Chapter Summaries

Chen Yi arranged for Xiao Die to remain in Chunhe Garden while he and Xiao Wan'er traveled to Tonglin Town, where he planned to prepare for a swift journey to the Barbarian Tribe. As the Poshushuo Kingdom’s upheaval threatened to affect Shuzhou, the Xiao Family made cautious defensive plans, and Chen Yi left with his next steps still unsettled.

• Chen Yi asked Xiao Die to stay behind and guard the valuable calligraphy and paintings in Chunhe Garden and Jiaxing Garden while he and Xiao Wan'er were away.
• Chen Yi assessed how King Landu’s rapid campaign in the Poshushuo Kingdom could affect the Jizhou Trading Company, the Xiao Family’s frontier defenses, the Barbarian Tribe’s succession struggle, and Shuzhou’s political situation.
• Elder Master Xiao ordered the Dingyuan Army to hold its position, sent scouts toward the Poshushuo Kingdom, and instructed Xiao Xuanshuo to investigate unfamiliar people in Shuzhou City.
• Chen Yi decided he needed to hurry his journey to the Barbarian Tribe and make preparations to reduce its impact on Shuzhou.
• The household prepared to leave for Tonglin Town, while Tang Wansha stayed behind to protect Xiao Manor and Qin Xiuce accompanied Xiao Wan'er.
• Chen Yi asked when Cui Qingwu would arrive and learned she was delaying her trip to Guangyuan; he told Xiao Wan'er they would discuss when he would leave after reaching Tonglin Town.

Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er traveled from Jiaxing Garden to Tonglin Town with their companions, where they went to inspect the nearly completed Medical Dao Academy. As the physicians prepared to move in, Chen Yi suggested that they decide who would lead the Medical Canon compilation by letting their skills speak for themselves.

• Chen Yi persuaded Pei Guanli to stay at the estate and cultivate until she broke through to the seventh rank realm, then set out with Xiao Wan'er and their companions.
• On the road, Chen Yi reassured Xiao Wan'er about her improving health and said he would have Ma Liangcai check her pulse and adjust her prescription.
• Cui Qingwu joined Xiao Wan'er outside the eastern gate, and she told her that King Landu's rebellion could profoundly affect Great Wei if he took control of the Poshushuo royal court.
• The group reached Tonglin Town, where Kang Ming reported that the Medical Dao Academy's side chambers were ready, though they lacked furnishings.
• Cui Qingwu asked which Medical Saint Hand would lead the Medical Canon compilation, and Chen Yi suggested that their skills should decide.

Chen Yi and his companions inspected the new Medical Dao Academy, which was named Dragon Field Academy, while Cui Qingwu considered securing its leadership for her physicians. After Chen Yi’s calligraphy transformed the academy, Shui Hetong and Ye Guxian arrived at his quarters that night, with Ye Guxian saying he had come to see Yuan Liu'er.

• Cui Qingwu agreed to let the physicians compete by medical skill rather than seniority, and Chen Yi brought the group to inspect the academy on Monkey Mountain.
• Chen Yi explained that Yuan Liu'er was technically his disciple and praised her and Ma Liangcai’s medical abilities, while Cui Qingwu considered her physicians for the academy’s leadership.
• Chen Yi named the school Dragon Field Academy and wrote its plaque and couplets, whose calligraphy released azure dragons that filled the grounds with glowing clouds.
• The contest between Ma Liangcai, Yuan Liu'er, and Cui Qingwu’s physicians was postponed until the next day as the academy was put in order.
• Shui Hetong and Ye Guxian visited Chen Yi late that night, and Ye Guxian said he had come because he missed his disciple, Yuan Liu'er.

Chen Yi discussed Snow Sword Lord’s plans for the Hidden Immortal Competition and agreed that Ye Guxian could teach Yuan Liu'er, while proposing that she become Dragon Field Academy’s deputy head. As Chen Yi prepared to leave for the Barbarian Tribe, he arranged for Shui Hetong to impersonate him and grew wary of the Imperial Court’s appointments involving Li Changqing and the Vermilion Bird Envoy.

