Chapter Summaries

Jiang Qingyi installed a sword formation in Xiao Mo’s bedchamber to aid his cultivation and killed a Sky Horn Mosquito sent to spy on him. Si Li sensed the mosquito’s death and recognized the sword qi as belonging to the madwoman who had once pursued her and Wang Xin.

• Jiang Qingyi teased Xiao Mo about the imperial consorts who would soon enter the palace, then placed nine longswords and a formation in his bedchamber to hone his sword qi and sword intent.
• Jiang Qingyi recalled that someone had once helped her begin cultivating, but she reacted coldly when Xiao Mo said he would like to meet that person.
• A Sky Horn Mosquito carrying a silver needle landed on Xiao Mo’s hand, and Jiang Qingyi pierced it with sword qi before it could attack him.
• Jiang Qingyi examined the dead mosquito and sensed that other spies had entered the palace.
• Si Li prepared to collect Xiao Mo’s blood again, then sensed her Sky Horn Mosquito had died and recognized the sword qi as belonging to the madwoman who had chased her and Wang Xin.

Qin Siyao visited Jinyuan and Jiyue, a married couple from Jiangnan, and paid generously for Jinyuan’s calligraphy while concealing her identity. As she left, she used magic to place blessings above their courtyard gate, leaving the couple unaware that she was the familiar benefactor who had come to help them.

• Qin Siyao visited Jiyue’s home, claiming that her father admired Jinyuan’s calligraphy and had sent her to request some pieces.
• Jiyue told Qin Siyao about her elopement with Jinyuan and how they were struggling while he prepared for the Spring Imperial Examination.
• Jinyuan returned from teaching, wrote “Peace and joy” and “May you be happily married for a hundred years,” and accepted Qin Siyao’s generous payment after realizing she meant to support them.
• Jinyuan and Jiyue both felt Qin Siyao was strangely familiar, but they could not identify her before she departed.
• Qin Siyao threw the calligraphy from her carriage, and the eight characters lifted from the paper and appeared above the couple’s courtyard gate as blessings.

Si Li kept a low profile in the palace while waiting for suspicions about her to pass, then finished her maid training and was summoned to Empress Dowager Yan. Empress Dowager Yan praised Si Li and asked if she would serve His Majesty.

• Si Li decided to stay cautious in the palace and postpone her plan to obtain the Zhou Kingdom's ruler's blood.
• After twenty-one days of training, the new palace maids received their assignments, and Si Li was left waiting as officials discussed her.
• Liu Shi brought Si Li to Lingxin Palace to meet Empress Dowager Yan.
• Empress Dowager Yan assessed Si Li's appearance and accomplishments, then asked whether she would serve His Majesty.

Empress Dowager Yan sent Si Li to serve Xiao Mo and secretly report on his words and actions, while warning her not to pursue his favor. Si Li reached Yangxin Hall, learned that Xiao Mo's attendants spoke fondly of him, and recognized him when he returned.

• Empress Dowager Yan instructed Si Li to report on Xiao Mo and warned her not to seek his favor before the princess consort became pregnant.
• Empress Dowager Yan sent Si Li with Xuanzhi to Yangxin Hall, explaining that she wanted her own source of information about Xiao Mo.
• Xuanzhi warned Si Li that she still belonged to Empress Dowager Yan, then left her waiting at the hall.
• Liu Mi, Yang'er, Yan'er, and Mimi told Si Li that Xiao Mo was kind to the palace maids, while nearly revealing that some of them monitored him for Prime Minister Yan.
• Xiao Mo returned to Yangxin Hall, and Si Li looked up at his profile, recognizing him with a feeling both familiar and unfamiliar.

Si Li recognized Xiao Mo as her reincarnated master after Ink Dye reacted to his presence, then became his personal maid in Yangxin Hall. She confessed that she had entered the palace to spy on him under the Empress Dowager’s orders and begged him to grant her death.

• Si Li recognized Xiao Mo as her master when Ink Dye reacted to his presence.
• Xiao Mo questioned Si Li and allowed her to serve as his personal maid despite her breach of etiquette.
• Xiao Mo reassigned Wei Xun to the front hall, leaving Si Li alone with him in the bedchamber.
• Si Li knelt before Xiao Mo and confessed that she had obeyed the Empress Dowager’s orders to spy on him.

