Chapter Summaries

Chen Yi returned to Dragon Field Academy after rescuing Marquis Xiao and Madam Xiao, gained new insights from the Barbarian Tribe’s methods, and learned how the academy had fared in his absence. The chapter ended with him hearing Xiao Wan’er sing the farewell poem he had written for her.

• Chen Yi reviewed his new rewards and considered adapting the Barbarian Tribe’s Spirit Fusion and Spirit Possession methods to strengthen his body and spirit with the Four-Aspect Divine Seats.
• At Monkey Mountain, Ye Guxian told Chen Yi that the Hidden Immortal Competition had been moved to the East Sea for the Double Ninth Festival two years later, then asked him to oversee Yuan Liu'er’s cultivation before leaving for the Wa Kingdom.
• Chen Yi saw Yuan Liu'er practicing the Shadowless Sword and returned to Dragon Field Academy, where he reunited with Shui Hetong and confirmed that Marquis Xiao and Madam Xiao had returned safely.
• Shui Hetong told Chen Yi that Cui Qingwu had recruited students from several regions for Dragon Field Academy and that Xiao Wan'er planned to collect tuition from the aristocratic families.
• Shui Hetong left for the Central Plains, and Chen Yi heard Xiao Wan’er singing the parting poem he had written for her.

Chen Yi returned from the Barbarian Tribe, revealed himself to Xiao Wan'er, and comforted her through the Chess Dao Illusion Realm while discussing Dragon Field Academy. The next day, recruitment began in Tonglin Town despite the rain.

• Chen Yi finished writing notes on the Medical Canon and brought them to Xiao Wan'er, who recognized him and welcomed him into her residence.
• Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er entered the Chess Dao Illusion Realm, where he told her he had gone to the Barbarian Tribe and promised not to return there for now.
• Xiao Wan'er explained that Dragon Field Academy would recruit local children and that the Wind and Rain Tower had arranged for two Medical Saint Hands to teach there.
• Chen Yi assured Xiao Wan'er he planned to stay in Shuzhou, then left after praising her singing and hearing Xie Tingyun imitate her voice.
• The next day, Uncle Kang announced that Dragon Field Academy was recruiting students and urged families to bring their children to Monkey Mountain.

Yuan Liu'er protected Tonglin Town boys from arrogant aristocratic guests as Dragon Field Academy admitted 120 new students, and Chen Yi returned to the Prefectural City with Xiao Wan'er. There, Chen Yi heard that news of Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing’s rescue had spread from the Barbarian Tribe, leaving the Xiao Family at risk of losing the initiative.

• A group of Tonglin Town boys took a shortcut to Dragon Field Academy, where Yuan Liu'er stopped aristocratic carriages from running them down and ordered the Wang Family of Jingzhou to leave.
• Yuan Liu'er explained Dragon Field Academy's rules, and admissions brought in 120 students; Cui Qingwu said she would return to the Prefectural City to see Chen Yunfan.
• Xie Tingyun told Chen Yi about the admissions while he fished, and Xiao Wan'er later proposed that they return to the Prefectural City.
• Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er reached the Prefectural City, where Chen Yi overheard people saying that 'Dragon Tiger' Chen Yu had rescued Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing from the Black Bear Tribe.
• Chen Yi realized that the news had reached the public from the Barbarian Tribe before the Xiao Family could announce the couple's return.

After rumors spread that Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing were alive, Chen Yi investigated who was stirring them up and anticipated scrutiny of the Xiao Family and Hundred Herbs Hall. He decided to disrupt the forces targeting the Xiao Family and secretly went to meet the White Tiger Guard’s General Star.

• Rumors in Shu Prefecture City claimed Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing survived by betraying the Dingyuan Army, while others speculated that Chen Yu had rescued them.
• Xiao Wan'er learned that people were saying her parents were alive, but Elder Master Xiao withheld the truth when she questioned him.
• Chen Yi suspected Zhao Wenjing and other insiders were helping the Barbarian Tribe spread the news, and he discovered Fu Wanqing was hiding in the Xiao Family manor.
• Chen Yi divined that the crisis might also create an opportunity and decided to draw the Barbarian Tribe into Shuzhou’s conflict.
• Spies openly watched the Xiao Family and Hundred Herbs Hall, so Chen Yi left the manor in disguise and went to meet the General Star.

