Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao planned to expose Xu Changsong at the Martial Arts Convention by drawing in the Demon Sect. After arranging for the Demon Sect to hear she was at Flying Eagle Fortress, she captured an intruder in her room, whose arrival might reveal how she had ended up in a small village.

• 444 wondered whether Xu Changsong and Hong Luan had the imperial court's backing, and Su Qiao said it was possible.
• Su Qiao decided to expose Xu Changsong at the Martial Arts Convention and involve the Demon Sect.
• Su Qiao paid people from the Beggars' Sect to tell the Demon Sect's local branch that she was at Flying Eagle Fortress.
• Gong Jun evaded the courtyard's guards and entered Su Lian Yue's room, but Su Qiao knocked him unconscious.
• Su Qiao turned Gong Jun over and saw blood beneath his nose as 444 hoped he could explain how she had ended up in a small village.

Su Qiao interrogated Gong Jun and learned that Lin Hanyan had been reborn as a child and had orchestrated the attacks on Lin Jinxia and Su Qiao’s adoptive family. The revelation resolved Su Qiao’s long-standing doubts, while Gong Jun’s unwavering loyalty to Lin Hanyan remained clear.

• Su Qiao revived Gong Jun, restrained him, and used Truth Serum and hypnosis to make him answer her questions.
• Gong Jun revealed that Lin Hanyan had been reborn into a three-year-old child’s body and had arranged for Lin Jinxia to be sent to human traffickers.
• Gong Jun confessed that Lin Hanyan later sent him and others to kill the family who had adopted Su Qiao, wiping out their village.
• Gong Jun explained that Lin Hanyan had saved him from abuse in the frontier tribe and helped him avenge his mother, leading him to swear lifelong loyalty to her.

Su Qiao and 444 pieced together Lin Hanyan’s past schemes and her plans to attack the Demonic Sect. They suspected Lin Hanyan had been reborn and sought revenge, but Su Qiao remained uncertain about what had happened between them in her Past Life.

• Lin Hanyan had arranged for Su Qiao to be captured and turned into a Medicine Person, then spread rumors to provoke people into attacking her.
• Su Qiao survived her original fate and became Cult Master after killing Old Poison Ghost and the Demonic Sect’s former Cult Master.
• 444 guessed Lin Hanyan had been reborn and that Su Qiao had taken over as Sect Leader of the Kunwu Sect in her Past Life.
• Su Qiao rejected 444’s theory that she and Lin Hanyan had been caught in a love triangle involving Huangfu Zhenlou.

Su Qiao used hypnosis to make Gong Jun deliver letters to the Seven Great Sects and other martial artists, then ordered him to kill himself at Huangfu Xian’s courtyard. Ye Shaoxuan arrived too late to catch Gong Jun and confronted Su Qiao, who demanded to know why he had been disappearing at night.

• Su Qiao told 444 she wanted Lin Hanyan to feel hated by the man she loved, but kept Gong Jun alive because he was still useful.
• Su Qiao wrote several letters, hypnotized Gong Jun, and ordered him to deliver them before killing himself at Huangfu Xian’s courtyard.
• Ye Shaoxuan burst into Su Qiao’s room as Gong Jun escaped through the window and demanded to know who the man was.
• Su Qiao said Gong Jun had helped her with something, then challenged Ye Shaoxuan about vanishing every night.
• Ye Shaoxuan sat on the bed and insisted he returned to sleep every day, while Su Qiao asked what he had been doing at night.

Su Qiao reassured Ye Shaoxuan that he was her only man, then revealed that she was the Demonic Sect's Cult Master. As Ye Shaoxuan watched her remove her makeup, Lin Hanyan grew increasingly agitated over her hair loss.

• Ye Shaoxuan angrily confronted Su Qiao about hiding a man in her room, and Su Qiao told him he was her only man.
• Ye Shaoxuan realized Su Qiao was the Demonic Sect's newly appointed Cult Master, and she agreed to show him her real appearance.
• Su Qiao used medicinal water to remove her makeup while Ye Shaoxuan watched closely.
• Lin Hanyan woke before dawn, became furious when Yuechan pulled out her hair, and kicked the maid to the ground.

Lin Hanyan mistreated Yuechan while preparing for the final day of the Martial Arts Convention. Su Qiao revealed her true face to Ye Shaoxuan, and the two discussed her resemblance to Lin Hanyan and his plans to kill his stepmother.

