Chapter Summaries

Chen Yi returned from a secret nighttime outing and resumed cultivating after arranging a cover story for Xiao Die and Yuan Liu'er. Meanwhile, Song Jin Jian hired the Demonic Cloud Twin Monsters to deliver a letter to a woman in Barbarian Tribe territory and prepared to meet a newly arrived acquaintance.

• Chen Yi disguised his late-night visit to Yuan Liu'er as a calligraphy lesson, then returned to his room and considered his leads involving Shui Hetong, Li Sanyuan, and Ma Shuhan.
• Song Jin Jian met the Demonic Cloud Twin Monsters, Meng Wen and Meng Wu, and hired them to deliver a letter to Mr. Fu, a Wei woman held by Left King Muhage of the Black Bear Tribe.
• A scarred subordinate told Song Jin Jian that he had visited Guangyuan County and contacted the Fu Family on the master's orders, and Song Jin Jian warned him not to do so again.
• Song Jin Jian read a letter reporting changes to Shuzhou appointments and ordered his subordinate to travel with the Demonic Cloud Twin Monsters to ensure Mr. Fu received the message.
• Liu Zhaoxue reported that the Judicial Department was investigating Ma Shuhan and Xu Jitong's deaths, and Song Jin Jian set out with her to meet an old friend who had recently arrived in Shuzhou.

After Ma Shuhan’s death, rumors about the annual examination and Chen Yi’s essay spread through Shu Prefecture, while Shui Hetong visited Hundred Herbs Hall to carry out Chen Yi’s request and train Liu Lang and the Tianshan Sect disciples. Chen Yi finally caught a Golden-haired Carp in Xiao Manor, then wondered whether Xiao Wuge’s presence had caused it to bite.

• Scholars and townspeople speculated about Ma Shuhan’s death, and Chen Yi’s essay praising care for the people circulated widely.
• Shui Hetong visited Hundred Herbs Hall, confirmed that Chen Yi had defeated him, and discussed the tea drinks and arrangements with Wang Ji.
• Shui Hetong challenged Liu Lang to make him move one step if Liu Lang wanted to watch White Immortal spar with Snow Sword Lord, then trained him and the Tianshan Sect disciples.
• Chen Yi caught a Golden-haired Carp after nearly half a year without catching a fish, and Xiao Die, Pei Guanli, Xiao Wuge, and Yuan Liu'er came to see.
• Chen Yi released the carp back into the pond and suspected that Xiao Wuge’s presence had made it take the bait.

Chen Yi considered how the Xiao Family’s improved fortunes had affected Xiao Wuge, then learned that the Mountain Tribe’s Half-step Smile Madness had killed Ma Shuhan and Xu Jitong’s households. As the investigation turned toward the annual examination and new officials prepared to arrive in Shuzhou, Chen Yi worried that one might be connected to the Jizhou Trading Company.

• Chen Yi caught and released a Golden-haired Carp, then concluded that helping the Xiao Family had reduced some of Xiao Wuge’s hardships and fortune.
• After lunch, Chen Yi asked Pei Guanli to alert her grandmother that Half-step Smile Madness had been used in an assassination, and warned her not to alert the culprit.
• Li Huaigu told Chen Yi that Lord Yang had permitted him to keep his damaged examination essay, but Chen Yi refused to revise it.
• Chen Yunfan and Li Huaigu told Chen Yi that Mr. Yue Ming would oversee the annual examination grading and invite him to discuss the Dao.
• Chen Yunfan revealed that Half-step Smile Madness had killed the households of Ma Shuhan and Xu Jitong; Chen Yi suggested the case might relate to the annual examination, prompting Chen Yunfan to return to the Judicial Department.
• Li Huaigu said new officials from the Ministry of Rites and Jizhou would soon arrive in Shuzhou, leaving Chen Yi concerned about a possible connection to the Jizhou Trading Company.

Chen Yi visited Elder Master Xiao with Xiao Wuge, where Zhang Xuan asked for advice on dealing with Japanese pirates in Guangyue Prefecture. Chen Yi proposed interfering in Japan’s internal affairs and finding Japanese experts, while Elder Master Xiao continued to suspect that Chen Yi was Dragon Tiger; the chapter ended with Lu Guan bringing a letter from Second Miss.