Chen Yi sought the White Tiger Guard’s help as rumors spread that Xiao Fengchun was alive, and urged General Star to arrange a meeting before the news reached the Emperor. He redirected Hundred Herbs Hall’s expansion and arranged extra protection, then learned that Li Changqing had come to question Xiao Yuan.

• Chen Yi met General Star at the Tailor Shop, pressed him to bring someone authorized to discuss a deal, and warned that the terms would change if they waited too long.
• General Star sent a message by goshawk and discussed the Poshushuo Kingdom with Chen Yi, who warned him to watch for developments before departing unseen.
• Chen Yi instructed Wang Ji to prioritize Hundred Herbs Hall’s supply in Shuzhou, expand its workshops, and invite Chu Xiudao to oversee the business.
• Chen Yi returned to the Side Chamber and considered how to involve the White Tiger Guard and prepare the Xiao Family for the truth about Xiao Fengchun.
• Chen Yi received intelligence that Li Changqing had visited Xiao Yuan at Marquis Dingyuan’s Estate and concluded that news from the Prefectural City had reached Guangyuan.

Chen Yi advanced his Daos and the Four Symbols Technique while the Xiao Family prepared to hide Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing from their enemies. In Guangyue Prefecture, Zhang Xuan and Chen Xuanji planned to ambush Japanese pirates as they withdrew toward the Wa Kingdom.

• Chen Yi used fortune points to advance his Blade Dao and Way of the Qin, then cultivated the Four Symbols Technique and gained an upgrade to Heaven Rank.
• Xiao Xuanshuo worried that his elder brother Xiao Fengchun might still be alive, and Elder Master Xiao told him to invite Provincial Governor Yang.
• Elder Master Xiao met Xiao Fengchun underground, where Xiao Fengchun explained that he planned to take men from the Dingyuan Army into Wumeng Mountain to train them.
• Xiao Fengchun and Elder Master Xiao discussed the rumors, Chen Yu’s abilities, and Xiao Jinghong’s feelings for Chen Yi; Xiao Fengchun decided to leave for Wumeng Mountain with Fu Wanqing.
• Zhang Xuan and Chen Xuanji discussed the Japanese pirates’ thirty-two hideouts and planned to provoke their retreat, then ambush them at sea.

Chen Xuanji uncovered a decades-long scheme involving the Jizhou Trading Company and considered whether its architect sought to control the emperor or overthrow the Great Wei Dynasty. As Shuzhou faced a flood of suspicious arrivals and visitors to the Xiao residence, Chen Xuanji ordered the White Tiger Guard to assist Zhang Xuan and learned that Chen Yu wanted to meet the guard.

• Zhang Xuan argued that Chen Xuanji's presence in Guangyue Prefecture threatened local officials' chance to claim credit for defeating the Japanese pirates, then left them to discuss what to do.
• Chen Xuanji decoded a secret message reporting that Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing were alive and had been rescued by Chen Yu, and deduced that a hidden plot had begun decades earlier.
• Chen Xuanji considered whether the plot aimed to install a puppet emperor or overthrow the Great Wei Dynasty, then received a message that Chen Yu wanted to meet the White Tiger Guard.
• Chen Xuanji ordered Guiyan to give evidence of Aristocratic Clan crimes to Zhang Xuan and told the White Tiger Guard to stay out of the coming campaign against the Japanese pirates.
• Shuzhou's city gates filled with travelers, and the Judicial Department arrested twenty-three suspicious people, including wanted practitioners and foreign spies.
• Elder Master Xiao shut his doors to visitors while preparing for Provincial Governor Yang Ye's banquet, but Third Steward Lu Guan reported that Regional Commander Li had requested an audience.

Chen Yunfan taunted Li Changqing at Marquis Dingyuan's Estate, then discussed Shuzhou's rumors about Fengchun and Wanqing with Elder Master Xiao and Yang Ye. In Chunhe Garden, Chen Yunfan asked Chen Yi to introduce him to Dragon Tiger, leaving Chen Yi unsure how to respond.

• Chen Yunfan mocked Li Changqing in the front courtyard, and Li Changqing nearly attacked him before Yang Ye arrived and reprimanded him for losing his composure.
• Yang Ye told Elder Master Xiao that Chen Yunfan had outmatched Li Changqing, and Elder Master Xiao admitted his disappointment in Li Changqing.
• Elder Master Xiao told Yang Ye that the Barbarian Tribe was spreading rumors that Fengchun and Wanqing were alive, and said he wanted Yang Ye to step forward.
• Chen Yunfan and Chen Yi joked about Li Changqing and Chen Yunfan's gifts and silver while Chen Yu watched in disbelief.
• Chen Yunfan asked Chen Yi to introduce him to Dragon Tiger, and Chen Yi hesitated.

