• After learning the attackers were Dao God realm martial artists and that Chen You was gravely wounded, Lin Bai paid the boatman with pills and went after them.
• The Black-Robed Men trapped Chen You with a golden net and attacked him as he tried to reach the government office.
• Lin Bai arrived on his flying sword, cut through the golden barrier, and sent the attackers surrounding Chen You flying.
• The Black-Robed Men drew their blades and charged at Lin Bai without hesitation.

Lin Bai rescued Chen You from the black-clad attackers and held them off while Chen You sought help. Chen You’s Zhao Xing Office retainers arrived, and he returned to find Lin Bai had killed the attackers and left one survivor to prove his innocence.

• Lin Bai broke through the golden barrier, saved the badly injured Chen You, and urged him to report the attack to the government office.
• Chen You escaped while Lin Bai used his flying sword to stop the pursuers and fought the black-clad death warriors in the alley.
• At the government office, a bailiff insulted Chen You, but members of the Zhao Xing Office arrived and addressed him as Your Highness.
• Chen You ordered the bailiff arrested for corruption and neglect of duty, then rode with the Zhao Xing Office martial artists to Lin Bai.
• Chen You found the attackers dead and one pinned alive by Lin Bai, who had left the survivor to establish that the black-clad men attacked first.

Lin Bai rescued Chen You from an assassination attempt, then learned that the Violet Star City he sought was in Sang Province, one of the Imperial Authority Eighteen Provinces. Chen You invited him to travel together to the imperial capital, admitting he wanted Lin Bai’s protection, and Lin Bai weighed whether to accept.

• Lin Bai killed the black-clad assassins pursuing Chen You, and the Zhao Xing Office members treated the deaths as self-defense and took the bodies away to investigate.
• Chen You thanked Lin Bai and said he did not know whether the attack stemmed from a vendetta or political assassination.
• Lin Bai warned Chen You that the attackers seemed like trained death warriors, and Chen You promised to stay cautious.
• Chen You explained that Violet Star City lay in Sang Province and had drawn countless experts since rumors claimed the destroyed Nine Underworlds Demon Palace hid a treasure there.
• Lin Bai confirmed he wanted to visit Violet Star City, and Chen You proposed they travel together toward the imperial capital because he needed someone to watch his back.

Lin Bai agreed to escort Chen You to the Imperial Authority Eighteen Provinces after Chen You revealed he was in danger on the road. Chen You prepared for a return to the capital, suspecting the Third Prince was behind the assassination attempts, and the two set out from Ziwei City at dawn.

• Chen You asked Lin Bai to travel with him to the Imperial Authority Eighteen Provinces, and Lin Bai agreed.
• Chen You’s subordinate Zhu Mo reported that the assassins were unidentified death warriors, while Chen You blamed the Third Prince for trying to prevent his return to the capital.
• Chen You told Zhu Mo that he wanted Lin Bai as a sincere friend, not as a recruit for Chu, and ordered his hidden guards to protect them along the way.
• At dawn, Chen You and Lin Bai left the inn and headed for Ziwei City’s teleportation array.

A mysterious young man learned that Prince Chen had escaped an assassination and ordered Wuzhai Pass City to prepare for action. Lin Bai and Chen You arrived in Wuzhai Pass City, where Chen You introduced him to Chu Kingdom’s famed food and its notorious Bright Moon Pavilion.

• A young man in the palace learned that Prince Chen had escaped and said Zhu Mo’s presence in Ziwei City had made the outcome unsurprising.
• The young man ordered his servant to tell Wuzhai Pass City to prepare to act.
• Lin Bai and Chen You arrived in Wuzhai Pass City after half a month of traveling through Chu Kingdom’s teleportation arrays.
• Chen You bought Ice Jade Pellets and introduced Lin Bai to Chu Kingdom’s celebrated cuisine.
• Chen You described Bright Moon Pavilion and the women who were sent there from poor families, rebel lineages, and defeated enemies of Chu Kingdom.

Lin Bai and Chen You learned the history of Wuzhai Pass City, but found that its teleportation array to Ke Province had been damaged. They joined the Shanhe Trading Company as temporary guards to travel to Wu Wang City and continue their journey.