• Chen Yi went with Xiao Wuge to Qingjing Residence, where Elder Master Xiao and Zhang Xuan were disputing over a battlefield game.
• Zhang Xuan praised Chen Yi’s bearing and his Birthday Ode, then asked Elder Master Xiao about the mysterious Dragon Tiger.
• Elder Master Xiao discreetly questioned Chen Yi about Liu Wu Qingzhou and remained uncertain whether Chen Yi was Dragon Tiger.
• Zhang Xuan described the Japanese pirates plundering Guangyue Prefecture, and Chen Yi advised him to investigate Japan and make distant alliances to attack nearby foes.
• Zhang Xuan accepted Chen Yi’s advice and wrote down his cautions before Lu Guan arrived with a letter from Second Miss.

Chen Yi learned that Xiao Jinghong had sent the Dingyuan Army's new troops on dangerous missions to temper them, and he read her letter saying she would return in early October. That night, while Chen Yi secretly operated outside the residence, he heard that Wudang Mountain's Hua Huiyang had been found dead from suspected Mountain Tribe gu poison, threatening to throw Shuzhou into turmoil.

• Elder Master Xiao read Xiao Jinghong's letter and told Zhang Xuan and Chen Yi that she had deployed the Three Towns' forces to fight bandits, Japanese pirates, and horse bandits with only fifteen days of rations.
• Zhang Xuan warned that Xiao Jinghong's deployments could provoke the Barbarian Tribe, Poshushuo Kingdom, and His Majesty, but Elder Master Xiao said he would not interfere with her command of the Dingyuan Army.
• Xiao Wuge told Xiao Wan'er that Chen Yi had impressed the elders and shared the lessons he had learned from him; Xiao Wan'er agreed to ask Chen Yi to teach him more.
• Xiao Wan'er received Xiao Jinghong's letters and learned that her second sister would return in early October; Chen Yi read a letter addressed to him and realized Xiao Jinghong might be home before White Immortal's duel on October fifteenth.
• At midnight, Chen Yi pretended to sleep in his room while his hidden self went to the house behind the Tailor Shop, where he overheard that Hua Huiyang had been found dead outside the city from suspected Half-step Smile Madness gu poison.

Chen Yi learned that Hua Huiyang had died from Half-step Smile Madness, deepening suspicions that someone was framing the Mountain Tribe. He overheard General Star receive orders to investigate Shuzhou’s military movements and the Qinghe Cui Family, while Lou Yuxue prepared to leave and Ge Laosan took over her duties.

• Chen Yi connected Hua Huiyang’s death to the earlier killings and suspected a Mountain Tribe member or associate was behind them.
• General Star received the Pavilion Master’s orders to monitor Chen Xuanji, the Three Towns, the Vermilion Bird Guard, and the Qinghe Cui Family.
• General Star ordered Lou Yuxue to escort Ye Jingxiao and the others north, and she left to report to the Judicial Department before departing the next morning.
• General Star questioned Cui Qingwu about grain from the Qinghe Cui Family and warned her to investigate whether the Xiao Family was buying provisions.
• General Star assigned Ge Laosan to watch the Three Towns and investigate the Cui Family visitor, but told him to avoid Song Jin Jian for now.
• After Ge Laosan left, General Star wrote a report about Ma Shuhan’s assassination and Liu Wu’s refusal, and Chen Yi received a Fortune reward.

Chen Yi concluded that the Qinghe Cui Family might be behind the Jizhou Trading Company and the growing threats to Shuzhou, then asked Shui Hetong to impersonate him at Elder Master Xiao’s banquet. The chapter left Chen Yi approaching Lou Yuxue in an alley after overhearing her complain that he had not come to see her before she left Shuzhou.

