Chapter Summaries

Qian Yuya confronted a Cloaked Figure who questioned her about the Xuanzhu Jing Family, but she insisted she knew nothing. Lin Xue and Kui Nianruo helped drive him off, and Qian Yuya realized he had been testing whether she truly lacked the information he sought.

• The Cloaked Figure connected Qian Yuya to payments from the Adverse Wind Post Office and accused her of hiding her ties to the Xuanzhu Jing Family.
• Qian Yuya attacked the Cloaked Figure, but he read her moves and countered her with a spinning kick.
• The Cloaked Figure tried to coax Qian Yuya into retreating toward a dark alley, while she deduced that he wanted to capture her there.
• Lin Xue and Kui Nianruo arrived and attacked the Cloaked Figure, who deflected their strikes and decided to leave.
• The Cloaked Figure apologized and withdrew after realizing Qian Yuya truly did not know what answer he was seeking; Lin Xue warned that he was too skilled to pursue.
• Li Ying emerged from the shattered wall with her light pistol and asked where the stalker had gone.

After the Cloaked Figure targeted Qian Yuya and Lin Xue, Nai Qingni explained that the figure belonged to a feared secret organization within the Radiant Court. Qian Yuya connected the attack to mysterious money sent in her brother’s name and learned the sender had asked about the Xuanzhu Jing Family; she ended the chapter examining a newspaper from Profound Candle Prefecture.

• Nai Qingni scolded Qian Yuya, Lin Xue, Kui Nianruo, and Li Ying for confronting criminals, then asked Qian Yuya and Lin Xue to describe the Cloaked Figure.
• Nai Qingni identified the Cloaked Figure’s organization as a small, formidable faction within the Radiant Court that had sometimes cooperated with her side.
• Qian Yuya told Nai Qingni and Lin Xue that a friend of Qian Yuliu’s had sent her two large sums of money and had asked about her connection to the Xuanzhu Jing Family.
• Nai Qingni suspected Yin Yinyin might be the sender, while Qian Yuya resolved to learn more about Profound Candle and asked whether Vermillion Bird Alley was safe.
• Lin Xue recalled that Li Ying had bought a popular newspaper from Profound Candle Prefecture, so Qian Yuya asked to see it.
• Li Ying handed Qian Yuya the newspaper, whose front page bore the name “Youth Newspaper.”

Le Yu approved the seizure of 156 Silver Blood factories and shops and urged Yin Minghong to move quickly before Lan Yan left Dongyang. He left the fate of the people in charge to Yin Minghong, who set out to consult the workers and make the decisions himself.

• Le Yu stamped all 156 reports with his approval to slaughter, preparing to replace Silver Blood managers with worker representatives and keep production running.
• Yin Minghong questioned the speed and violence of the plan, explaining that he wanted to destroy the Silver Blood Society for Dongyang’s sake, not out of hatred.
• Le Yu said there was no time to distinguish sympathetic managers from exploitative capitalists and framed the takeover as a struggle between two classes.
• Le Yu told Yin Minghong to consult the workers and decide whether to kill, maim, or release the people in charge.
• Yin Minghong thanked Le Yu and left to carry out the next stage, while Le Yu wondered whether his newfound confidence had gone too far.

Ting Guigu brought his son Laicai to the Zhen Ting Precision Machinery Factory, hoping the Coastal Army’s takeover would give him a path to inherit a management role. As soldiers arrived, Ting Guigu prepared Laicai to present himself as a loyal servant ready to help run the factory.

• Ting Guigu arrived at the factory and inspected its production of Grace Locks, which used dangerous Radiant Stone and steelworking processes.
• Ting Guigu told Laicai that a factory position could give him a better future than serving as a young master’s attendant.
• Ting Guigu reflected that Laicai was his son, born to a Ting Family maid, and that he had secretly arranged for him to learn the factory’s operations.
• Ting Guigu explained that the family head had ordered him to recommend a servant as an assistant when the Coastal Army took over the factory.
• A worker reported that soldiers had arrived, and Ting Guigu led Laicai outside after confirming that Laicai remembered what to say.

Yin Minghong took over the Ting family's lock factory for the Coastal Army and appointed worker Qi Bajiu as supervisor, promising him a share of the profits and protection from the Jing family. As the workers backed Qi Bajiu, Ting Guigu realized Yin Minghong's approach could transform factories across Dongyang, and Yin Minghong declared that the workers were free.

• Ting Guigu offered three workers to assist Yin Minghong, but Yin chose Qi Bajiu to supervise the factory.
• Qi Bajiu initially refused the position, then accepted after Yin promised him one-tenth of the factory's profits and Jing family protection.
• Yin told Qi Bajiu to organize the accounts and trade with workers from other factories that the Coastal Army would also take over.
• The workers unanimously approved Qi Bajiu as their supervisor, while Ting Guigu grew uneasy about the changes Yin was introducing.
• Ting Guigu challenged Yin for interfering in the factory, and Yin replied that the workers were free.