Si Li confessed to Xiao Mo that Empress Dowager Yan had ordered her to spy on him, and Xiao Mo spared her while considering whether to use her as a double agent. The next day, he brought Si Li to the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence, where she recognized Jiang Qingyi and reacted as if facing a rival.

• Si Li told Xiao Mo that she had agreed to spy on him for Empress Dowager Yan but claimed her loyalty was to him.
• Xiao Mo spared Si Li, told her to continue her usual duties, and considered making her his spy in Empress Dowager Yan’s household.
• After leaving Xiao Mo’s room, Si Li removed the cloth binding her chest and whispered that she would take things slowly.
• The next morning, Si Li explained her changed appearance to Xiao Mo, then accompanied him to the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence.
• Si Li recognized the veiled Jiang Qingyi as the Imperial Preceptor, and Jiang Qingyi furrowed her brows at Si Li.

Xiao Mo tested Si Li’s loyalty with a miniature Heart Piercing Sword and learned that she genuinely loved him, though she had concealed her feelings out of embarrassment. After Si Li reassured him, she secretly misled Yu Yunwei about her search for her Master, while Wang Xin waited outside the palace for news.

• Jiang Qingyi gave Xiao Mo a Heart Piercing Sword after refusing to use soul-searching on Si Li.
• Xiao Mo placed the sword in Si Li and confirmed that the Empress Dowager had sent her to spy on him.
• The sword’s questioning forced Si Li to admit that she wanted Xiao Mo to favor her and that she had lied because she was embarrassed.
• Xiao Mo forgave Si Li, promised to protect her, and left the sword inside her for the time being.
• Si Li told Yu Yunwei that she was still gathering information about her Master, while Wang Xin wondered why Si Li had not contacted her.

Xiao Mo tested Si Li’s loyalty with the Heart Piercing Sword and learned that she genuinely loved him, while Si Li concealed her cultivation and continued her mission for the Myriad Dao Sect. The chapter ended with Wang Xin wondering why Si Li had not sent her any news from the palace.

• Jiang Qingyi gave Xiao Mo a Heart Piercing Sword that could force Si Li to answer truthfully, rather than using a truth-telling spell.
• Xiao Mo used the sword to question Si Li, and she admitted she wanted him to favor her because she had fallen in love with him.
• Xiao Mo forgave Si Li and promised to protect her, while Si Li said she wanted to keep the sword so she could see him regularly.
• Si Li secretly told Yu Yunwei that she had not found her master and was still gathering information.
• Wang Xin wondered why Si Li had not sent her any news after nearly a month in the palace.

As Xiao Mo prepared for his wedding to Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu, the palace’s demands kept him from cultivating until a moment of quiet at the Dao Seeking Altar nearly led him to establish his foundation. Jiang Qingyi stopped him and spoke with unusual intensity about the coming marriage, leaving Xiao Mo to face a livelier harem after the ceremony.

• Si Li learned palace duties, reported to the Empress Dowager, and remained wary of Jiang Qingyi while continuing to serve Xiao Mo.
• As the wedding approached, Xiao Mo received envoys, reviewed arrangements, and entrusted Si Li with harem matters while he sought quiet at the Dao Seeking Altar.
• Xiao Mo entered a state of enlightenment and nearly began establishing his foundation, but Jiang Qingyi interrupted him with sword qi and sealed three of his spiritual apertures.
• Jiang Qingyi questioned Xiao Mo's melancholy about the wedding, and he wondered whether Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu truly wanted to marry him.
• Jiang Qingyi insisted the two women wanted to enter the palace and declared that Xiao Mo's harem would become very lively.

On her wedding day, Yan Ruxue prepared to marry the Emperor in a humble village courtyard chosen for its ties to an old love story. While waiting for the procession, she gave candy to village children and said the man she had been waiting for had arrived and was marrying her.

• The Imperial Capital and Shiqiao Village prepared for the Emperor's wedding, while palace maids dressed Yan Ruxue in her wedding gown.
• Madam Yan combed Yan Ruxue's hair, offered her advice for palace life, and left Chunyan to accompany her.
• Yan Ruxue told Chunyan the legend of a poor scholar and a white snake who grew up together and promised to marry.
• Yan Ruxue asked Chunyan to wait at the village entrance, then stayed alone in the courtyard and remembered a man from long ago.
• Yan Ruxue welcomed five curious children into the courtyard, gave them wedding candy, and told them she was waiting for someone to marry her.
• Yan Ruxue said the man had arrived and that she was getting married.