Chen Yi reunited with Chen Yunfan and Chen Yu, discussed Chen Xuanji’s injury and expected arrival in Shuzhou, and learned that Tang Wansha sensed a familiar aura from Chunhe Garden. After the brothers left, Chen Xuanji, the White Tiger Guard’s deputy Pavilion Master known as False Tiger, entered Chen Yi’s Chess Dao Illusion Realm and challenged him to Go while questioning why the Xiao Family concealed the rescue of Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing.

• Chen Yi decided to stop using the Chen Yu identity for a while to avoid drawing attention to himself and the Xiao Family.
• Chen Yunfan and Chen Yu visited Chen Yi, praised Chen Yunfan’s Sword Dao progress, and discussed Chen Xuanji’s recovery from an assassination attempt by Japanese pirates.
• Tang Wansha sensed a distinctive aura from Chunhe Garden and wondered whether the Chen Family had ties to people who wore white.
• Chen Yi’s fortune display showed that Li Changqing had visited Elder Master Xiao to probe whether Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing were alive.
• Chen Yunfan said Chen Xuanji might arrive in Shuzhou within days, and Chen Yi agreed to meet him.
• False Tiger entered Chen Yi’s Chess Dao Illusion Realm, played Go against him, and questioned why the Xiao Family was concealing the rescued couple’s return.

Chen Yi asked Chen Xuanji for White Tiger Guard support to protect the Xiao Family, explaining that the Barbarian Emperor was dead and the tribes faced turmoil. Chen Xuanji agreed to help if Chen Yi beat him at chess, and though he declared victory, Chen Yi spotted a possible reversal and insisted the game was not over.

• Chen Yi told Chen Xuanji that he no longer felt tied to the Chen Family, and Chen Xuanji learned he knew about the Fledgling scheme.
• Chen Xuanji explained that the White Tiger Guard and the Chen Family had planned for the Chen Family to replace the weakened Xiao Family in Shuzhou, but the plan became unnecessary after the Xiao Family's fortunes improved.
• Chen Yi asked for White Tiger Guard assistance and revealed that the Barbarian Emperor had died, leaving Longge Mowang to contend with rival tribes.
• Chen Xuanji agreed to help the Xiao Family if Chen Yi defeated him at chess.
• Chen Xuanji outmaneuvered Chen Yi, formed a white dragon, and declared the game won.
• Chen Yi noticed something on the board, picked up a black stone, and declared that the game was not over.

Chen Yi defeated Chen Xuanji in a game of chess and reached the Chess Dao extreme realm, then secured the White Tiger Guard’s support for his plans in Shuzhou. Three days later, as suspicious outsiders crowded the city, Chu Xiudao welcomed his returning disciple.

• Chen Yi placed a lone black stone and changed tactics, prompting Chen Xuanji to play against him in earnest as Chen Yi expanded the illusory world.
• Chen Yi completed a formation that swept away the white stones and broke through to the Chess Dao extreme realm; Chen Xuanji accepted defeat and agreed to support his plans through the White Tiger Guard.
• Chen Yi outlined his strategy against the Jizhou Trading Company and asked about the Chen and Cui Families’ marriage alliance; Chen Xuanji said he would investigate and left with plans to speak to Chen Yunfan’s attendant, Lin Zhong.
• Chen Yi returned to the Side Chamber and recognized that he had reached the extreme realm in five paths, while Chen Xuanji went to Tingyu Pavilion to ask Lin Zhong about Chen Yunfan and Cui Qingwu.
• Three days later, suspicious outsiders crowded Shu Prefecture City and watched Hundred Herbs Hall, until Chu Xiudao heard his disciple return and greeted him warmly.

Liu Lang reunited with Chu Xiudao, whose remarks about Chen Yu sparked rumors that Chen had fought an Earthly Immortal in Barbarian Tribe territory. As General Star maneuvered to carry out the White Tiger Guard’s orders, Fu Wanqing secretly visited Chen Yi disguised as a maid and sized him up as Xiao Jinghong’s husband.

