Chapter Summaries

Li Musheng killed Baili Yu, Baili Xue, Lu Baiming, and Tu Shan in an instant when they attacked Hu Ruian’s group to capture Murong Xiaoya. The group continued toward Sheng Province, while Murong Feng arrived afterward, found the bodies, and mistakenly concluded that Hu Ruian had killed them.

• Hu Ruian ordered Wu Shang and the others to keep moving despite Baili Yu’s group blocking the street to seize Murong Xiaoya.
• Lu Baiming, Tu Shan, and Baili Xue attacked the carriage and its escorts with flute blades, stone dragons, and a barrage of hair.
• Li Musheng silently killed Baili Yu, Baili Xue, Lu Baiming, and Tu Shan with a single strike each, and Hu Ruian ordered the group onward.
• Murong Xiaoya thanked Li Musheng for protecting her, and Hu Ruian warned him that the Murong Family’s troubles might interfere with their work in Sheng Province.
• Murong Feng found the four dead attackers and assumed Hu Ruian had been stronger than Baili Xue.

Hu Ruian and his group reached the Murong Estate after killing Baili Yu and his companions, while Li Musheng allowed Hu to act under his authority but declined to promise further help. As Baili Changfeng learned of his son's death and vowed revenge, Murong Feng and his Second Uncle discussed the threat and the Murong Family’s plans.

• Murong Zhen welcomed Murong Xiaoya, Hu Ruian, and their companions to the Murong Estate, then sent Hu’s group to their courtyard.
• Hu Ruian told Li Musheng that the Murong Family Head had not met with him, and Li Musheng authorized Hu to act in Sheng Province under his banner while leaving further aid conditional.
• Hu Ruian took Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong to the Heavenly Brocade Guard branch to investigate why Mei Yan had not replied to orders from headquarters.
• Murong Feng told his Second Uncle that Hu Ruian had killed Baili Xue and Baili Yu, and his Second Uncle warned that the Baili Family and other forces might turn against the Murong Family.
• Murong Feng accepted a Sparrowflame Pill from his Second Uncle and said their father would approve the plan to absorb the other families.
• Baili Changfeng learned that Baili Yu, Baili Xue, and their companions had been killed and their bodies displayed at the city gate, then demanded details from the messenger.

After Baili Changfeng vowed revenge for Weier’s murder, Hu Ruian investigated reports of a deadly haunting at the Sheng Province Heavenly Brocade Guard branch office. Convinced the mystery could help him advance his mission before His Highness left the city, Hu Ruian entered the dark compound alone.

• Baili Changfeng ordered Shadow Crow to investigate everyone connected to Weier’s murder and declared the Baili and Murong Families irreconcilable enemies.
• Zhu Wu and Cen Luohua acknowledged their alliance with General Han and discussed the danger posed by the Murong Family.
• Hu Ruian, Wu Shang, and Cheng Zhong found the Sheng Province Heavenly Brocade Guard branch office deserted and heard an old man describe a haunting linked to dozens of deaths.
• Hu Ruian sent Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong to verify the story with nearby residents, who confirmed the haunting but knew fewer details than the old man.
• Hu Ruian decided the haunting might provide a breakthrough in Sheng Province and entered the branch office alone.

Hu Ruian investigated the haunting at the Heavenly Brocade Guard residence, but his attacks could not affect the ghostly shadow or laughter, forcing him to retreat. He warned Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong to stay close to Li Musheng the next day, then went to Mei Residence to meet Mei Yan and continue handling affairs in Sheng Province.

• Hu Ruian entered the dark Heavenly Brocade Guard compound and found a huge black cat near a hall with half-open doors.
• A ghostly shadow and eerie laughter appeared, and Hu Ruian's powerful attacks repeatedly failed to harm or dispel them.
• Hu Ruian escaped the compound with Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong after the ghostly presence followed him to the gate and uttered the word "Die."
• An old man watched Hu Ruian's departure and predicted that three more corpses would appear the next day.
• At Mei Residence, Hu Ruian warned Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong to stay close to Li Musheng tomorrow because the haunting was beyond his expectations.
• Hu Ruian and his companions entered the brightly lit residence to meet Mei Yan.