• Chen You explained how Wuzhai Pass City had been built after Chu destroyed five bandit strongholds and how it later became a major transportation hub.
• Lin Bai and Chen You discovered that evildoers had damaged the teleportation array to Ke Province, leaving it unusable for up to three months.
• Lin Bai noticed Zhao Xing Office members keeping order as martial artists left to find another route.
• Lin Bai and Chen You approached the Shanhe Trading Company, whose spirit boat had been damaged in a battle with bandits.
• Chen You and Lin Bai agreed to guard the company on its journey to Wu Wang City, and the old man checked their Identity Tokens before letting them aboard.

Lin Bai learned from Chen You why trading companies transported goods by spirit vessels instead of teleportation arrays as the Shanhe Trading Company’s vessel departed Wuzhai Pass City. The vessel was traveling a newly expanded route, the reason it had come under attack.

• The Shanhe Trading Company’s spirit vessel left Wuzhai Pass City and entered Ke Province with Lin Bai, Chen You, and hundreds of temporary guards aboard.
• Lin Bai asked Chen You why trading companies used spirit vessels when teleportation arrays were faster.
• Chen You explained that interprovincial teleportation was extremely expensive, and he had paid Lin Bai’s fees for their earlier journey from Ziwei City to Wuzhai Pass City.
• Chen You warned that teleportation arrays could be tampered with, causing travelers and their treasures to disappear or arrive in ambushes.
• Chen You explained that trading companies cultivated relationships along established spirit-vessel routes, and the Shanhe Trading Company had been attacked because it was expanding its routes.

Lin Bai and Chen You learned why the Shanhe Trading Company had been attacked while trying to expand its trade route beyond Wuzhai Pass City. They discovered that a bounty had been placed on a woman the company brought back, and Chen You explained the Dark World's power and history.

• An old fisherman explained that the Shanhe Trading Company came from Wu Wang City in Ke Province and had been ambushed by rival merchant guilds and bandits after expanding beyond its established routes.
• Lin Bai realized merchant guilds guarded their trade territories through indirect violence, while the old fisherman warned him and Chen You not to risk their lives as temporary guards.
• Lin Bai noticed many martial artists watching the cabin with hostile expressions, and Chen You offered the old fisherman Thousand Mountains Dew in exchange for an explanation.
• The old fisherman revealed that the Shanhe Trading Company had brought back a woman with something valuable and that the Dark World had issued a ten-thousand purple-gold coin bounty for her head.
• Chen You explained that the Dark World ran underground arenas and black markets, traded forbidden goods and information, hired assassins, and had once helped a rebel prince nearly overthrow Chu.

Lin Bai and Chen You learned that the Dark World had placed a huge bounty on a woman traveling aboard their spirit vessel, while Lin Bai grew suspicious of Chen You’s familiarity with the Chu Kingdom. The crow then revealed that a battle had broken out inside the ship’s cabin over the woman and rushed off to look for a possible treasure.

• The old fisherman explained to Lin Bai and Chen You that the Dark World’s ten-thousand-purple-gold bounty offered no guarantee that the woman would be taken alive.
• Lin Bai noticed that Chen You knew the Chu Kingdom far better than his claimed background would explain.
• The crow returned to Lin Bai’s shoulder and told him that poisoned passengers and desperate martial artists were fighting inside the ship’s cabin.
• The crow said the attackers had come for a woman and guessed that she carried a treasure.
• The crow hurried into the cabin to search for the treasure, leaving Lin Bai wondering why the Shanhe Trading Company had taken the woman aboard.

The Crow returned from searching a girl's Storage Bag and gave Lin Bai several items, including the Azure Lotus Swordplay manual and a letter about the Holy Church. Lin Bai learned the swordplay but could not uncover its hidden potential, and the spirit boat's night passed without incident.