On her wedding day, Qin Siyao prepared her dowry and revisited memories of Xiao Manor and her family. Alone in a rebuilt courtyard, she addressed her mother and said that she and Xiao Mo were getting married.

• Mingyue confirmed that the bridal procession and dowry were ready, and Qin Siyao inspected the red chests.
• Qin Siyao placed a mask and the Small Clay Figure in a chest, saying they had belonged to Xiao Mo.
• Qin Siyao sent Mingyue and the other maids outside so she could be alone.
• Qin Siyao walked through the envoy residence and remembered how its courtyards had changed since the Ancient Qin Kingdom.
• Qin Siyao sat in the small courtyard she had rebuilt, remembered her family, and told her mother that she and Xiao Mo were getting married.

Xiao Mo prepared to marry Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu, while the Ruler of Qi learned that he was getting married and renewed her vow to kill him. The chapter ended with her looking toward Myriad Laws Under Heaven, intent on repeating what she had done before.

• Xiao Mo dressed in wedding attire made by Yan Ruxue and prepared to leave the palace with Si Li.
• Xiao Mo told Si Li that the Ministry of Rites had arranged for him to fetch Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu together.
• Ding Dang reported to the Ruler of Qi that the Zhou Kingdom's ruler was getting married and that Qiu Ye had delivered their condition to the sect master of the Myriad Sword Sect.
• The Ruler of Qi dismissed Ding Dang after rebuking her for asking why she cared about Xiao Mo.
• The Ruler of Qi looked toward Myriad Laws Under Heaven and vowed to kill the Daoist again.

Xiao Mo fetched Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao and completed their imperial wedding ceremony in the Zhou Kingdom. Real auspicious signs and Wang Xin’s prayers accompanied the celebration, which ended with the three formally exchanging bows.

• Xiao Mo rode to Mount Zhou, where Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao waited in bridal sedan chairs, and promised their families he would treat both consorts sincerely.
• Xiao Mo led the two consorts around Mount Zhou and paid homage there; genuine radiant omens appeared, astonishing Yan Zhen, who had not arranged them.
• Wang Xin chanted sutras and prayed for the ruler’s wedding, privately admitting to Little Hundun that she would accept Xiao Mo marrying other women if he was happy.
• Xiao Mo led Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao through the palace rites, read their investiture edict, and formally granted them the rank of Noble Consort.
• Xiao Mo, Yan Ruxue, and Qin Siyao completed the wedding bows before Heaven and Earth and their elder, bringing the ceremony to an end.

After the wedding feast, Xiao Mo left the choice of which consort to visit to a coin toss and went to Qin Siyao’s Hanjiu Hall. He lifted her veil and drank the wedding wine with her, leaving them poised to blow out the candles.

• Xiao Mo finished bathing after the wedding feast while Si Li asked which consort he would visit.
• Xiao Mo tossed Si Li’s jade pendant to decide where to go.
• Xiao Mo entered Hanjiu Hall and lifted Qin Siyao’s bridal veil.
• Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao drank the cross-cupped wedding wine.
• Qin Siyao told Xiao Mo it was time to blow out the candles.

Xiao Mo left Qin Siyao on their wedding night to fulfill the wedding rites at Ningxue Hall, while Siyao concealed her jealousy behind understanding words. There, he lifted Yan Ruxue’s veil and discovered she was the woman he had met several times before.

• Xiao Mo apologized to Qin Siyao for leaving to spend the night at Ningxue Hall, explaining that he had chosen where to go by tossing a jade pendant.
• Qin Siyao reassured Xiao Mo and watched him leave, then admitted to herself that she could not yield her husband to anyone.
• Xiao Mo arrived at Ningxue Hall, set aside his suspicions about the Yan Clan, and entered Yan Ruxue’s chamber.
• Xiao Mo lifted Yan Ruxue’s veil and recognized her as the woman whose kite he had retrieved and with whom he had shared tea, a boat ride, and New Year’s wishes.
• Yan Ruxue greeted Xiao Mo, saying they had met again.

On his wedding night, Xiao Mo lost consciousness in Yan Ruxue’s arms as a mysterious fragrance knocked Si Li and the palace guards asleep. Qin Siyao entered Ningxue Hall, and Yan Ruxue addressed another hidden visitor waiting by the window.