Hu Ruian confronted Mei Yanyu over Sheng Province’s failure to send its Heavenly Brocade Guard to Lanzhou and learned that Mei Yan had been left unconscious after a deadly haunting. Mei Yanyu promised an answer the next day, while Hu Ruian decided the haunting’s truth—and whether he and his companions survived the night—would determine what happened next.

• At the Mei Estate, Hu Ruian learned that Mei Yan had been unconscious for days after the Heavenly Brocade Guard haunting, and Mei Yanyu warned that Hu Ruian might not survive until morning.
• Hu Ruian demanded that Sheng Province’s Heavenly Brocade Guard depart for Lanzhou within two days, and Mei Yanyu said he would consult his mother and the guard’s commanders before answering the next day.
• After Hu Ruian left, Elder Mu reported to Mei Yanyu that he had encountered three unlucky men at the Heavenly Brocade Guard yamen.
• Hu Ruian told Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong that he suspected the haunting was connected to the refusal to mobilize the guards, and that surviving the night was key to uncovering the truth.
• Hu Ruian returned with Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong to Murong Estate, hoping Li Musheng would help if the ghosts came after him.

Shen Anran sought Li Musheng’s guidance on the Deer-Slaying Saber Manual and found her saber skills greatly improved after practicing his corrections overnight. Hu Ruian, Wu Shang, and Cheng Zhong asked Li Musheng for help with the haunting at the Heavenly Brocade Guard branch, and he agreed to investigate while they stayed close to him; the chapter ended as the group met Murong Hong at breakfast.

• Hu Ruian and his companions returned and found Shen Anran asking Li Musheng for guidance on the Deer-Slaying Saber Manual.
• Li Musheng pointed out flaws in Shen Anran’s saber techniques, and she left pleased that he had treated her kindly.
• Shen Anran practiced Li Musheng’s corrections through the night and discovered that her saber strikes had grown several times stronger.
• Hu Ruian, Wu Shang, and Cheng Zhong waited outside Li Musheng’s room all night, then told him about the ghostly attacks at the Heavenly Brocade Guard branch.
• Li Musheng agreed to let the three men accompany him and investigate when the alleged evil spirit came for them.
• A Murong Family servant invited the group to breakfast, where Murong Hong greeted Li Musheng and thanked Hu Ruian for looking after his daughter.

Hu Ruian and Li Musheng learned that Governor Zhu Ziming had leaked the Heavenly Brocade Guard’s plans to Falling God Peak, while the Murong family faced an imminent attack by Baili Changfeng and three allied families. Li Musheng left Murong Estate with Hu Ruian, Shen Anran, and Murong Xiaoya, and the group departed as the estate prepared to defend itself.

• Murong Hong thanked Li Musheng and Hu Ruian for rescuing Murong Xiaoya, then showed Hu Ruian a letter revealing that Zhu Ziming had reported the Heavenly Brocade Guard’s deployment details to Falling God Peak.
• Murong Hong said his family had found no firm evidence against Deputy Commander Mei Yan, while Hu Ruian revealed that Mei Yan had handed his duties to his son after being injured.
• Murong Hong proposed that Murong Xiaoya guide Li Musheng around the city, but a soldier reported that Baili Changfeng and three families were marching on the estate with several thousand soldiers.
• Murong Hong ordered his forces to defend the estate and asked Li Musheng to remain there, but Hu Ruian urged Li Musheng to leave, and the group departed with Murong Xiaoya.
• Hu Ruian explained that the Murong family’s declining influence left it able to mobilize less than twenty percent of the Sheng Province garrison, while the estate’s guards let their carriage pass.

Li Musheng’s carriage left the Murong Estate as the four great martial families mobilized against the Murong Family. Baili Changfeng intercepted the carriage to avenge his son, but after Li Musheng admitted killing him, Baili Changfeng’s attack vanished, leaving him frozen in disbelief.