Qin Leyin returned to Tide Wind Pavilion as the Silver Blood Society’s members faced the collapse of their old order and the rise of Jing Zhengwei. After hearing how isolated and vulnerable the chambers of commerce had become, he urged them to surrender.

• Qin Leyin arrived at the dinner and found the gathered chamber of commerce leaders silent and troubled.
• Luo Zhen confronted Quan Xin, who warned that the Luo family would lose its noble patrons and face ruin under Jing Zhengwei’s new order.
• Luo Zhen learned that the Shi family was liquidating its assets to flee and that the Ting family had locked down its territory and begun selling weapons to Skyline District warlords.
• The guests discussed the Ting family’s estrangement from Jing Zhengwei and drifted into gossip about Ting Wanjian and Ting Gu’s concubine.
• Qin Leyin tapped the table and told the gathered leaders, “Let’s surrender.”

Qin Leyin persuaded the Silver Blood Society’s merchants that Jing Zhengwei’s control of commerce, politics, and the military was unstoppable, and that surrendering could let them regain influence as his officials. The guild leaders agreed to submit, leaving Jing Zhengwei’s path clear.

• Qin Leyin explained that Yin Minghong and the Coastal Army had seized factories and shops while empowering worker-managers, giving Jing Zhengwei a path to control the workers and political power.
• Lan Jianbo warned that Jing Zhengwei could use the workers and Coastal Army to take the merchants’ businesses and consolidate money, authority, and force.
• Qin Leyin urged the merchants to surrender their businesses and join Jing Zhengwei’s administration, arguing they could become capable officials after losing their commercial foundations.
• Qin Leyin claimed Jing Zhengwei’s plan would replace the merchant Silver Blood Society with a military and political one, and the merchants began accepting the prospect of serving him.
• Quan Xin and Luo Zhen agreed to submit, and Lan Jianbo told Qin Leyin to call Jing Zhengwei “Chairman Jing.”

Qing Lan worried that she might be pregnant, but Le Yu put off deciding what to do until she had a medical examination, then played a childish prank to distract her. Yin Minghong reported that factory owners had voluntarily handed over their deeds and agreed to the new labor union, and Le Yu assigned him to investigate infant supplies and dairy products.

• Qing Lan told Le Yu that she felt nauseous and asked whether they should keep a possible pregnancy, but Le Yu said they should wait for a medical officer to confirm it.
• Le Yu tricked Qing Lan into crawling beneath the quilt, making her furious before she left for the newspaper office.
• Yin Minghong told Le Yu that owners of eleven factories had handed over their deeds and agreed to cooperate with the Profound Candle Labor Union.
• Le Yu asked Yin Minghong to visit parents of newborns and gather information about infant products and dairy products available in Profound Candle Prefecture.

Mu Qingmei heard workers criticize Jing Zhengwei despite the benefits of his reforms, then urged Qing Lan to publish an article defending him. She praised Jing Zhengwei and Qing Lan as a perfect match, leaving Qing Lan bashful and herself relieved to have avoided a dangerous conversation.

• Mu Qingmei listened as workers praised their improved wages but spread rumors and criticism about Jing Zhengwei and the Coastal Army's seizure of Profound Candle's wealth.
• Mu Qingmei resolved to support White Night's plans for labor reform and left the teahouse determined to defend Jing Zhengwei.
• Mu Qingmei asked Qing Lan to write an article about Jing Zhengwei's good deeds, explaining that workers misunderstood him.
• Mu Qingmei praised Jing Zhengwei's qualities, then quickly added that he and Qing Lan were a perfect match.
• Qing Lan blushed at Mu Qingmei's praise, and Mu Qingmei felt relieved that she had avoided trouble.

Mu Qingmei and Qing Lan discussed how difficult it was to publicly praise Jing Zhengwei for his actions, since most people still distrusted him. Qing Lan declined a walk with Mu Qingmei because she wanted to visit the Medical Officer Department, and Mu Qingmei offered to take her to Wen Hong.

• Mu Qingmei urged Qing Lan to publish a report praising Jing Zhengwei, but Qing Lan said he would not change his mind based on public opinion.
• Qing Lan and Mu Qingmei concluded that Jing Zhengwei’s deeds were hard to explain without revealing White Night’s covert cooperation with him.
• Qing Lan compared gradual progress to eating steamed buns and reassured Mu Qingmei that good things took time.
• Mu Qingmei realized Qing Lan cared deeply about Jing Zhengwei and invited her to stroll along Damen Stone Street.
• Qing Lan said she needed to ask a female medical officer some questions, and Mu Qingmei offered to take her to Wen Hong.