• Xiao Mo recognized Yan Ruxue as the woman he had met before, and they drank their nuptial wine together.
• A breeze extinguished the candles, and Xiao Mo began to lose consciousness as he leaned toward Yan Ruxue.
• Si Li sensed a terrifying spiritual pressure outside the room, then fell asleep along with the palace maids when a fragrant breeze swept through.
• Yan Ruxue laid Xiao Mo on the bed and welcomed Qin Siyao, who came in and sat down for tea.
• Yan Ruxue suggested Qin Siyao was older than she claimed, then invited Sect Master Jiang, who was sitting on the windowsill, to join them.

Bai Ruxue, Qin Siyao, and Jiang Qingyi agreed to settle their dispute over Xiao Mo with a written contract rather than risk destroying the Zhou Kingdom. The next morning, Xiao Mo woke with no clear memory of the night before, and Jiang Qingyi appeared before him in a foul mood.

• Bai Ruxue told Qin Siyao and Jiang Qingyi that fighting over Xiao Mo could devastate the Zhou Kingdom, then proposed a rule between them.
• Bai Ruxue showed them a written contract, and Qin Siyao agreed to sign it while Jiang Qingyi asked to add a condition.
• Xiao Mo woke the next morning and asked Si Li what had happened, but she said she had fallen asleep and learned he had been carried back to his room.
• Si Li suspected Qin Mujiu had come to take Xiao Mo but concluded that Yan Ruxue had prevented anything from happening.
• Xiao Mo dismissed Si Li and poured tea, then Jiang Qingyi arrived through the window, visibly displeased.

Jiang Qingyi told Xiao Mo that Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu were powerful immortals with hidden motives, though they would not harm him, and urged him to focus on cultivation. After Jiang left, Xiao Mo set aside his suspicions and prepared to take his new consorts to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.

• Jiang Qingyi visited Xiao Mo and questioned whether he realized his two consorts were not ordinary people.
• Jiang Qingyi revealed that Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu were immortals of a realm comparable to her own, but withheld their deeper identities and aims.
• Jiang Qingyi assured Xiao Mo that the consorts would not harm him and told him to focus on reaching Foundation Establishment within a month.
• Jiang Qingyi teased Xiao Mo about being unable to enjoy intimacy with the consorts, then left through the window.
• Xiao Mo decided to prioritize improving his strength and prepared to take his consorts to serve tea to the Empress Dowager.
• Bai Ruxue and Qin Siyao waited outside Yangxin Hall and greeted Xiao Mo as he came out.

Xiao Mo accompanied Bai Ruxue and Qin Siyao to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Yan, who urged them to live harmoniously and encouraged Xiao Mo to spend more time with his wives. After breakfast, Qin Siyao invited Xiao Mo to accompany her to Hanjiu Hall, leaving him uncertain about her true feelings and motives.

• Xiao Mo traveled with Bai Ruxue and Qin Siyao to Lingxin Palace, where they greeted Empress Dowager Yan.
• Empress Dowager Yan welcomed the consorts, encouraged them to manage the harem together, and told Xiao Mo to spend more time with them.
• Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue, Qin Siyao, and Empress Dowager Yan shared breakfast, during which Qin Siyao's lively manner made Empress Dowager Yan laugh.
• Empress Dowager Yan kept Bai Ruxue behind to talk while Xiao Mo left with Qin Siyao.
• Qin Siyao turned to Xiao Mo and asked him to accompany her to Hanjiu Hall.

Qin Siyao gave Xiao Mo a childhood clay figure and an ancient mask, which stirred a powerful sense of familiarity in him. Meanwhile, Bai Ruxue discussed the Nine-Tails Kingdom and the heavenly threat with Xiao Qing, revealing that she meant to protect Xiao Mo herself.

• Qin Siyao welcomed Xiao Mo into Hanjiu Hall and declined to explain the matter she and Bai Ruxue both sought.
• Qin Siyao gave Xiao Mo a Small Clay Figure and an ancient mask; wearing the mask left him dazed as Qin Siyao admired him.
• Bai Ruxue returned to Ningxue Hall, reunited privately with Xiao Qing, and heard that the ruler of the Nine-Tails Kingdom had refused their terms.
• Bai Ruxue told Xiao Qing to continue helping the Great Wall despite the Nine-Tails Kingdom's refusal to make a pact.
• Xiao Qing questioned why Bai Ruxue still hid her identity from Xiao Mo, and Bai Ruxue hinted that the ancient heavenly gods might return.
• Bai Ruxue said she did not want to lose Xiao Mo again and that this time she would protect him.