• Hu Ruian warned that the Murong Family’s conflict with the provincial general and other martial families had left it in a dire position.
• Baili Changfeng led troops toward the Murong Estate, then learned from Shadow Crow that the suspected killers had left and pursued them with a smaller force.
• Li Musheng directed Murong Xiaoya to guide the carriage to the Sheng Province government office as Baili Changfeng’s cavalry approached.
• Baili Changfeng surrounded the carriage and demanded to know whether its occupants had killed his son.
• Li Musheng answered that he had killed Baili Yu, and Baili Changfeng launched an all-out attack.
• Baili Changfeng’s attack vanished before reaching the carriage, and Li Musheng asked whether he still wanted revenge.

Li Musheng killed Baili Changfeng and his four experts after Changfeng hesitated, then continued with Murong Xiaoya and the others to the Sheng Province government office. Meanwhile, the Baili, Yuan, Zhu, and Cen clans gathered to attack Murong Estate, but news of Changfeng’s death left the remaining clan heads uncertain whether to proceed.

• Li Musheng killed Baili Changfeng and the four Shadow Crows in an instant, and the black-armored cavalry halted rather than pursue the carriage.
• Hu Ruian warned that Li Musheng’s actions could draw Han Chuiyuan and the rival martial clans against the group, while Murong Xiaoya said her family had its own way to handle the conflict.
• Murong Xiaoya guided Li Musheng and the others to the Sheng Province government office without further obstruction.
• Baili Changfeng’s clan uncle and the Yuan, Zhu, and Cen clan forces surrounded Murong Estate, but an armored soldier reported that Changfeng and his four experts had been killed.
• After Baili Changfeng’s clan uncle confirmed the death, Yuan Shanbiao informed General Han, and the three remaining clan heads questioned whether to continue their attack on the Murong Family.

Li Musheng and Hu Ruian discovered that every official and runner in the provincial yamen had been murdered, including Governor Zhu Ziming. While Cao Gaoshan rode to alert the authorities, Li Musheng approached the nervous Murong Xiaoya.

• Hu Ruian sensed blood inside the closed provincial yamen, and Wu Shang opened its gates.
• Hu Ruian found corpses throughout the rear courtyard and discovered Zhu Ziming had been killed by a sword strike through the throat.
• Hu Ruian reported that all 176 officials and runners had been murdered, and said the deaths had to be reported to the authorities.
• Wu Shang suggested leaving the notifications to Cao Gaoshan, who rode off while the others stayed at the yamen.
• Li Musheng noticed Murong Xiaoya acting nervously and walked over to her.

Li Musheng recovered a jade token Murong Xiaoya had hidden and learned it belonged to her brother, Murong Feng. After the Heavenly Brocade Guard arrived, Mei Yanyu identified the sword art used in the killings as the Murong Family’s Azure Dragon Thousand Swords, but suggested someone might have planted evidence to frame the family.

• Li Musheng returned the jade token to Murong Xiaoya and warned her not to become entangled in the case.
• Murong Xiaoya told Hu Ruian that the jade token belonged to her brother, Murong Feng, and apologized to Li Musheng for hiding it.
• Cao Gaoshan returned with Mei Yanyu and members of the Heavenly Brocade Guard to inspect the government office’s inner courtyard.
• Mei Yanyu recognized the killers’ sword art as the Murong Family’s Azure Dragon Thousand Swords and argued that the evidence could have been planted to frame them.

Mei Yanyu questioned Hu Ruian about the killings and learned that Hu Ruian’s party had sealed off the government office while Imperial Secret Police and garrison forces arrived to investigate. Meanwhile, the four great martial arts families surrounded the Murong Estate, and Murong Hong’s family debated whether to fight or call on their elder uncles.

• Mei Yanyu asked Hu Ruian who had slaughtered the government office’s occupants and then questioned him about the rumor that his party had killed members of the Baili Family; Hu Ruian implied that Mei would soon learn the answer.
• Hu Ruian and the Sheng Province Heavenly Brocade Guard began sealing off the government office, and Deputy General Zhang Feng and Chief Gold-Ranked Constable Yao Lingyuan arrived with soldiers and constables.
• After learning Li Musheng was the Eighth Prince, Zhang Feng secretly sent an armored soldier to inform General Han.
• The Yuan, Zhu, Cen, and Baili families surrounded the Murong Estate but hesitated to attack after Baili Changfeng’s death.
• Murong Qing urged Murong Hong’s family to fight their way out, while Murong Bei proposed calling on their two elder uncles.