• Snow Sword Lord said he planned to travel to the Wa Kingdom to spar with opponents and prepare for the Hidden Immortal Competition, and he invited Chen Yi to attend if he became an Earthly Immortal.
• Ye Guxian revealed that Gongye Bai had asked him to teach Yuan Liu'er, and Chen Yi proposed making her Dragon Field Academy’s deputy head after the coming contest.
• Chen Yi arranged for Shui Hetong to impersonate him while he went to the Barbarian Tribe, giving him paintings to help reproduce his voice and aura.
• Shui Hetong reported that King Landu’s Peacock King Banner had advanced through the passes and that King Landu had killed two Grandmaster Realm Sorcerers.
• Shui Hetong told Chen Yi that the Imperial Edict assigned Old Marquis Xiao to defend the Prefectural City and Li Changqing to guard Hanxu Pass, while a Vermilion Bird Envoy carried half the Dingyuan Army’s tiger tally.
• Chen Yi decided to watch Li Changqing and the Vermilion Bird Envoy, then returned to the Side Chamber to cultivate the Four Symbols Technique.

Chen Yi cultivated while Ye Guxian taught Yuan Liu'er sword dao, and Yuan Liu'er weighed her ambitions in Medical Dao against the role of deputy dean. At Dragon Field Academy, Xiao Wan'er decided to remain acting head and began a competition to choose a deputy head, introducing the physicians as the trials started.

• Chen Yi cultivated in seclusion as Ye Guxian noticed the powerful surge of Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi around him.
• Ye Guxian taught Yuan Liu'er sword dao and advised her to pursue Medical Dao if that was where her heart lay; Yuan Liu'er decided to focus on her medical studies while continuing her other paths.
• Monkeys gathered at Dragon Field Academy as Xiao Wan'er and Cui Qingwu discussed the academy's leadership and its future.
• Xiao Wan'er declared that she would remain acting head until a suitable candidate emerged and said the Medical Saint Hands would compete for the deputy-head position.
• The academy began its three-part competition, bringing thirty-three seriously ill residents of Tonglin Town for treatment as Cui Qingwu introduced the participating physicians.

At Dragon Field Academy, Wang Dongbo, Deng Yi, He Zonglin, Ma Liangcai, and Yuan Liu'er competed by diagnosing thirty-three gravely ill people from Tonglin Town. Yuan Liu'er and Ma Liangcai outperformed the three senior physicians in the first event, and Cui Qingwu proposed continuing with the contests of teaching and nurturing students.

• Wang Dongbo, Deng Yi, He Zonglin, Ma Liangcai, and Yuan Liu'er introduced themselves before Xiao Wan'er and Chen Yi, and Chen Yi told them to treat the patients first and preserve harmony during the contest.
• Chen Yi set the first event: the physicians would examine the patients and write their diagnoses and prescriptions for comparison.
• Yuan Liu'er examined a severely weakened man and diagnosed martial injuries to his acupoints, prescribing acupuncture and Root-Nourishing Powder; the man's son wept with relief at hearing that treatment was possible.
• Yuan Liu'er finished examining all thirty-three patients before Ma Liangcai, while Wang Dongbo, Deng Yi, and He Zonglin struggled with difficult cases and took much longer.
• Chen Yi compared the physicians' written findings, and Wang Dongbo, Deng Yi, and He Zonglin conceded the first event after discovering their diagnoses were less accurate than Ma Liangcai's and Yuan Liu'er's.
• Cui Qingwu proposed that the contest continue with the remaining two events, which would assess the physicians' ability to teach and train students.

Yuan Liu'er won the debate over medical principles by explaining how physicians could diagnose and heal imbalances in heaven and earth. Xiao Wan'er appointed her deputy head of Dragon Field Academy, which would admit students of all levels of talent and teach them to practice medicine.

• Wang Dongbo rejected a draw and proposed a debate to decide the second contest.
• Ma Liangcai claimed that physicians could not heal heaven and earth, but Yuan Liu'er argued that yin-yang imbalances made such treatment possible.
• Yuan Liu'er explained how rivers, mountains, and other features could be treated as parts of a body, impressing Wang Dongbo, Deng Yi, and He Zonglin.
• Yuan Liu'er said the academy should teach students of ordinary as well as exceptional talent so it could train more physicians and spread basic medical knowledge.
• Xiao Wan'er appointed Yuan Liu'er deputy head and announced that the academy would admit anyone aspiring to practice medicine.

After Yuan Liu'er became Dragon Field Academy’s deputy head, Chen Yi gave her guidance and a second Medical Canon to support her teaching. With affairs in Shuzhou temporarily settled and Chen Yunfan ordered to Hanxu Pass, Chen Yi prepared to leave for the Barbarian Tribe, telling Xiao Wan'er he planned to depart after midnight.

