Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai rescued the Twelfth Prince’s widow and her daughter, the Posthumous Child, from Orchid Pavilion, where Prince Chen’s pursuers surrounded him and his allies. As Old Li and the others prepared to hold off the enemy, Old Li urged Lin Bai to take the mother and daughter and escape.

• Old Li revealed that he had ordered a spy to watch the waiter, and his men stopped the waiter from sending word to the Third Prince.
• Lin Bai shattered Orchid Pavilion’s entrance and spell formation, sending his flying sword out with two women aboard.
• Old Li and the others recognized the mother and daughter as the Posthumous Child and the Twelfth Prince’s widow, and Lin Bai told them to take the pair out of the imperial capital without going to Prince Chen’s Residence.
• More than seventy Orchid Pavilion martial artists surrounded Lin Bai’s group, while Qiao Mo fought Madam Xiao after Madam Xiao demanded her family’s ancestral jade pendant.
• Old Li warned Lin Bai that Lu Hu was stalling and urged him to flee with the mother and daughter while the others held back their pursuers.

Lin Bai and more than fifty Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm warriors fought their way out of Orchid Pavilion to protect the Posthumous Child and her mother from Lu Hu’s forces. As the melee spread, the Zhao Xing Office received Emperor Chu’s order to suppress the battle and seal off the surrounding streets.

• Old Li and the other warriors urged Lin Bai to take the Posthumous Child and her mother and escape while they held off Lu Hu’s forces.
• Lin Bai shielded the Posthumous Child and her mother, told Qin Yao and the others to be careful, and prepared to break through with Old Li’s signal.
• More than fifty of Lin Bai’s allies clashed with over seventy Orchid Pavilion warriors, and Lin Bai charged through an opening while fighting off attackers with his swords and Heaven Measuring Ruler.
• The battle’s immense aura alarmed nearby residents, while the Zhao Xing Office learned that more than a hundred Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm warriors were fighting at Orchid Pavilion.
• Zhu Mo reported the clash to Emperor Chu, who ordered the Zhao Xing Office to suppress it without causing too great a commotion; Zhu Mo dispatched hundreds of Voice Transmission Tokens and ordered a fifty-street cordon.

Lin Bai fought through the warriors at the Orchid Pavilion and fled the imperial capital with the Posthumous Child mother and daughter. A Mid-Grade Great Purity old man intercepted him, but Lin Bai’s Slay the Immortals strike carved a vast ravine through the city as the escape continued.

• Lin Bai cut a path through the warriors surrounding him and carried the Posthumous Child mother and daughter toward the city gate on his flying sword.
• An old man in black appeared on a rooftop and demanded that Lin Bai leave the mother and daughter behind.
• Lin Bai and the old man clashed with their First-Rank Dao Arts, and both suffered injuries.
• Lin Bai realized the old man was likely from the Third Prince’s faction and raced toward the city gate rather than continuing the fight.
• The old man attacked Lin Bai as they neared the gate, but Lin Bai countered with Slay the Immortals and split an imperial capital district with his sword strike.

Lin Bai fought his way toward the imperial capital’s exit while protecting the Posthumous Child and her mother, only to be blocked by a poison cultivator. He recognized the attacker as the black-clad man who had killed Ren Xin.

• Lin Bai refused the General of Ding An Gate’s order to surrender and fought him alongside the old man pursuing him.
• Lin Bai unleashed the Heaven’s Will Four Symbols Sword Formation, forcing both attackers back, then used the Art of Breaking Bans to breach the city wall.
• Lin Bai grabbed the Posthumous Child and her mother and tried to escape, but a cloud of deadly purple poison mist blocked their path.
• A stealthy poison cultivator attacked Lin Bai with a poisonous palm that rotted the city wall, and Lin Bai evaded the strike.
• Lin Bai recognized the poison cultivator’s aura as belonging to the black-clad man who had killed Ren Xin.

Lin Bai fought the shadow warrior, the General of Ding An Gate, and an old man to protect the Posthumous Child and her mother, but was injured when the shadow attacked from behind. A Golden Masked Warrior intervened and drove the shadow into a desperate escape.

• Lin Bai confronted the shadow warrior, the General of Ding An Gate, and the old man, then attacked the old man while his swords held off the others.
• Lin Bai sent the old man flying, but the shadow released poisonous mosquitoes and struck Lin Bai from behind, leaving him badly injured.
• The old man moved to seize the Posthumous Child and her mother while the shadow attacked Lin Bai again.
• A Golden Masked Warrior appeared, protected Lin Bai with a barrier, and repelled the shadow with a glance.
• The shadow fled after the Golden Masked Warrior pointed a powerful attack in his direction.