Le Yu welcomed Qing Lan back to Jing Garden and learned that she was not pregnant, though he had already planned for raising a child. Qing Lan told him she understood why he had cried and promised to stay with him until death, and Le Yu vowed that even death could not separate them.

• Le Yu teased Yin Minghong outside Jing Garden while waiting for Qing Lan to return.
• Qing Lan arrived with Mu Qingmei and Huyan Siluo, and Le Yu welcomed her with an embrace.
• Le Yu described his research into infant supplies, milk, and education, revealing that he had been preparing to raise a child with Qing Lan.
• Qing Lan said a physician had confirmed she was not pregnant and explained that her nausea likely came from lack of sleep.
• Qing Lan told Le Yu she understood why he had cried and promised to accompany him to the end; Le Yu said even death could not separate them.

Le Yu saw the Coastal Army depart with the military funds and learned that Wan Xisha hoped he would recruit the hundred soldiers staying behind. As Profound Candle prepared to establish a workers’ union and restore production, Le Yu planned to take over the Ting family’s firearms factory.

• Wan Xisha led the Coastal Army convoy out of Profound Candle Prefecture and hinted that Le Yu could recruit the hundred rootless soldiers left behind, promising to persuade Lan Yan.
• Wan Xisha explained that the Coastal Army trusted Lan Yan because he had never mistreated them, and Yin Minghong warned that Chenfeng and Dongyang would eventually clash and that Profound Candle could not match the Coastal Army for years.
• Yin Minghong told Le Yu that the first workers’ congress would be held that afternoon under White Night Walker, while the surrendered merchant associations cooperated with factory production and trade.
• Le Yu learned that the Ting family had been selling firearms and ordered Yin Minghong to demand control of its firearms factory for the new army, suggesting he bring the hundred Coastal Army soldiers to reinforce the demand.

At the Workers' Union's first meeting, Uncle Hai rallied Profound Candle Prefecture's workers to unite and demand fair wages and working conditions. As the meeting ended on a hopeful note, a wealthy young man drove into two children and dismissed the workers as peasants.

• Qi Bajiu brought his nephew and niece to the union meeting, where workers and their families gathered for free sour plum soup.
• Uncle Hai explained that the Workers' Union would seek fairness and presented four demands, including full wages, safer conditions, an eight-hour workday, and protection from abuse.
• Workers volunteered to join Uncle Hai in negotiating with the Silver Blood Society, and Qi Bajiu stood up to join them.
• Uncle Hai led the workers and children in singing "Unity is Strength" before declaring the meeting over.
• A wealthy young man drove into two children as they left, then insulted the workers and drove away.

A car driven by a Silver Blood noble killed a child at the workers’ union gathering, and Uncle Hai failed to save him. The workers rallied around Uncle Hai and demanded justice, turning the tragedy into a chance to strengthen the union and clear Jing Zhengwei’s name.

• Workers chased the hit-and-run car as Qi Bajiu held his nephew Jiumi and Uncle Hai arrived at the scene.
• Uncle Hai treated Jiumi but could not save him, and he closed the boy’s eyes as Qi Bajiu begged him to find another medical officer.
• Uncle Hai broke down in grief and anger over the child’s death and the damage it threatened to do to the union.
• White Night Walkers urged the workers to unite and demand that the Silver Blood Society hand over the killer.
• The workers called on Uncle Hai to lead them, and he raised his injured fist and vowed that they would demand justice for their children.

After a Silver Blood noble killed two children and fled into the Inner City, Uncle Hai led a crowd to Cape Gate to demand justice from Chairman Jing. Lantz’s gunfire killed Uncle Hai, and the crowd erupted into revolt as Qi Bajiu’s torches blew apart Cape Gate.

• Lantz blocked the crowd from entering the Inner City, but Uncle Hai confronted him and demanded that the Patrol Guards move aside so they could seek justice from Chairman Jing.
• Lantz called for firearms and threatened the crowd, while Uncle Hai tried to stop him from provoking a bloody clash.
• Uncle Hai charged Lantz, but a gunman behind the crowd shot and killed him; the crowd then overwhelmed Lantz and the situation descended into gunfire.
• A burly man urged the crowd to burn the Inner City and the Silver Blood Society, while Qi Bajiu and dozens of men arrived with torches, singing as they attacked Cape Gate.
• Qi Bajiu’s torches ignited cargo in the gate passageway, and the resulting explosion blasted Cape Gate apart.