• Cui Qingwu comforted Wang Dongbo and the other teachers after Yuan Liu'er won the contest, and they accepted her and Xiao Wan'er as the academy’s leaders.
• Chen Yi privately reassured Yuan Liu'er about his plans and entrusted her with a Medical Canon for students with less talent, advising her to teach according to each student’s abilities.
• Yuan Liu'er began studying and gradually compiling the two Medical Canon volumes with the academy’s teachers while continuing her cultivation.
• News spread through the Prefectural City that Chen Yunfan had been ordered to Hanxu Pass, prompting scholars to criticize his rise and compare him unfavorably with Chen Yi.
• Chen Yi prepared for his journey to the Barbarian Tribe and, during a nighttime walk with Xiao Wan'er, told her he would leave after midnight.

Chen Yi comforted Xiao Wan'er before leaving Tonglin Town, then disguised himself as Song Jin Jian and went to Shu Prefecture City to gather intelligence. He learned that the Minister of War, Chen Xuanji, had been seriously wounded in Guangyue Prefecture, leaving the circumstances of the attack unresolved.

• Chen Yi promised Xiao Wan'er he would return within a month, recited a parting lyric for her, and gave her instructions for managing affairs while he was away.
• Chen Yi disguised himself as Song Jin Jian, asked Ye Guxian to train him in sword techniques, and told Shui Hetong he would soon leave for the Barbarian Tribe.
• Chen Yi saw intelligence that the Hidden Guard would meet at the West Market Tailor Shop and went there wearing his Black Iron Mask.
• Chen Yi overheard General Star and Ge Laosan discuss unrest in Guangyue Prefecture, Daoyan's death, and Elder Eagle taking charge there.
• General Star told Chen Yi that Minister of War Chen Xuanji had been attacked and seriously wounded in Guangyue Prefecture.

Chen Yi learned that Chen Xuanji had survived an assassination attempt by Japanese pirates and suspected the attack was connected to schemes involving Shuzhou. As Chen Yi headed south toward the Barbarian Tribe, Chen Xuanji quietly discussed the attack with Mo Qingxiang and chose to remain in Guangyue Prefecture.

• Chen Yi heard from General Star that Japanese pirates had gravely wounded Chen Xuanji in Guangyue Prefecture and reasoned that the attack might be intended to delay his journey to Shuzhou.
• Chen Yi warned General Star to consult Old Marquis Xiao about troubling news, then left for the south while General Star sent Secret Letters and Ge Laosan arranged additional support.
• Chen Yi secretly listened to General Star and Ge Laosan discuss the attack, gained Fortune and the Thirty-Six Hidden Weapon Techniques, and flew away toward the south.
• Officials in Guangyue Prefecture discussed Chen Xuanji's injuries and worried about the consequences if they failed to capture the Japanese pirates.
• Chen Xuanji, who had survived and was secretly meeting Mo Qingxiang in an illusory realm, agreed to stay in Guangyue Prefecture for a while.

Chen Xuanji and Mo Qingxiang discussed the struggle among Great Wei’s aristocratic families and planned to strike at hidden forces in Guangyue Prefecture, while Chen Xuanji kept his intentions from Chen Qingzhou and remained indifferent to Chen Yunfan’s fate. At Mengshui Pass, Chen Yi met Xiao Jinghong and requested maps and intelligence for his journey into Barbarian Tribe territory to rescue Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing.

• Chen Xuanji told Mo Qingxiang that the conflict between the northern and southern families could help unite Great Wei, and said he would act in Guangyue Prefecture against pirates and their backers.
• Chen Xuanji revealed the emperor’s Calligraphy Copybook, decided to personally move against the hidden forces, and ordered Mo Qingxiang to locate their traces within three days.
• Chen Xuanji refused to interfere with Chen Yunfan’s choices, while Mo Qingxiang warned that the emperor’s order sending Yunfan to Hanxu Pass carried other intentions.
• At Mengshui Pass, Chen Yi arrived in disguise to meet Xiao Jinghong and asked her for a detailed map of Barbarian Tribe territory and information about the Horse Bandits.
• Chen Yi said he expected to return within a month, and Xiao Jinghong sensed a familiar figure in him.

Chen Yi prepared to enter Barbarian territory disguised as Song Jin Jian to rescue Xiao Jinghong’s parents, while Xiao Jinghong assessed the risks and provided him with intelligence. After saying farewell at Mengshui Pass, Chen Yi set out alone toward the western mountains.

• Xiao Jinghong showed Chen Yi a map of Barbarian territory and explained the Black Bear Tribe, the ailing Barbarian King, and the succession struggle among the princes.
• Xiao Jinghong ordered Su Zhenyue to investigate Horse Bandits still active on the Tea Horse Road and summoned Ma Kui to review scouting reports from beyond Mengshui Pass.
• Xiao Jinghong considered Chen Yi’s plan to impersonate Song Jin Jian and decided his disguise gave him a better chance of rescuing Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing than she would have.
• Chen Yi told Xiao Jinghong he would use the Horse Bandits’ information to find a guide and enter Barbarian territory as Song Jin Jian.
• Chen Yi bid farewell to Xiao Jinghong and vanished from Mengshui Pass, heading west toward the mountains.