A Golden Masked Warrior rescued Lin Bai from the attackers at Orchid Pavilion, but the shadow escaped before Lin Bai could learn what he knew about the First Prince's and Second Prince's deaths. After the warrior killed the remaining enemies and protected the Posthumous Child mother and daughter, Zhao Xing Office warriors arrived.

• The Golden Masked Warrior revealed Grand Luo Dao Fruit strength and stopped Lin Bai from killing the fleeing shadow, who escaped into the darkness.
• The Golden Masked Warrior killed the General of An Ding Gate after the general attacked him.
• An old man took the Posthumous Child mother and daughter hostage, but Lin Bai distracted him and severed one of his arms with four concealed flying swords.
• The old man tried to kill the mother and daughter, but the Golden Masked Warrior shielded them and killed him after Lin Bai said he was of no use.
• The Golden Masked Warrior lamented the sinful world as Zhao Xing Office warriors arrived and ordered everyone to remain where they were.

Emperor Chu revealed himself to Zhu Mo after Lin Bai escaped with the Posthumous Child and her mother, and considered whether to reopen the century-old cases surrounding the princes’ deaths. He let Lin Bai investigate, then ordered Zhu Mo to uncover the Third Prince’s influence and protect the mother and daughter.

• The Golden Masked Warrior held off the Zhao Xing Office while Lin Bai led the Posthumous Child and her mother out of the Imperial City.
• Zhu Mo recognized the masked warrior as Emperor Chu, dismissed the Zhao Xing Office warriors, and spoke with him in private.
• Emperor Chu debated reopening the cases of the First, Second, and Twelfth Princes, and Zhu Mo advised letting Lin Bai investigate until the Emperor’s birthday in two years.
• Emperor Chu ordered the captured Orchid Pavilion warriors returned to their masters and instructed Zhu Mo to investigate the Third Prince’s agents in the Zhao Xing Office and the Imperial Capital garrison.
• Emperor Chu ordered Zhu Mo to locate and protect the Posthumous Child and her mother so they would not fall into the Third Prince’s hands.

Lin Bai brought Li Qiaoyun and Li Chuyin back into the Imperial Capital in disguise after rescuing them from the Third Prince’s warriors. He delivered them to the Southern Garden Courtyard, where His Highness Prince Chen welcomed them and acknowledged their ordeal.

• Lin Bai took Li Qiaoyun and Li Chuyin into the eastern outskirts, then decided they should return to the Imperial Capital and seek His Highness Prince Chen’s protection.
• Lin Bai gave the mother and daughter men’s robes and concealed them with cloaks as they entered the city through Shanhe Gate.
• Lin Bai led Li Qiaoyun and Li Chuyin through the busy streets to the Southern Garden Courtyard, where Meng Hua recognized him and let them in.
• Lin Bai reunited with His Highness Prince Chen and the surviving warriors who had taken part in the rescue.
• Lin Bai introduced Li Qiaoyun and Li Chuyin, explaining that Li Chuyin was the Twelfth Prince’s Posthumous Child, and His Highness Prince Chen expressed sympathy for their suffering.

Prince Chen explained how Li Qiaoyun and Li Chuyin had been hidden by the Li family for more than a thousand years after the Twelfth Prince’s death, and promised them protection in the imperial capital. He said they would be safe after the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration and arranged for them to stay at Prince Chen’s Residence.

• Prince Chen recounted how the Li family had secretly hidden Li Qiaoyun and her daughter Li Chuyin after the Twelfth Prince was executed.
• Li Qiaoyun asked to return to the Desert North Thousand Provinces, but Prince Chen warned that the Third Prince might seize them there and urged them to remain in the imperial capital.
• Prince Chen explained that the succession would be decided at the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration two years later, after which neither prince would have reason to exploit them.
• Li Qiaoyun asked Prince Chen to restore their freedom if he became emperor, while Li Chuyin trembled and hid in her mother’s embrace.
• Prince Chen arranged for Li Qiaoyun and Li Chuyin to live at Prince Chen’s Residence and promised they would be safe there.
• Prince Chen told Zhou Wang to record the merits of the operation’s participants and declared that Lin Bai deserved the greatest merit.

After the Orchid Pavilion rescue, His Highness Prince Chen praised Lin Bai for leading the operation and promised to secure the release of the captured warriors. Lin Bai learned that the Golden Masked warrior who saved him at Ding An Gate had not been sent by Prince Chen, leaving the man's identity a mystery as the group went to celebrate at Old Li's restaurant.

• His Highness Prince Chen gave Lin Bai the greatest credit for rescuing Li Qiaoyun and the two girls from Orchid Pavilion and bringing them back to the imperial capital.
• Old Li explained that many of the warriors who failed to return had been captured by the Zhao Xing Office, and His Highness Prince Chen promised to demand their release.
• Lin Bai asked about the Golden Masked warrior who rescued him at Ding An Gate, and His Highness Prince Chen revealed that the man had not been sent by him.
• Lin Bai described how the Golden Masked warrior saved him from the General of Ding An Gate and two powerful warriors, leaving Lin Bai and His Highness Prince Chen wondering who the rescuer was.
• After His Highness Prince Chen left with the mother and daughter, Old Li invited Lin Bai, the Tianshui Sect disciples, and the other warriors to celebrate with free wine at his restaurant.