Murong Hong's council learned that Baili Changfeng had been killed by a mysterious young-sounding expert traveling with Murong Xiaoya, and Murong Hong suspected the Eighth Prince had acted. After arranging the family's defenses, Murong Hong was confronted by Murong Zhen about the concealed deaths of the two ancestors.

• A messenger reported that Baili Changfeng had led a hundred Black-Armored Heavy Cavalrymen and other experts to attack Murong Xiaoya's party, but an unseen person in the carriage killed him and his accompanying martial experts with a single finger.
• Murong Hong questioned the messenger, who said the attacker had a very young voice and had never shown his face.
• Murong Hong recalled Murong Xiaoya saying the Eighth Prince was formidable and wondered if he had been the attacker.
• Murong Qing argued that Baili Changfeng's death might fracture the four-clan alliance, but Murong Hong ordered the family to remain prepared for battle and arranged the residence's defenses.
• After the others left, Murong Feng said Murong Xiaoya was safe with the Eighth Prince's party, and Murong Zhen asked Murong Hong how long he intended to conceal the deaths of the two ancestors.

Murong Zhen and Murong Feng urged Murong Hong to use the forbidden power to save the weakened Murong Family, revealing they had already taken the Sparrowflame Pill. After confronting Murong Fu, Murong Hong agreed to their proposal and ordered the family to prepare for battle at sunset.

• Murong Zhen and Murong Feng warned Murong Hong that the Murong Family faced destruction without its old ancestors and urged him to act despite the ancestral prohibition.
• Murong Hong pressured Murong Zhen, who revealed his Sparrowflame Pill power and said he and Murong Feng had taken the pills of their own free will.
• Murong Hong hurried to Murong Fu's study, while Murong Zhen and Murong Feng failed to break through the martial aura surrounding it.
• Murong Hong emerged from the study and told his sons he had agreed to their proposal, forbidding them from seeing Murong Fu again.
• Murong Hong ordered Murong Zhen and Murong Feng to prepare the Murong Family to fight the four great families at sunset, saying the old ancestors would personally act.

The four great martial families agreed to follow Han Chuiyuan’s orders and attack the Murong Family before midnight while Yao Lingyuan investigated the government office murders under Li Musheng’s supervision. The investigation continued as Hu Ruian and the others remained alive past the ghost’s usual deadline, and Mei Yanyu learned that Hu Ruian’s group had killed Baili Changfeng, suspecting the true killer was connected to Li Musheng.

• Han Chuiyuan ordered the Yuan, Zhu, Cen, and Baili families to take down the Murong Family before midnight, and the families agreed to act with his aid.
• Yao Lingyuan began investigating the 176 deaths at the government office under Li Musheng’s supervision and identified seven killers, including a Half-Step Celestial swordsman who had killed Zhu Ziming.
• Mei Yanyu watched Hu Ruian, Wu Shang, and Cheng Zhong survive past noon, breaking the pattern of deaths linked to the ghostly entity.
• A messenger falcon brought Mei Yanyu news that Baili Changfeng was dead, killed by a single finger.
• Mei Yanyu learned that Hu Ruian and the others had killed Baili Changfeng and suspected that the person responsible was connected to Li Musheng.

Li Musheng and the others finished investigating the mass murder at the provincial government office, with the Murong Family still considered the prime suspect. Mei Yanyu and Hu Ruian had waited for ghosts to attack Hu Ruian’s group, but none appeared, leaving the haunting’s pattern uncertain as the group departed at dusk.

• Mei Yanyu and Elder Mu discussed the ghosts’ failure to attack Hu Ruian, Wu Shang, and Cheng Zhong, and decided to keep watching them.
• Li Musheng spent the day refining the Azure Dragon Firmament Scripture while officials examined and recorded more than a hundred corpses; the Murong Family remained the chief suspect.
• Yao Lingyuan invited Li Musheng to the Imperial Secret Police for tea, but Li Musheng declined.
• Shen Anran and Murong Xiaoya prepared to leave with Li Musheng, though Murong Xiaoya remained worried about her family.
• Hu Ruian, Wu Shang, and Cheng Zhong realized no ghosts had appeared all day, and Hu Ruian went to speak with Mei Yanyu before they left.