• Chen Yi connected the Qinghe Cui Family to the Jizhou Trading Company and suspected that forces were provoking unrest in Shuzhou to disrupt the Emperor’s plans.
• Chen Yi visited Liu Lang and the Tianshan Sect disciples, then asked Shui Hetong to attend Elder Master Xiao’s banquet in his place and agreed to use his final favor.
• Chen Yi asked Shui Hetong about Hua Huiyang and learned that the Little Daoist Lord had been a formidable martial artist before dying to the Mountain Tribe’s Half-step Smile Madness.
• Chen Yi and Shui Hetong went to the Judicial Department to examine Hua Huiyang’s corpse, while Chen Yi told Liu Lang to prepare the Tianshan Sect disciples for work at Hundred Herbs Hall branches.
• Chen Yi heard Lou Yuxue grumbling that he had failed to visit before she left Shuzhou, entered the alley, and asked who she was calling a bastard.

Chen Yi parted with Lou Yuxue, who said she would wait for him in Jiangnan Prefecture, then investigated Hua Huiyang’s death and learned Song Jin Jian had demanded Li Sanyuan for the Qinghe Cui Family. He returned to the Xiao Family wary of Song Jin Jian’s allies, unaware that someone had watched him leave the Judicial Department.

• Lou Yuxue told Chen Yi she was being sent to Jiangnan Prefecture, and he said he might visit before she left, saying she would wait for him there.
• Shui Hetong told Chen Yi that Hua Huiyang had died from a hidden sword wound rather than Half-step Smile Madness and warned that Wudang Mountain might send a powerful, protective senior to Shuzhou.
• Chen Yi agreed to wait for Shui Hetong’s Wind and Rain Tower reinforcements before continuing their investigation into Hua Huiyang’s death.
• Chen Yi visited Fang Hongxiu, who revealed that Song Jin Jian had acted for the Qinghe Cui Family to demand Li Sanyuan, but the Marquis had refused to hand him over.
• Chen Yi questioned Fang Hongxiu about the education minister’s murder, then returned to the Xiao Family while an unseen figure watched him and wondered whether Fang Hongxiu was his lover.

Lou Yuxue escorted Shuzhou’s prisoners to the Capital Prefecture, where the Pavilion Master ordered her to investigate Bright Moon Tower and Jizhou Trading Company in Jiangnan Prefecture and questioned her about Liu Wu. After she left, Chen Xuanji revealed that the Pavilion Master was Mo Baiyi and said the Emperor had ordered him to head south the next day.

• Lou Yuxue and Fang Hongxiu led the prisoners north through eight days of travel, while Lou hoped in vain to see Liu Wu and later asked Fang to tell him she would wait in Jiangnan Prefecture.
• Lou Yuxue reached the Capital Prefecture and instructed Fang Hongxiu to deliver the prisoners to the Judicial Department Yamen.
• The Pavilion Master warned Lou Yuxue to investigate Jizhou Trading Company and Bright Moon Tower cautiously in Jiangnan Prefecture, then asked what she thought of Liu Wu.
• Lou Yuxue left the White Tiger Guard pavilion, resolved to pass a warning to Liu Wu, and did not know that Chen Xuanji had watched her depart.
• Chen Xuanji summoned Mo Baiyi, who removed his mask and complained about his assignment, before Chen said the Emperor had ordered him to set out south the next day.

Chen Xuanji and Mo Baiyi discussed the threats facing Great Wei and the investigation linking Cui Li and the Qinghe Cui Family to the Jizhou Trading Company. As Chen Xuanji prepared to travel south and inspect Shuzhou, an intercepted letter revealed a massive weapons purchase by the Peacock King Banner.

• Mo Baiyi told Chen Xuanji that Cui Li had visited Jiangnan Prefecture when overseas shipments arrived for the Jizhou Trading Company.
• Chen Xuanji warned that Northern Mang, the Barbarian Tribe, the Kingdom of Wa, and the Buddhist Kingdom could threaten Great Wei, while explaining that the Chen Family kept its roots in Jinling and followed its ancestral precepts.
• Chen Xuanji and Mo Baiyi discussed how Chen Xuanji had maneuvered Chen Yunfan and Chen Yi into their current positions, and Chen Xuanji said he would travel to Shuzhou and have Female Tiger watch the Qiming Guard in Jiangnan Prefecture.
• Chen Xuanji said His Majesty had criticized Qingzhou's annual examination essay and considered bringing him back from the Xiao Family.
• A goshawk delivered a secret letter reporting that the Peacock King Banner had bought ten thousand sets each of armor, blades and swords, bows, and arrows from West Prefecture.