Old Li brought Lin Bai and the surviving members of Prince Chen’s group to Panchun Restaurant, where they drank Spring Homecoming Wine and discussed the previous night’s escape. Lin Bai learned that twenty-seven of their companions were missing, then received an urgent summons from the Second Elder and left for the Tianshui Sect palace.

• Old Li revealed that he owned Panchun Restaurant and hosted the group with Spring Homecoming Wine.
• Lin Bai praised the wine and listened as the group shared their backgrounds and origins.
• A martial artist noted that only twenty-two of the fifty who went to Orchid Pavilion had gathered, and worried that the missing members had been captured.
• Lin Bai said the Zhao Xing Office would likely spare their companions, but warned that capture by the Third Prince’s men could be fatal.
• The Second Elder contacted Lin Bai through a Voice Transmission Token, and Lin Bai left with Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, Fang Yuanshu, and Ye Guyu for the Tianshui Sect palace.

After Lin Bai abducted the Posthumous Child from Orchid Pavilion, the Third Prince berated the guards who failed to stop him. Old Huo advised the Third Prince to lie low and wait for the throne transfer at the Chu Emperor’s birthday celebration two years later, and the Third Prince ordered his followers to bide their time.

• The Third Prince demanded to know how Lin Bai had taken the Posthumous Child past more than seventy guards at Orchid Pavilion.
• Lu Hu explained that Lin Bai had used a crow to distract the guards, allowing him to slip in and abduct the Posthumous Child.
• Old Huo pleaded for the guards, and the Third Prince spared them after they left the estate.
• The Third Prince lamented that losing the Posthumous Child had weakened his position against Prince Chen and worried that the Chu Emperor favored his rival.
• Old Huo urged the Third Prince to avoid taking action until the Chu Emperor transferred the throne at his birthday celebration in two years.
• The Third Prince agreed and ordered his followers to conceal their strength and give Prince Chen no opportunity to attack them.

After rescuing the Posthumous Child from Orchid Pavilion, Lin Bai returned to the Tianshui Sect's temporary residence and told the elders that Prince Chen had credited the rescue to him and his companions. Chen Yule and Meng Qinxian visited to check on Lin Bai, while explaining why their families and sect had not intervened in the battle.

• Lin Bai told the Second Elder that the Posthumous Child had been handed over to Prince Chen and that the rescue merits would benefit the Tianshui Sect.
• The Second Elder celebrated the news and said he would report the achievement to the sect's leaders and ancestors.
• Chen Yule visited Lin Bai and explained that the Chen Family had learned of the Orchid Pavilion battle but could not interfere in the succession struggle.
• Meng Qinxian arrived and apologized that the Overturning Heavens Sect elders had stopped him from helping Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai told Meng Qinxian that the Overturning Heavens Sect's involvement could have escalated the conflict into a war between Chu and the Seven Nights Divine Sect.

After Lin Bai survived the previous night’s battle, old friends and fellow martial artists visited him at the Tianshui Sect’s traveling palace. Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu arrived together and revealed that, besides checking on him, they had a favor to ask.

• Nie Shang visited Lin Bai, then Meng Qinxian and Chen Yule welcomed him into the reception hall.
• Yi Heze and Lu Qingjun arrived with Lu Lingjun, and Lin Bai warned his visitors not to interfere in the Chu Empire’s affairs.
• Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu came together, prompting Yi Heze to remark on the rivalry between their Star Sect and Moon Sect.
• Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu said they had come both to check on Lin Bai and to ask him for a favor.

Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu told Lin Bai that Star Sect and Moon Sect disciples had gone sightseeing in the capital and disappeared, with their Voice Transmission Tokens unreachable. They asked Lin Bai, a trusted aide to Prince Chen, to help investigate.

• Mo Nan explained that the Star Sect and Moon Sect were made up primarily of female disciples and that their groups had come to the capital for the Emperor of Chu’s birthday celebration.
• Mo Nan reported that seven Star Sect junior sisters had gone sightseeing over the past half month and had not returned or answered their Voice Transmission Tokens.
• Li Xuanqiu said five Moon Sect disciples had disappeared in the same way, and Lin Bai recognized that the cases seemed suspicious.
• Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu asked Lin Bai to help because they were unfamiliar with Chu and knew he was close to Prince Chen.

When more than a dozen disciples of the Star Sect and Moon Sect vanished and stopped responding to their Voice Transmission Tokens, Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu asked Lin Bai for help. Lin Bai organized a joint search and planned to use the Zhao Xing Office and the Chen Family to track them down.

• Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu explained that their sects' disciples had been missing and unreachable for half a month, and Lin Bai and the others agreed the circumstances were suspicious.
• Meng Qinxian made light of the disappearance and then boasted that their group could turn the imperial capital upside down, prompting awkward silence and anger from the two Holy Daughters.
• Lin Bai defended Meng Qinxian's good intentions, and Meng Qinxian said martial artists should put chivalry first; Lu Qingjun and the others then offered to help search.
• Lin Bai proposed that Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu provide portraits, which he would take to Prince Chen's Residence to request a Zhao Xing Office investigation while Chen Yule used the Chen Family's informants.
• Chen Yule agreed to Lin Bai's plan to investigate through both networks.

Lin Bai accompanied Mo Nan, Li Xuanqiu, and the Lu siblings to Prince Chen’s Residence to seek help finding missing Starmoon Sect disciples. Prince Chen sent their portraits to the Zhao Xing Office, while the group shared wine and discussed the imperial capital’s security problems.

• Lin Bai and Chen Yule split up with their companions to search for the missing Starmoon Sect disciples, and Lin Bai’s group went to Prince Chen’s Residence.
• Lu Qingjun, Lu Lingjun, Mo Nan, and Li Xuanqiu introduced themselves to Prince Chen, who welcomed them and offered Northern Region wine.
• Lin Bai explained that several Starmoon Sect disciples had disappeared after leaving their lodging, and Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu said they had been missing for days.
• Prince Chen ordered Zhou Wang to deliver the disciples’ portraits to Commander Zhu Mo at the Zhao Xing Office and investigate their whereabouts urgently.
• Prince Chen hosted a banquet, and he told Lin Bai that the imperial capital had recently seen many heretical cults and Demonic Path Cultivators arrested.

Prince Chen and Lin Bai learned that many young women had disappeared in the Imperial Capital over the past three months, including disciples of the Star Sect and Moon Sect. The Zhao Xing Office found that the missing women were last seen at the Moon Gazing Platform, giving the investigation its first lead.

• Lin Bai, Lu Qingjun, Mo Nan, and Li Xuanqiu offered Prince Chen personal assistance, but he declined their help and urged them to enjoy the Imperial Capital.
• Zhou Wang reported that the Zhao Xing Office had received 132 reports of young women mysteriously disappearing over the previous three months.
• Mo Nan recognized that the disappearances resembled what had happened to her junior sisters, and Lin Bai suspected Demonic Path practitioners might be responsible.
• After receiving a message from Zhu Mo, Zhou Wang told Prince Chen that the missing Star Sect and Moon Sect disciples had last appeared at the Moon Gazing Platform in the Southern City.

Lin Bai and his companions learned that the missing sect disciples had last been seen near the Moon Gazing Platform, so they traveled to South City to investigate. They arrived at Bright Moon Pavilion as nightfall approached, where a waiter offered them costly viewing spots.

• Prince Chen explained that the Moon Gazing Platform's descending-moon spectacle came from a formation built by Bright Moon Pavilion's proprietor, and Zhou Wang said missing women had vanished in South City after visiting the platform.
• Lin Bai received Chen Yule's matching findings and decided to investigate the Moon Gazing Platform with Mo Nan, Li Xuanqiu, Lu Qingjun, and Lu Lingjun.
• Prince Chen lent Lin Bai the Dust Star Sword, which could let him mobilize the Zhao Xing Office and the Imperial City Garrison.
• Lin Bai and his companions traveled to South City and reached the crowded Moon Gazing Platform at dusk, where Chen Yule was waiting inside Bright Moon Pavilion.
• A waiter offered Lin Bai's group upper-, middle-, and lower-grade viewing spots, priced at ten, five, and one immortal jade per person.

Lin Bai went to Bright Moon Pavilion with his companions to investigate the disappearance of Star Sect and Moon Sect disciples, using Chen Yule’s Cloud Platform to search for a man they had followed. As night fell, they watched the moon descend onto the Moon Gazing Platform, but had not yet found the man.

• Lin Bai refused to pay for a viewing area, and the waiter escorted him and his companions to Cloud Platform Nine after he said he was looking for someone there.
• Chen Yule welcomed Lin Bai and the others, then shared the Chen Family informants’ report that Star Sect and Moon Sect disciples had watched the spectacle and left with an unknown man.
• Chen Yule showed the group a portrait of the man, and Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu argued over whether Star Sect disciples would follow him.
• Lin Bai and the others searched the packed viewing areas from the Cloud Platforms with their Mystic Eye Techniques, but did not find the man.
• After nightfall, the moon descended onto the Moon Gazing Platform, and Lin Bai and his companions watched the spectacle from nearby.