• Lin Hanyan threatened to sell Yuechan if she made her lose face at the Martial Arts Convention, then sent her to check whether Gong Jun had returned.
• Ye Shaoxuan saw Su Qiao without her disguise and marveled at her beauty, though he said he preferred her disguised appearance.
• Su Qiao pointed out that she resembled Lin Hanyan and suggested they were twin sisters, with Su Qiao as the elder.
• Ye Shaoxuan asked whether Su Qiao would object if he killed his stepmother, and Su Qiao said she would not care.

Su Qiao told Ye Shaoxuan that Lin Hanyan had caused her suffering and her adoptive family's deaths, and explained how she had used Gong Jun before he killed himself. Ye Shaoxuan revealed that he led Reincarnation Hall and was preparing to propose, then kissed Su Qiao before pretending nothing had happened.

• Su Qiao told Ye Shaoxuan that Lin Hanyan was responsible for her hardships and the deaths of her adoptive family and everyone in her village.
• Su Qiao explained that Gong Jun had come to kill her, but she captured and interrogated him, used the Soul-Snatching Technique to make him deliver letters, and then made him commit suicide.
• Ye Shaoxuan asked to learn the Soul-Snatching Technique, and Su Qiao agreed to teach him when she had time.
• Ye Shaoxuan said he had prepared betrothal gifts and hired a matchmaker, and revealed that Reincarnation Hall was his force and Xu Changsong had taken over the Demonic Sect.
• Ye Shaoxuan complained that Su Qiao had deceived him about her identity, name, face, and recovered martial arts, and Su Qiao apologized.
• Ye Shaoxuan lunged forward, kissed the corner of Su Qiao's mouth, and then lay back as if nothing had happened.

Su Qiao and Ye Shaoxuan agreed to attend the Martial Arts Convention and deal with the people threatening their future marriage. Meanwhile, news that Huangfu Xian served the imperial court spread through Flying Eagle Fortress, where Gong Jun was found dead.

• Ye Shaoxuan proposed marrying Su Qiao after the Martial Arts Convention, and she agreed but insisted they attend to confront Lin Hanyan, Xu Changsong, and Huangfu Xian.
• Su Qiao explained that Huangfu Xian was working for the Old Emperor to bring the martial world under the Imperial Family's control.
• Su Qiao called Nanny Wu and Xiao Huan to prepare hot water while letters about Huangfu Xian's allegiance stirred chaos across Flying Eagle Fortress.
• People found Gong Jun dead in Huangfu Xian's courtyard and suspected Huangfu Xian's people had killed him to silence him.
• Fortress Lord Ye contained the situation, and a coroner determined that Gong Jun had died by suicide.

At the Martial Arts Convention, the martial artists whispered about Huangfu Xian’s ties to the imperial court while Lin Hanyan worried over Gong Jun’s death and her growing conflict with Huangfu Zhenlou. Su Qiao and Ye Shaoxuan watched from the front row, where Ye openly fussed over her and acted possessive.

• The martial artists attended the convention while repeatedly glancing at Huangfu Xian and his son and whispering about Huangfu Xian’s court affiliation.
• Lin Hanyan worried that Ye Shaoxuan had somehow forced Gong Jun to act, while grieving Gong Jun’s death and fearing her rift with Huangfu Zhenlou.
• Su Qiao and Ye Shaoxuan sat together in Flying Eagle Fortress’s front row as other attendees admired Su Qiao’s beauty.
• Ye Shaoxuan peeled a grape and offered it to Su Qiao, but she chose to drink tea instead.
• Ye Shaoxuan pressed Su Qiao to accept the grape, shamelessly displaying his closeness to her in public.

Ye Shaoxuan pushed the Martial Arts Convention to address accusations that Huangfu Xian served the imperial court. Huangfu Xian denied involvement and called for an impartial investigation, leaving the martial artists divided over whether to trust him.

• Su Qiao told Ye Shaoxuan to stop fussing and get down to business.
• Ye Shaoxuan called for the martial artists to resolve the allegations against Huangfu Xian before continuing the fights, and his planted supporters stirred up the crowd.
• The fighters stopped, and Huangfu Xian addressed the crowd, saying he had no knowledge of the matter and would leave the investigation to Fortress Lord Ye.
• Huangfu Xian's supporters defended his record, splitting the martial artists between those who believed him and those who remained suspicious.
• Su Qiao recognized that Huangfu Xian's calm response had helped him win back the crowd's trust.