• Liu Lang returned to Shuzhou intending to confront Chen Yu, but instead reunited with his master Chu Xiudao outside Hundred Herbs Hall.
• Chu Xiudao insisted that Liu Lang spar with him before arranging a bout with Chen Yu, then took him out of the city to train.
• The unorthodox practitioners watching Hundred Herbs Hall spread the rumor that Chen Yu had fought a Barbarian Tribe Earthly Immortal, and General Star summoned Cui Qingwu to assign her an investigation and restore order in the city.
• General Star recalled the Pavilion Master’s orders to delay investigating Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing, spread a rumor implicating the Qinghe Cui Family, and cooperate with Minister of War Chen Xuanji.
• Chen Yi stayed at the Xiao Family residence, while Fu Wanqing arrived disguised as the maid Qiu Man and silently judged him as a suitable husband for Xiao Jinghong.

Chen Yi learned that spies were watching the Xiao Family manor and prepared poison to deal with intruders, while Fu Wanqing met him and praised him to Elder Master Xiao. As night fell, the guards tightened security around the estate, and Liu Si'er set out to inspect the rear hill.

• Fu Wanqing visited Chen Yi under her servant alias, arranged to accompany him and Xiao Wan'er to Guiyun Academy, and later told Elder Master Xiao that Chen Yi was exceptional.
• Chen Yi overheard officials discussing the many spies around the Xiao Family manor and learned that intruders planned to break in that night.
• Cui Qingwu told Chen Yi that Chen Yunfan was at the Surveillance Commissioner's Office and that Li Fu would arrive in the Prefectural City the next day ahead of Chen Xuanji.
• Chen Yi prepared Qingfeng Zui and Immortal's Draught so he could confront the intruders and trace them to whoever sent them.
• Elder Master Xiao told Fu Wanqing that Xiao Fengchun had taken soldiers deep into Wumeng Mountain and asked her to keep it secret.
• Wang Lixing warned Liu Si'er and the guards to stay alert, and Liu Si'er took men to check beyond the rear hill.

Chen Yi created a black-clad figure with perfected Fist Dao to draw the Xiao Family’s guards away while he headed for the rear mountain. The figure fought Xie Tingyun and Tang Wansha before vanishing, and Chen Yi confronted three other black-clad intruders, asking them to move elsewhere.

• Liu Si'er led guards through the mansion while Chen Yi created a black-clad figure and sent it to draw attention to the ancestral hall.
• Xie Tingyun fought the figure and was injured before Tang Wansha joined the battle and challenged him with her palm technique.
• The black-clad figure disappeared during the fight, prompting Tang Wansha to check on Xiao Wan'er and Elder Master Xiao to order a search of the residences.
• Chen Yi reached the rear mountain and faced three black-clad figures, asking them to step elsewhere.

Chen Yi captured three Bright Moon Tower agents investigating Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing, then spared them to spread his warning that outsiders must leave Shuzhou. After hearing that Li Fu had come to Qingjing Residence, Chen Yi watched the meeting and resolved to tell Xiao Wan'er the truth about her parents soon.

• Chen Yi trapped three men in a Medicine Formation, defeated them, and destroyed their Dantians and qi seas.
• The men revealed that Bright Moon Tower had sent them to find Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing after receiving information from the Barbarian Tribe.
• Chen Yi spared the agents on the condition that they warn the city that unorthodox practitioners and anyone spying on the Xiao Family or Hundred Herbs Hall would be killed within three days.
• Chen Yi returned to the Xiao Family residence and heard Xiao Wan'er worry that her parents might still be alive, then decided to speak with her the next day.
• Li Fu arrived at Qingjing Residence late at night, and Chen Yi watched as Lu Guan led him in to meet Marquis Xiao.

Li Fu visited Elder Master Xiao to discuss turmoil among the Barbarian Tribe and probe whether Xiao Fengchun was still alive. He warned that Chen Xuanji had received an Imperial Edict to investigate the Young Marquis’s case, while Chen Yi realized the Imperial Court was applying pressure.

• Li Fu visited Elder Master Xiao late at night and asked about the physician who had restored his health, learning that the physician’s disciple was at Dragon Field Academy.
• Li Fu reported that the new Barbarian Emperor faced opposition from the tribes and that the Commander's Office expected major internal strife, while he opposed a Great Wei invasion.
• Li Fu asked whether Xiao Fengchun was still alive, but Elder Master Xiao denied the rumors and insisted his son would never have survived capture.
• Li Fu revealed that Chen Xuanji had received an Imperial Edict to investigate Xiao Fengchun’s case and urged Elder Master Xiao to prepare.
• Li Fu left the Marquis's mansion, and Chen Yi watched his carriage depart before realizing that the Imperial Court was applying pressure.