Chen Yunfan arrived at Hanxu Pass with his younger brother Chen Yu and met Regional Commander Li Changqing, who hinted that Chen Yi might be in danger. Chen Yunfan learned that the Minister of War had been gravely wounded in an attack and reacted with fury.

• Merchants near Hanxu Pass discussed the unrest in Poshushuo and the strength and recent troubles of the Dingyuan Army.
• Chen Yunfan traveled to Hanxu Pass with Chen Yu, while Chen Yu teased him about Chen Yi’s accomplishments and complained that he had not learned martial arts.
• At the pass, Chen Yunfan met Li Changqing and Shi Junqing, then declined Li Changqing’s invitations to a welcome banquet.
• Li Changqing said he could wait if Chen Yi stayed at Hanxu Pass, but questioned whether Chen Yi could afford to wait.
• Li Changqing revealed that the Minister of War had been attacked and gravely wounded in Guangyue Prefecture, prompting Chen Yunfan to demand who had done it.

Chen Yunfan learned that his father, Chen Xuanji, had supposedly been gravely wounded by Japanese pirates and confronted Li Changqing at Hanxu Pass. After Lin Zhong assured him that Chen Xuanji was unharmed and secretly far more powerful than a great grandmaster, Chen Yunfan agreed to stay in Shuzhou, while Chen Yi watched and wondered whether Chen Xuanji had been injured.

• Chen Yunfan challenged Li Changqing over the report that Chen Xuanji had been gravely wounded, then cut down Li Changqing and wounded the soldiers surrounding them.
• Shi Junqing confirmed that Old Marquis Xiao had sent word of Chen Xuanji's attack by Japanese pirates on the Northern Mountain Road in Guangyue Prefecture.
• Chen Yunfan tried to leave for Guangyue Prefecture, but Lin Zhong and Chunying stopped him and promised to explain why he could not leave Shuzhou.
• Lin Zhong told Chen Yunfan that Chen Xuanji was uninjured and had cultivation beyond the upper three grades, which Chen Yunfan took to mean his father was a great grandmaster.
• Shi Junqing arranged treatment for Li Changqing and the soldiers and ordered Hanxu Pass's gates sealed, while Chen Yunfan went to rest at the General's Residence.
• Chen Yi watched what had happened in Hanxu Pass and wondered whether Chen Xuanji had been injured.

Chen Yi warned Chen Yunfan that Li Changqing might be cooperating with the Vermilion Bird Guard, while privately reconsidering the Chen and Cui families’ role in Shuzhou. Two days later, Chen Yi reached Shijia Town on the Tea Horse Road, where local cutthroats set their sights on a seemingly frail traveler.

• Chen Yi suspected that Chen Xuanji, the Chen Family, and the Qinghe Cui Family were connected to the White Tiger Guard’s plans for Shuzhou, and considered speaking with Chen Xuanji when he arrived.
• Chen Yi visited Chen Yunfan in a Chess Dao Illusion Realm and told him that Li Changqing might be cooperating with the Vermilion Bird Guard, warning him to be careful.
• Chen Yunfan thanked Chen Yi and learned that he had come to inspect the Tea Horse Road, then lamented that he could not match either Chen Yi or Chen Xuanji.
• Two days later, a group of men at Shijia Town’s Golden Mountain Inn decided to rob a traveler they believed was a frail scholar.
• Xi Yanqiu heard the men’s plans and hoped the traveler would not be foolish, while others warned him not to interfere.

Chen Yi forced Xi Yanqiu and the sallow-faced man to reveal that Old Eight at Baolin Temple had been to the Barbarian Tribe, then set out with them to find him. As they left Shijia Town, Xi Yanqiu asked whether Chen Yi was heading to the Barbarian Tribe.

• Xi Yanqiu went to investigate the silent stone house and found Lei Gouzi and his men grotesquely tangled together, with Chen Yi waiting behind them in a Black Iron Mask.
• Chen Yi threatened Xi Yanqiu and the others until the sallow-faced man revealed that Old Eight at Baolin Temple had traveled to the Barbarian Tribe.
• The sallow-faced man and Xi Yanqiu tried to escape, but Chen Yi trapped them in an illusion and then released them, leaving Lei Gouzi and his men alive.
• Chen Yi ordered the sallow-faced man to guide him to Baolin Temple, and Xi Yanqiu joined them after Chen Yi allowed it.
• Chen Yi reflected that surviving Horse Bandits were scarce after recent killings and King Landu's rebellion, while Xi Yanqiu asked if he was going to the Barbarian Tribe.