Fortress Lord Ye calmed the crowd and declared that Gong Jun’s apparent suicide suggested a long-planned trap rather than the Alliance Leader’s guilt. Lin Hanyan was called to explain her attendant’s death, while Ye Shaoxuan challenged her and hinted that he knew her character well.

• Fortress Lord Ye told the crowd that Gong Jun had died by suicide and that the incident appeared to be a trap.
• A man in green robes called on Lin Hanyan to explain what had happened to her personal attendant.
• Madam Lin comforted Lin Hanyan and told her to speak the truth, while Lin Hanyan apologized for implicating her family.
• Su Qiao looked toward Madam Lin but told Ye Shaoxuan she did not want to acknowledge her parents; Ye Shaoxuan reassured her and took her hand.
• Ye Shaoxuan accused Lin Hanyan of trying to invent a story, and Lin Hanyan reacted angrily before Madam Lin interrupted her.

Ye Shaoxuan and Su Qiao confronted Lin Hanyan over her behavior, while Madam Lin tried to smooth things over with Su Qiao. The exchange ended with Su Qiao smiling at Madam Lin’s pointed warning about women knowing their place.

• Ye Shaoxuan accused Lin Hanyan of either being incompetent or having a guilty conscience about Gong Jun.
• Su Qiao accused Lin Hanyan of stringing Huangfu Zhenlou along while trying to seduce Ye Shaoxuan.
• Lin Hanyan insulted Su Qiao for being a concubine, and Ye Shaoxuan threatened to cut off her hand.
• Su Qiao calmed Ye Shaoxuan and told Lin Hanyan she could ensure he had no other woman for the rest of his life.
• Madam Ye reproached Ye Shaoxuan, while Madam Lin apologized to Su Qiao and warned her that women should know their place.

Ye Shaoxuan publicly swore he would marry Su Qiao and defied his father, Ye Zhongli, who threatened to disown him. Su Qiao silenced the family’s argument and confronted Madam Lin, who challenged her status and ability.

• Ye Shaoxuan swore before the gathered martial artists that he would have only one woman and marry Su Qiao after the Martial Arts Convention.
• Ye Zhongli threatened to disown Ye Shaoxuan and deny him the inheritance, but Ye Shaoxuan said he did not care about Flying Eagle Fortress.
• Ye Zhongli blamed Su Qiao and rebuked Madam Ye for bringing her back, while Madam Ye tried to calm him.
• Su Qiao told everyone to shut up, then asked Madam Lin whether she still thought Su Qiao could not see the situation clearly or know her place.
• Madam Lin said Su Qiao had won Ye Shaoxuan over, but insisted that respect in the martial arts world required status and ability.

Su Qiao challenged Madam Lin’s assumptions about her abilities, then turned the gathering’s attention to Lin Hanyan and Gong Jun. With Lin Zhongxuan and Madam Lin beside her, Lin Hanyan began explaining that she knew little about Gong Jun’s past or feelings.

• Madam Lin questioned whether Su Qiao could earn respect, and Su Qiao challenged her claim that she could not use martial arts.
• Su Qiao urged the gathering to hear Lin Hanyan explain her relationship with Gong Jun, her personal guard of twelve years.
• Lin Zhongxuan joined his wife and daughter and told Lin Hanyan to speak without fear, while Su Qiao and Ye Shaoxuan remained wary of them.
• Lin Hanyan said she had saved Gong Jun’s life, which led him to follow her, and that she knew nothing about his past or hidden feelings.

Lin Hanyan denied ordering Gong Jun to attack Huangfu Xian, but the crowd doubted her explanation. Huangfu Zhenlou revealed that his engagement to Lin Hanyan had been called off, leaving the reason for the attack and the identity of the plotter uncertain.

• Lin Hanyan said Gong Jun had served her for twelve years but that she did not know his past before she saved him.
• People stirred up by Ye Shaoxuan challenged Lin Hanyan's account, though some agreed she had little reason to target Huangfu Xian before her marriage to Huangfu Zhenlou.
• Huangfu Zhenlou declared that his marriage to Lin Hanyan had been called off long ago.
• Huangfu Xian suspected that someone among the Kunwu Sect, Flying Eagle Fortress, or Falling Star Valley was plotting to take his Alliance Leader position.
• The crowd was shocked by the broken engagement and began to view Lin Hanyan with uncertainty.

Huangfu Zhenlou confronted Lin Hanyan over evidence that she had conspired in an ambush and poisoned him, rejecting her excuses. He demanded that she explain why she had tried to harm his father and Gathering of Sages Villa.