As Shuzhou braced for unrest, Chen Yi watched the city’s growing influx of martial artists while tending to his work and helping Xiao Wan’er manage the Xiao family’s guests. After treating Xiao Wan’er’s cold illness, he learned that Xiao Jinghong’s return had been delayed by a clash with Barbarian Tribe scouts.

• Chen Yi sent Granny Shan details and suspicions about Ma Shuhan’s murder and Hua Huiyang’s death, while Shuzhou received growing numbers of Jianghu guests drawn by the coming duel between Snow Sword Lord and White Immortal.
• Yuan Liu’er advanced to Ninth Rank, Upper Stage in less than half a month, while Hundred Herbs Hall secured most of the Mountain Tribe’s medicinal herbs and construction began on the Medical Dao Academy.
• Xiao Wan’er grew chilled and unwell after helping receive guests, so she went to Chen Yi for treatment; he examined her Extreme Yin Severed Meridians and used Silver Needles to draw out some of the cold qi.
• Xiao Wan’er told Chen Yi that Old Master Xiao had gone to welcome newly appointed Right Provincial Administrator Fan Yuanzhou, whom he seemed to dislike.
• Xiao Die brought a letter from Xiao Jinghong saying that Barbarian Tribe scouts had confronted the Black Armored Army beyond the pass, delaying her return while she went to calm the situation.

Chen Yi reached the Fourth Rank, Upper Stage, while helping Xiao Wan'er receive guests at the Xiao mansion and preparing for Elder Master Xiao’s banquet. The chapter ended with Xiao Jinghong guarding Mengshui Pass and ordering troops to watch for bandits heading toward the Black Bear Tribe.

• Chen Yi painted Chunhe Garden, then cultivated the Four Symbols Technique and broke through to the Fourth Rank, Upper Stage.
• Xiao Die told Chen Yi that guests from Jizhou had arrived, and he went to Jiaxing Garden to help Xiao Wan'er receive them while Elder Master Xiao was away.
• A guest teased Xiao Wan'er about marrying Chen Yi, but Chen Yi deflected the remark and Xiao Wan'er redirected the conversation to the next day's banquet.
• Chen Yi considered his plans to visit the academy and wondered how Xiao Jinghong was doing, while keeping her whereabouts secret from the guests.
• At Mengshui Pass, Xiao Jinghong heard that bandits were heading toward the Black Bear Tribe and ordered Ma Kui to accompany the Black Armored Army and capture them if encountered.

At Mengshui Pass, Xiao Jinghong learned from a mysterious swordsman that her mother Fu Wanqing might still be alive and that she should meet them at Quchi on the sixteenth day of the tenth month. Meanwhile, Asutai met Meng Wen and Meng Wu at the Black Bear Tribe and confirmed that Liu Hong was dead, while still wondering who had helped him.

• Xiao Jinghong comforted Ma Kui over the Black Armored Army’s losses, ordered honors and compensation for the fallen, and told him to patrol against the bandits while protecting his soldiers.
• Su Zhenyue gave Xiao Jinghong news of Shuzhou’s new officials, and Xiao Jinghong ordered Commander Li to recover the money, grain, and armor withheld from the Dingyuan Army.
• Xiao Jinghong flew north and heard a hidden swordsman deliver a message from his master: she could rescue Fu Wanqing by meeting them at Quchi on the sixteenth day of the tenth month.
• Xiao Jinghong fought the swordsman’s Sword Intent, found and destroyed his sword vessel, then returned to Mengshui Pass questioning whether her mother was held by the Barbarian Tribe.
• Asutai let Meng Wen and Meng Wu speak with him at the Black Bear Tribe and learned that Marquis Dingyuan had executed Liu Hong.
• Asutai asked whether the Wei Dynasty had a person famed for unmatched skill in several arts, and Meng Wen said no such person existed, leaving Asutai wondering who had helped him.