• The Crow returned to Lin Bai and complained that he had found no treasures in the girl's Storage Bag.
• The Crow handed Lin Bai a jade hairpin, the Azure Lotus Swordplay manual, and a sheepskin letter, after first tossing a dudou into his face.
• Lin Bai examined the jade hairpin, quickly learned the nine sword moves, and sensed they concealed a profound mystery he could not grasp.
• Lin Bai read a letter from Zhang Qian'an to Jinnian thanking him for helping the Holy Church gain control of officials in Ke Province.
• Lin Bai spent the night pondering the swordplay while the spirit boat sailed on, and the martial artists woke at sunrise without anything happening in the cabin.

After an attack on the Shanhe Trading Company’s spirit vessel, He Qiyun learned that Li Guxian’s Storage Bag had been robbed of her family’s heirlooms and the letter that could clear her family’s name. The journey to Wu Wang City continued peacefully, while Lin Bai grew increasingly intrigued by the mysteries of Azure Lotus Swordplay.

• Uncle Zhang reported that most assassins had been defeated, but the Shanhe Trading Company had lost nearly all its guards, so He Qiyun requested reinforcements from her father.
• He Qiyun urged Li Guxian to check her hidden Storage Bag, and Li Guxian discovered that her mother’s jade hairpin, her Lineage’s secret sword manual, and an important letter were missing.
• Li Guxian also discovered that her undergarments had been stolen, and He Qiyun promised to help her recover everything.
• The Shanhe Trading Company’s spirit vessel traveled toward Wu Wang City without further attacks, as Lin Bai spoke with Chen You and continued studying Azure Lotus Swordplay.
• Lin Bai concluded that Azure Lotus Swordplay’s creator had achieved profound attainments in the sword path.

Lin Bai and Chen You discussed the likely Dark World assassins aboard their spirit boat and agreed to help Shanhe Trading Company if the danger remained within their abilities. As they neared Ke Province, Chen You revealed that the Blood God Sect operated there, and Lin Bai wondered whether it was the Saintly Church mentioned in a letter.

• Lin Bai told Chen You that many of the temporary guards might be Dark World assassins and predicted an attack before they reached Wu Wang City.
• Chen You vowed to help Shanhe Trading Company, and Lin Bai agreed to assist as long as the attackers were within their power.
• Lin Bai asked whether the Chu Kingdom had religious sects, and Chen You explained that the kingdom suppressed sects while some persisted across its territory.
• Chen You identified the Blood God Sect as an ancient religious sect in Ke Province and described how its Blood God Sutra consumed its practitioners' qi, blood, and vitality.
• Lin Bai connected the sect to the Saintly Church mentioned in the Crow's letter as Chen You explained that the Blood God Sutra's founder had been a powerful Gu Dao expert.

Lin Bai and Chen You anticipated an attack on the Shanhe Trading Company’s spirit vessel, and assassins finally forced the company’s guards to flee with Li Guxian and He Qiyun. After the attackers pursued them, Chen You and Lin Bai joined the fight.

• Chen You explained that the Blood God Sutra had once spread through the Chu Kingdom but had been suppressed by the Zhao Xing Office.
• Lin Bai and Chen You noticed the deck fall unnaturally silent, then saw someone test the formation guarding the cabin.
• Lin Bai sent the crow to scout and learned that assassins were fighting the Shanhe Trading Company’s guards inside the cabin.
• Uncle Zhang emerged wounded with Li Guxian and He Qiyun, asked the passengers to cover their retreat, and fled with the two women.
• Dozens of martial artists pursued Uncle Zhang, and Chen You drew his sword to help; Lin Bai agreed to go with him.

Lin Bai and Chen You raced to help Uncle Zhang, Li Guxian, and He Qiyun after assassins surrounded them in the forest. Lin Bai drove the attackers off with three flying swords, but Li Guxian recognized him as the thief who had stolen her embroidered bodice and letter.

• Lin Bai and Chen You left the spirit boat and hurried after Uncle Zhang and the two women as hundreds of bounty hunters pursued them.
• Uncle Zhang was wounded while defending Li Guxian and He Qiyun, and the assassins closed in on Li Guxian as their target.
• Lin Bai appeared in front of Li Guxian and repelled the attackers, while the Crow revealed that Lin Bai had her embroidered bodice in his Storage Bag.
• Lin Bai unleashed three flying swords, killing or wounding dozens of assassins and forcing the rest to flee.
• Li Guxian realized Lin Bai was the thief who had stolen her embroidered bodice and letter, and Chen You arrived after the assassins had escaped.