Chen Yi flew Xi Yanqiu and Qiu Shan toward Barbarian Tribe territory, and both men insisted on joining him despite the danger. At Baolin Temple, Chen Yi stopped the abuse of a woman and demanded to know who Old Eight was, then cut half the temple away when its people failed to answer.

• Chen Yi carried Xi Yanqiu and Qiu Shan through the night sky, and Xi Yanqiu asked to accompany him into Barbarian Tribe territory.
• Xi Yanqiu and Qiu Shan both insisted on joining Chen Yi despite his warning that the journey was almost certain to kill them, and Chen Yi agreed to take them.
• Chen Yi brought the two men to Baolin Temple, where they heard a woman being assaulted inside.
• Chen Yi froze Baolin Temple with his spiritual intent and demanded to know who Old Eight was.
• When a man inside cursed Old Eight instead of answering, Chen Yi cut away half of Baolin Temple and repeated his question.

Chen Yi found Zhang Badan at Baolin Temple, killed the horse bandits there, and forced Zhang to guide him to the Barbarian Tribe. After Chen Yi left the others behind, Zhang identified his sword and concluded that he was Song Jin Jian of Great Wei.

• Xi Yanqiu and Qiu Shan brought Zhang Badan to Chen Yi, who confirmed that Zhang had visited the Barbarian Tribe.
• Chen Yi killed the horse bandits at Baolin Temple with the Uncontested Sword and took Zhang along as a guide.
• A young woman led some survivors east toward Great Wei, while other women stayed behind; Poshushuo Kingdom horse bandits found two of them and killed them before riding after Chen Yi.
• Zhang refused to guide Chen Yi and bit off his tongue, but Chen Yi healed it and tortured Zhang until he agreed to lead them.
• Chen Yi left Xi Yanqiu, Qiu Shan, and Zhang behind, and Zhang recognized the Uncontested Sword and identified Chen Yi as Song Jin Jian of Great Wei.

Chen Yi, revealed as the renowned Uncontested Sword, brought Xi Yanqiu, Qiu Shan, and Zhang Badan toward the Barbarian Tribe, stopping at Lal Mountain as he pursued his own purpose. Three days later, as the Poshushuo Kingdom’s conflict escalated and Dragon Field Academy prepared to recruit students, Xiao Wan’er kept Chen Yi’s secret and prayed for his safe return.

• Zhang Badan recognized Chen Yi as the Uncontested Sword, and Chen Yi took him, Xi Yanqiu, and Qiu Shan toward the Barbarian Tribe.
• At Lal Mountain, Zhang Badan explained the mountain’s history, and Chen Yi camped with the others while cultivating and learning that Feng Erbao had issued an edict condemning Chen Yunfan and Li Changqing.
• Chen Yi considered the risks to Chen Yunfan as Xi Yanqiu, Qiu Shan, and Zhang Badan ate venison beside the campfire.
• King Landu’s fifty thousand troops defeated the Poshushuo Kingdom’s hundred thousand reinforcements, prompting Shuzhou officials to tighten their vigilance.
• At Dragon Field Academy, Xiao Wan’er and Cui Qingwu discussed recruiting students, while Xiao Wan’er concealed Chen Yi’s absence and hoped he would return safely.

Cui Qingwu told Xiao Wan'er how Chen Yi had changed since coming to Shuzhou, and Xiao Wan'er secretly copied one of his early poems. Meanwhile, Chen Yi and his companions reached Lord Ba's black market and obtained an old passage token for the Black Bear Tribe, though Lord Ba warned that the tribe's rules had changed.

• Cui Qingwu recalled Chen Yi's youthful sharpness and recited his poem about seeing his father off, while Xiao Wan'er reflected on how his arrival in Shuzhou had changed her and Second Sister's lives.
• Xiao Wan'er copied Chen Yi's poem onto Yunsong Paper and locked it away with two other sheets.
• Chen Yi, Xi Yanqiu, Qiu Shan, and Zhang Badan traveled to a hidden black market near Lal Mountain, where Zhang Badan introduced them to Lord Ba.
• Lord Ba recognized Chen Yi's Uncontested Sword and, after Chen Yi paid five hundred in gold, gave him an old passage token to the Black Bear Tribe.
• Lord Ba warned that the Black Bear Tribe had grown powerful under Muhage and that the token would not guarantee Chen Yi entry; he also cautioned Chen Yi against killing their people.