Meng Wen and Meng Wu delivered a letter to Left King Muhage, who planned to use Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing’s captivity to provoke Xiao Jinghong into pushing the Wei Dynasty to send troops south. The chapter ended with Fu Wanqing realizing that the plan was underway as she watched over the ill Xiao Fengchun.

• Meng Wen and Meng Wu presented Muhage with a letter from an unnamed Wei man, and Muhage sent them to rest after reading it.
• Muhage told Yuan Jingxuan that the letter promised to persuade the Wei emperor to send troops south, giving Muhage a chance to seize the Barbarian throne by repelling them and counterattacking.
• Muhage explained that the plan depended on Xiao Jinghong learning that her parents, Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing, were alive and then urging the Wei to march south.
• Muhage ordered Yuan Jingxuan to send Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing’s personal belongings to Xiao Jinghong, then have the two messengers killed after they completed the delivery.
• Yuan Jingxuan left with Asutai and warned him to keep the secret; Asutai questioned whether exploiting Fu Wanqing contradicted their people’s disdain for schemes.
• Fu Wanqing watched Yuan Jingxuan and Asutai leave, then turned back to the sick Xiao Fengchun, worried that the anticipated events had begun.

Chen Yi investigated Ma Shuhan’s death and warned Chen Yunfan that the annual examination might implicate powerful figures. After arranging for Shui Hetong to impersonate him at the next day’s banquet, Chen Yi received intelligence that the thief “One Finger” planned to abduct Li Sanyuan.

• Chen Yi weighed the forces involved in Shuzhou’s crisis and used his painting Dao to leave a convincing double in bed before secretly leaving the Xiao Family.
• At Zhennan Street, Chen Yi heard jianghu guests discuss Hua Huiyang’s death and the reputations of Daoist Zhongwu, White Immortal, and Li Wudang.
• Chen Yi met Chen Yunfan, suggested that Ma Shuhan’s death might be tied to the annual examination, and urged him to consider that someone powerful had ordered Ma to tamper with it.
• Chen Yi met Shui Hetong, gave him his disguise mask, and explained what Marquis Xiao knew so Shui Hetong could act in his place at the banquet.
• Chen Yi received intelligence that the famed martial-world thief “One Finger” intended to abduct Li Sanyuan at Marquis Dingyuan’s Estate in Shuzhou.

Chen Yi planned to use Li Sanyuan as bait to draw out those tied to the Jizhou Trading Company, while arranging for Shui Hetong, Liu Lang, and Zhang Dabao to act at the Xiao Family. At Chunyu Tower, Chen Yi learned that the source of Half-step Smile Madness and Song Jin Jian’s whereabouts remained uncertain, leaving him wondering who had ordered One Finger to abduct Li Sanyuan.

• Chen Yi decided to use Li Sanyuan to lure out the people working in secret and asked Zhang Dabao to impersonate him at the Xiao Family.
• Zhang Dabao and Liu Lang agreed to go to the Xiao Family with Shui Hetong, who offered to help ensure their safety.
• Chen Yi visited Ge Laosan at Chunyu Tower and asked about Ma Shuhan’s death and the Mountain Tribe’s Half-step Smile Madness.
• Ge Laosan reported that the known practitioners of Half-step Smile Madness had remained on Wumeng Mountain, while Granny Shan’s son and daughter-in-law were suspected because they had left Shuzhou years earlier.
• Ge Laosan told Chen Yi that Song Jin Jian had disappeared after staying briefly at Tingyu Pavilion, and Chen Yi wondered where he had gone and who had ordered One Finger to abduct Li Sanyuan.

Chen Yi investigated the Qinghe Cui Family’s connections and learned that General Star suspected the Cui Family had a serious problem. At Xiao Manor’s family banquet, Chen Yunfan encountered Chen Yi alongside the disguised Shui Hetong as Chen Yu and wondered who the apparent martial expert was.