Hu Ruian confronted Mei Yanyu about the ghosts and demanded that the Heavenly Brocade Guard of Sheng Province go to Lanzhou, threatening to take command himself if the Mei family refused. On the ride back to Murong Estate, Hu Ruian learned that Li Musheng had not stopped the ghosts, leaving everyone unsure why they had not attacked.

• Mei Yanyu confirmed that ghosts had killed people at the Heavenly Brocade Guard branch office, but could not explain why they had spared Hu Ruian and his companions.
• Mei Yanyu suggested that Hu Ruian ask the hidden expert behind his group whether that person had stopped the ghosts.
• Hu Ruian ordered Mei Yanyu to send the Heavenly Brocade Guard of Sheng Province to Lanzhou and warned that he would take over the next day if the Mei family refused.
• Mei Yanyu and his servant speculated that Li Musheng's hidden expert might be powerful enough to stop the ghosts, though they could not understand why the Eighth Prince had such protection.
• On the carriage ride back to Murong Estate, Hu Ruian asked Li Musheng when he had dealt with the ghosts, but Li Musheng said he had done nothing and had not even seen them.

Li Musheng and Hu Ruian's group arrived at the Murong Estate and found it destroyed after a bloody battle that had killed thousands. They entered the comparatively intact ancestral hall courtyard, where Murong Xiaoya rushed into the ruins ahead of them.

• Li Musheng reassured Hu Ruian that the ghostly entity would not attack while he was nearby and was unlikely to follow them away from the provincial city.
• Cao Gaoshan spotted flames above the Murong Estate, and the group encountered wrecked streets, burning buildings, and scattered corpses as they approached.
• Murong Xiaoya rushed from the carriage toward the ruined estate, and Hu Ruian declared that the Murong Family had fallen.
• Li Musheng and Shen Anran entered the estate, where they found corpses from the Murong Family and the Four Great Families across the grounds.
• Hu Ruian and the others reached the ancestral hall courtyard, where a ginkgo tree had become a grisly display of the dead.

After the Murong Family was destroyed, Murong Xiaoya found her brothers Murong Zhen and Murong Feng dead and grieved over their bodies. Hu Ruian protected her from men sent by the Four Great Families, who withdrew after recognizing the danger posed by his group.

• Murong Zhen told Murong Xiaoya to live and find their Third Brother before he died, and she fled into the ancestral hall.
• Murong Xiaoya found Murong Feng's corpse in the ruins and removed the weapons pinning him down.
• Four men charged toward Murong Xiaoya, but Hu Ruian blocked their path and warned them to leave.
• An elder in brocade robes learned that Hu Ruian's group had escorted Murong Hong's daughter and ordered his men to withdraw.
• The elder explained that the group included the expert who had killed Baili Changfeng, then said the Four Great Families had gained the Murong Family's holdings despite their losses.

After the Murong Family was destroyed, Murong Xiaoya found her dying Second Uncle, Murong Fu, in a hidden chamber beneath the estate. He revealed that the family guarded the Vermilion Bird Tomb and began opening its coffin to set her on the path to revenge.

• Hu Ruian lost Murong Xiaoya’s trail among the ruins and left to find Li Musheng and the others.
• Murong Xiaoya found Murong Fu, who told her that he was poisoned and would not live past the night.
• Murong Fu said the Murong Family was likely reduced to Murong Xiaoya and asked whether she wanted revenge; she vowed to sacrifice everything for it.
• Murong Xiaoya showed Murong Fu the relics left by her brothers, and he confirmed they were the items he had asked about.
• Murong Fu revealed that the Murong Family were Tomb Watchers and that their ancestors’ rise—and the Sparrowflame Pill—were tied to the Vermilion Bird Tomb.
• Murong Fu led Murong Xiaoya to the chained crimson coffin and broke its chains with his true qi, telling her that opening it was the first step toward revenge.