Le Yu’s attempts to recruit Jing family members were interrupted by a deadly clash at Cape Gate that grew into a citywide uprising against the Silver Blood Society. As the flames spread, he accepted that the revolt was the consequence of the resistance and resentment he had helped unleash, and declared that he had started this story himself.

• Le Yu gave Jing family members an employment exam, but their answers were mostly absurd or blatant flattery.
• Explosions and a fire at Cape Gate drew Le Yu’s attention, and Yin Minghong reported that a crowd had clashed with the Patrol Guards after a Silver Blood noble killed two children.
• Yin Minghong said Uncle Hai had died and that the conflict had escalated, with people calling for the Silver Blood Society to be burned down.
• Qing Lan, Mu Qingmei, and the others joined Le Yu, who explained that the crowd would not trust the Silver Blood Society or its promises of peaceful negotiation.
• Yin Minghong blamed himself and broke down, while Le Yu told him that the uprising had grown from the Society’s accumulated abuses and the resistance Le Yu had helped build.
• Le Yu said he was not angry because he had started the story himself.

Le Yu evacuated Jing Garden as unrest spread through Profound Candle Prefecture, while Jing Zhengtang and Feiwei left on their own under their agreement. After an explosion signaled the crisis worsening, Le Yu departed and left the old steward behind with the Jing family’s forgotten clan song.

• Le Yu rejected plans to suppress the rioters and ordered Jing Garden’s servants dismissed and its guards to prepare to leave.
• Le Yu joked with Qing Lan as he and the others gathered at the entrance, where few Jing family members had arrived.
• The old steward gave Le Yu a letter from Jing Zhengtang, who had left with Feiwei and asked Le Yu to honor their agreement.
• An explosion of Blazing Radiant Gunpowder sounded nearby, and Yin Minghong led the guards and Coastal Army into a protective formation around Le Yu’s group.
• The old steward refused to leave Jing Garden, and Le Yu departed as the steward sang the Jing family clan song, “Thorns.”

As demonic fog and riots engulfed Profound Candle Prefecture, Le Yu led his armed group through the Inner City and chose to let the Silver Blood Society’s stronghold burn rather than suppress the civilians. He left the retreat to Yin Minghong, but armed enemies appeared and blocked their way.

• Le Yu was cheered by Inner City residents as he passed with his armed group, while he told Mu Qingmei he had no intention of saving the Silver Blood Society.
• Le Yu asked Yin Minghong whether White Night would support his administration, then proposed letting the rioters burn down the Inner City and containing the fire’s spread.
• Mu Qingmei caught Huyan Siluo when she tried to leave, and Le Yu ordered Yin Minghong to escort the group out without getting bogged down in battle.
• Le Yu told Yin Minghong to kill anyone who tried to stop them, and a radiant slash cut down a streetlamp to block their path.
• Armed figures using Illusionary Cloaks appeared on rooftops and around the street, and Le Yu recognized that his enemies had found them.

Jing Zhengwei confronted Mr. Tie as both sides maneuvered over the unrest in Profound Candle Prefecture and Duke Wanghai’s suspicions. After Huyan Siluo tried to prevent a clash, Jing ordered his forces to open fire on Mr. Tie and the martial artists.

• Mr. Tie challenged Jing Zhengwei’s armed advance and urged him to visit Duke Wanghai instead of suppressing the riot.
• Jing refused to leave, openly describing his ambition to become Magistrate Quan and claiming the unrest offered him a chance to gain support.
• Mr. Tie asked Huyan Siluo to speak, and she proposed that her father and brothers come to help Jing suppress the riot.
• Mr. Tie accused Jing of preparing to shoot them and said Duke Wanghai suspected him of masterminding the upheaval.
• Jing rejected the offer to visit Duke Wanghai for a dowry, then called Mr. Tie’s corpse his surprise and ordered his forces to fire.

Jing Zhengwei and his allies tried to escape the Silver Blood Society’s forces, but Pinnacle Realm swordsman Mr. Tie cut through their guards and attacked Jing Zhengwei. Jing Zhengwei blocked Mr. Tie’s sword with a strange, undamaged weapon, and he and Mu Qingmei struck back with Divine Spear.

• The Silver Blood Society’s merchants and nobles sent martial artists to stop Jing Zhengwei, while Duke Wanghai dispatched Mr. Tie to capture him.
• Jing Zhengwei revealed that he was abandoning the presidency and ordered his guards to shoot as his group fled.
• Yin Minghong told the guards and soldiers to run while firing, but Mr. Tie broke through their formation and killed several guards with his sword.
• Mr. Tie sent sword light toward Jing Zhengwei, but Jing Zhengwei blocked it with a strange, undamaged sword.
• Jing Zhengwei and Mu Qingmei attacked Mr. Tie together with Formless Combat Arts: Divine Spear.