Chen Yi advanced to Third Grade Upper Stage and planned to use Yang Ye to protect the Xiao Family from pressure by the Jianghu and the Imperial Court. He woke to rumors of an attack on the Marquis’s mansion, but told Pei Guanli it had nothing to do with them.

• Chen Yi assessed the usefulness of his improved Painting Dao and considered how to use Yang Ye and the Imperial Court’s rules to ease the pressure on the Xiao Family.
• Chen Yi cultivated the Four Symbols Technique and broke through to Third Grade Upper Stage, expanding the Chess Dao Illusion Realm.
• Chen Yi judged that his improved cultivation and mastery of several Daos would let him defeat Wenkela and other Barbarian Tribe Great Grandmasters, and resolved to kill Jianghu guests who kept investigating the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Die and Pei Guanli discussed rumors that intruders had broken into the Marquis’s mansion, and Pei Guanli asked Chen Yi if he knew about it.
• Chen Yi told Pei Guanli that he already knew and that the matter had nothing to do with them; Xiao Wan'er then arrived at Chunhe Garden.

Chen Yi told Xiao Wan'er that her parents, Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing, were alive, and warned her to keep the news and the danger of hidden accomplices secret. As he accompanied her to Guiyun Academy, he learned that rumors had distorted his threat against intruders, and the chapter ended with Xiao Wang unexpectedly meeting them there.

• Chen Yi comforted Xiao Wan'er by revealing that her parents were alive and explaining that the Xiao Family was keeping their survival secret because Liu Hong's hidden accomplices might still pose a threat.
• Xiao Wan'er wept with relief, promised to keep the secret, and left Chunhe Garden with Chen Yi to travel to Guiyun Academy.
• Fu Wanqing accompanied Xiao Shen as a maid and watched Xiao Wan'er from the carriage, feeling both relieved by her improved health and unsure whether Xiao Wan'er would welcome a marriage to Chen Yu.
• Chen Yi overheard aristocratic visitors discussing rumors that he had threatened to kill everyone investigating the Xiao Family, and realized someone might be trying to turn his warning against him.
• Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er arrived at Guiyun Academy, where Xiao Wang unexpectedly approached them.

Xiao Wang and Xiao Qiuyun returned to Shuzhou with Zhao Yi, whose pursuit of Xiao Wan'er angered her family and prompted Chen Yi to protect her. After visiting Guiyun Academy, Chen Yi reassured Xiao Wan'er that she would soon see her father, then noticed a tofu shop that reminded him of someone waiting in Jiangnan Prefecture.

• Xiao Wang and Xiao Qiuyun arrived at Guiyun Academy with Zhao Yi, and Xiao Shen warned Xiao Wang that Marquis Dingyuan might punish him for returning to Shuzhou.
• Zhao Yi blocked Xiao Wan'er and praised her beauty, but Chen Yi took her hand and led her into the academy while telling Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang to guard her.
• Xiao Qiuyun learned Zhao Yi had taken an interest in Xiao Wan'er, while Fu Wanqing decided she would discuss a possible match with Chen Yu with her father.
• Chen Yi heard that Zhao Yi belonged to the Marquis Zhaowu Residence and suspected the group had come because Xiao Fengchun was still alive.
• Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er left Guiyun Academy after he agreed to return in a few days and reassured her that she would soon see her father.
• Chen Yi noticed a tofu shop before boarding the carriage and remembered someone who had promised to wait for him in Jiangnan Prefecture.

Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er dined at Yingchun Tower, where Chen Yunfan warned that the court was investigating whether Xiao Fengchun had betrayed the Wei Dynasty. After a sudden storm struck Shuzhou, Zhao Yi met Xiao Wang at Chunyu Tower and asked how to contact Bright Moon Tower’s elder.

• Chen Yi recalled Lou Yuxue while walking with Xiao Wan'er, then entered Yingchun Tower for lunch.
• Chen Yunfan joined Chen Yi and mocked the officials at Li Fu’s welcoming banquet before warning that the court had ordered a secret investigation into Xiao Fengchun and the Xiao Family.
• Chen Yi wondered whether Li Fu and Chen Xuanji had been sent to Shuzhou for related purposes.
• A sudden windstorm battered Shuzhou shortly after Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er returned to the Marquis's mansion.
• Zhao Yi entertained himself at Chunyu Tower with Xiao Wang, then asked an attendant how he could meet Bright Moon Tower’s elder.