After Lin Bai saved the Shanhe Trading Company’s party, He Qiyun confronted him for stealing Li Guxian’s letter, which Lin Bai admitted and returned. Chen You recognized Li Guxian’s family name and asked about her father, Li Tianen, leaving her in tears.

• Uncle Zhang thanked Lin Bai and Chen You for rescuing the party, while Li Guxian blushed after hearing the crow’s remarks about Lin Bai.
• Li Guxian told He Qiyun that Lin Bai had taken her letter, prompting He Qiyun to attack him; Lin Bai stopped her sword with two fingers.
• Chen You and Uncle Zhang defended Lin Bai, but Lin Bai admitted he had taken the letter and returned it to Chen You.
• Chen You read the letter, then asked Li Guxian whether her father was Li Tianen, the Tanhua in the Dao God Martial Examination a hundred years earlier.
• Li Guxian began sobbing in He Qiyun’s arms when Chen You asked whether her father was doing well.

Chen You recounted Li Tianen’s rise and revealed his close knowledge of Li Guxian’s family, prompting Lin Bai and He Qiyun to question his identity. Meanwhile, a Holy Sect hall master ordered hundreds of martial artists to attack Lin Bai’s group after the assassins failed.

• Li Guxian broke down in tears when Chen You asked about her father, and He Qiyun told him that Li Tianen had transformed into the Dao.
• Chen You described Li Tianen’s success in the Chu Kingdom’s martial examinations, his marriage to Princess Leping, and his return to Ke Province to fight the Blood God Sect.
• He Qiyun and Lin Bai questioned Chen You’s identity after hearing how intimately he knew Li Tianen’s history.
• A group of martial artists learned that the assassins had failed to deal with the Shanhe Trading Company and prepared to attack themselves.
• The sinister hall master ordered the group to move quickly and leave no clues, dismissing a subordinate’s suggestion to seek the Sect Leader’s approval.

Chen You revealed that he was Chu Junyou, Prince Chen and Princess Leping’s elder brother, as Li Guxian sought his help against the forces that destroyed her family. She explained how the Blood God Sect had infiltrated Ke Province’s officials and used the imperial court to persecute its enemies.

• Chen You told Li Guxian that he was her Imperial Uncle, and Uncle Zhang and He Qiyun recognized him as Prince Chen, Chu Junyou.
• Chen You asked Li Guxian about her parents, and she knelt and asked him to uphold justice for her family.
• Li Guxian said the Blood God Sect had seized control of thousands of cities in Ke Province and forced her father, Li Tianen, to transform into the Dao.
• Li Guxian recounted how her mother killed herself after Li Tianen’s death and how the city lords then slaughtered the Li Family, leaving her as its sole survivor.
• Li Guxian explained that the Blood God Sect had infiltrated the government and used officials and disguised troops to frame and destroy families and sects; Lin Bai called the scheme “concealing the sky and crossing the sea.”

Li Guxian revealed that the Blood God Sect had framed her father, Li Tianen, after infiltrating Ke Province’s cities, driving him to dissolve into the Dao and Princess Leping to take her own life. Lin Bai persuaded Chen You to pursue the truth despite the danger, and they focused on finding Li Tianen’s register of compromised city lords.

• Li Guxian explained that the Blood God Sect had infiltrated Ke Province’s cities and exposed Li Tianen to a false accusation after learning he planned to report the sect.
• Li Guxian said Li Tianen dissolved into the Dao to prove his innocence and Princess Leping slit her throat before the spirit tablet.
• He Qiyun challenged Chen You’s hesitation, and Lin Bai explained that the potential scale of the infiltration could threaten Chu’s stability.
• Lin Bai urged Chen You to accept the facts and investigate, and Chen You agreed the matter could bring another storm to Ke Province.
• Lin Bai identified Li Tianen’s register of city lords as the key evidence and suggested submitting it to the Zhao Xing Office.