• Chen Yi questioned Ge Laosan about Bright Moon Tower, then Ge Laosan reported their conversation to General Star, who ordered repairs and a renewed investigation of nearby properties.
• Chen Yi returned to Chunhe Garden, reflected on Yuan Liu’er’s progress and his own approaching breakthrough, and cultivated the Four Symbols Technique.
• Guests gathered at Xiao Manor for Elder Master Xiao’s family banquet, and Chen Yunfan arrived with Chunying and Lin Zhong.
• Chen Yunfan met Shui Hetong, who was presenting himself as Chen Yu, then saw Chen Yi and became confused by the apparent double identity.
• Chen Yi brought Chen Yunfan and Shui Hetong to Chunhe Garden, where he introduced Lin Zhong to Shui Hetong as an expert from the Chen Family.

Chen Yi recognized Lin Zhong’s interest in Hundred Herbs Hall and discussed Shuzhou’s incoming officials with Chen Yunfan, while Liu Lang and Zhang Dabao broke Li Sanyuan out of the Xiao Family’s Inner Prison by swapping disguises. The real Li Sanyuan escaped, but a disguised Xiao Xuanshuo then abducted Zhang Dabao, who realized the man might be his master, One Finger.

• Lin Zhong hinted that people coveted Hundred Herbs Hall, and Chen Yi suspected the Chen Family wanted a share of its business.
• Chen Yunfan told Chen Yi that the new Right Envoy had ordered him and Li Huaigu to investigate Ma Shuhan’s case during the welcoming banquet.
• Liu Lang and Zhang Dabao disguised themselves as Disciplinary Hall guards, knocked out Li Sanyuan, and exchanged clothes with him so Liu Lang could carry him out.
• A disguised Xiao Xuanshuo entered the Inner Prison, opened Zhang Dabao’s cell lock with ease, and knocked him unconscious.
• Zhang Dabao recognized a mark from his thieves’ lineage and suspected that the disguised Xiao Xuanshuo was his master, One Finger; the man wheeled him away as Shui Hetong left the garden.

Chen Yi used a painting and poem to conceal his role in the rescue operation while Chen Yunfan learned that someone had freed Li Sanyuan from the Xiao Family's Disciplinary Hall. One Finger delivered Li Sanyuan to Liu Zhaoxue, then joined Pei Yonglin aboard her boat as she ordered her people to question Li about the Poshushuo Kingdom's agents in the Prefectural City.

• Chen Yi painted a peaceful rural scene and inscribed a poem about beans born from the same root, prompting Chen Yunfan, Lin Zhong, and Chunying to connect it to the Chen Family.
• Chen Yunfan told Chen Yi that their father had set out south and should reach Shuzhou within a month or two.
• Chen Yunfan and Lin Zhong learned that someone had rescued Li Sanyuan from the Xiao Family's Disciplinary Hall, and Chen Yi pretended not to know who was responsible.
• One Finger delivered the captive Li Sanyuan to Liu Zhaoxue at Quchi and revealed that he had acted for Pei Yonglin's sake.
• Pei Yonglin invited One Finger aboard the pleasure boat, while Liu Zhaoxue ordered her guards to question Li Sanyuan about the Poshushuo Kingdom's people hiding in the Prefectural City.

Zhang Dabao was captured while impersonating Li Sanyuan, and Liu Zhaoxue interrogated him about a hidden envoy from the Poshushuo Kingdom. One Finger and Pei Yonglin’s confrontation exposed Pei’s ties to the Jizhou Trading Company, and the chapter ended as Shui Hetong arrived to face the company’s people.

• Liu Zhaoxue questioned the captive Zhang Dabao, mistaking him for Li Sanyuan, and he gave her the envoy’s supposed location near Yanhuaxiang by the South City Gate.
• One Finger confronted Pei Yonglin about his crimes and his ties to the Mountain Tribe, and Pei admitted that he and Lingyin had become Clear Wind Envoys of Pingzheng Hall.
• Pei Yonglin poisoned One Finger with a gu worm and warned him to keep his secret, but Zhang Dabao recognized his master and tried to warn him that the authorities were coming.
• One Finger scattered white powder to help Zhang Dabao escape, and Pei Yonglin ordered Liu Zhaoxue’s people to kill them.
• Zhang Dabao ran into Shui Hetong, who was disguised as Chen Yu and greeted the Jizhou Trading Company’s people as old friends.