• Lin Hanyan urged Huangfu Zhenlou to hear her explanation, and he agreed to listen.
• Huangfu Zhenlou showed Lin Hanyan a Mystic Sound Pavilion disciple's token and accused her of helping ambush and poison him.
• Lin Hanyan denied the accusations and claimed her medicine had counteracted another poison, but Huangfu Zhenlou challenged her failure to explain sooner.
• Lin Hanyan said she had forgotten to tell him, and Huangfu Zhenlou accused her of loving her cousin instead of him.
• Lin Hanyan insisted that she loved Huangfu Zhenlou, who then demanded to know why she had tried to harm his father and Gathering of Sages Villa.

At the Martial Arts Convention, Lin Hanyan denied involvement in the suspected plot, but Huangfu Zhenlou and Ye Shaoxuan traded accusations over the Gathering of Sages Villa’s influence. Huangfu Xian asked Ye Shaoxuan to investigate and clear his name, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• Lin Hanyan insisted to Huangfu Zhenlou that she had not arranged the suspected deed and would not have used someone close to her if she had.
• The Kunwu Sect Leader offered to have his sect investigated, but Ye Shaoxuan questioned how long the investigation would take and whether it could uncover a confession.
• Ye Shaoxuan challenged Huangfu Zhenlou to provide evidence of the Gathering of Sages Villa’s innocence and questioned its influence over the other sects.
• Huangfu Zhenlou angrily defended his father, while Ye Zhongli rebuked Ye Shaoxuan and apologized to Huangfu Xian.
• Huangfu Xian asked Ye Shaoxuan to uncover the truth and clear his name, and Ye Zhongli agreed.

Fortress Lord Ye redirected suspicion over Gong Jun’s suicide toward the Demon Sect, and the Martial Arts Convention resumed. Su Qiao planned to return to the Demon Sect to reclaim what was hers, while Ye Shaoxuan offered to help and she told him to wait.

• Fortress Lord Ye claimed Gong Jun’s suicide was meant to target Huangfu Xian and disrupt the convention, likely by the Demon Sect.
• The gathering discussed rumors about the Demon Sect and its missing former Sect Leader, then urged the Alliance Leader and Fortress Lord Ye to act against it.
• Ye Zhongli said the Sect Leaders would discuss attacking the Demon Sect after the Martial Arts Convention, and the martial competition continued.
• Su Qiao decided she would return to the Demon Sect and reclaim her possessions, while Ye Shaoxuan asked whether she wanted him to take action.
• Ye Shaoxuan flirted with Su Qiao, and she warned him that she was poisonous.

Su Qiao and Ye Shaoxuan discussed Huangfu Xian’s hidden forces and the danger he and the Lin Family might pose. They decided to investigate their enemies while teasing each other about who would protect whom.

• Ye Shaoxuan clung to Su Qiao and joked about being willing to die from poison for her.
• Su Qiao warned that Huangfu Xian’s supporters might hold influential positions among the remaining Seven Great Sects.
• Ye Shaoxuan vowed to stop Huangfu Xian from becoming Martial Arts Alliance Leader and to deal with his supporters.
• Su Qiao urged them to investigate first and warned Ye Shaoxuan that Huangfu Xian might target him.
• Ye Shaoxuan warned Su Qiao about the Lin Family and Kunwu Sect, then asked her to protect him.
• Ye Shaoxuan bragged about his looks, abilities, and money, urging Su Qiao to claim him before someone else did.

Su Qiao returned to her courtyard after the day’s fighting, while Ye Shaoxuan investigated Huangfu Xian’s influence and prepared for the final battle. Madam Ye summoned Su Qiao to the Main Hall and began explaining her concerns about Ye Shaoxuan’s refusal to marry, leaving her request for help unfinished.

• Su Qiao challenged Ye Shaoxuan about whether he would accept another woman, and he admitted he would not dare.
• Ye Shaoxuan stayed busy investigating how many people Huangfu Xian had bribed and how many imperial agents had entered the martial world.
• Su Qiao returned to her courtyard with Nanny Wu and Xiao Huan, while the fortress prepared for the final day’s major battle.
• Madam Ye summoned Su Qiao to the Main Hall, where the Fortress Lord watched her sternly and Madam Ye asked whether she was settling in comfortably.
• Madam Ye told Su Qiao that she and the Fortress Lord had long worried because Ye Shaoxuan refused to marry, then paused to study Su Qiao’s reaction.