Chapter Summaries

Xiao Jinghong returned to the Wooden Tower and questioned Pei Guanli about her secret time with Chen Yi, while Pei Guanli kept his secrets. Chen Yi then learned that Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Wuge had praised his talents to Xiao Jinghong, and Xiao Wan'er warned that his calligraphy could bring many visitors to his door.

• Xiao Jinghong caught Pei Guanli sneaking out of the study and questioned her about what she had been doing with Chen Yi.
• Pei Guanli admitted that Chen Yi knew she was staying there and had been bringing her food, but promised not to reveal his secrets.
• Chen Yi overheard Xiao Wuge praising his poems, calligraphy, and opinions to Xiao Jinghong, then sent Xiao Wuge off to fish.
• Xiao Wan'er told Chen Yi about Mr. Yue Ming's interest in his Birthday Ode and asked whether he had written it.
• Chen Yi confirmed that he had written the calligraphy, and Xiao Wan'er predicted that his reputation would attract people seeking his work.

Xiao Wan'er discovered Chen Yi's poem describing Xiao Jinghong, mistook its meaning for a possible declaration of love, and secretly took it along with one of his calligraphy copybooks. The chapter ended with Xiao Wan'er concealing her confusion from Xiao Jinghong as they headed to visit their grandfather.

• Chen Yi told Xiao Wan'er that his poem should be kept safe as a birthday gift for the Old Master, and she carried it to his study.
• Xiao Wan'er found Chen Yi's poem "Graceful Spirit Ode," suspected it described Xiao Jinghong, and grew troubled by what it might reveal about Chen Yi's feelings.
• Xiao Wan'er took the poem and a running-script copybook, leaving Chen Yi a note asking him not to entertain wild thoughts.
• Xiao Jinghong told Chen Yi she and Xiao Wan'er were going to visit their grandfather, while Chen Yi and Zhang Heng relaxed after she left.
• Chen Yi found Xiao Wan'er's note and realized she had taken the poem, while Pei Guanli assured him she had not revealed his secrets.
• Xiao Jinghong noticed Xiao Wan'er seemed troubled on their way to Qingjing Residence, but Xiao Wan'er hid her concern and continued with her.

Xiao Jinghong and Xiao Wan'er visited Old Marquis Xiao and discussed the Dingyuan Army’s shortages and plans for retired veterans. After confronting relatives who wanted to discipline or appoint Chen Yi, Xiao Jinghong suggested that he help Xiao Wan'er instead, leaving her alarmed.

• Zhang Xuan tried to persuade Sun Fu to return to Jiaozhou, but Sun Fu refused and criticized Zhang Xuan’s heir, Shao Jie.
• Xiao Jinghong told Old Marquis Xiao that the Dingyuan Army lacked funds, supplies, weapons, and horses, and proposed placing retired veterans in a mutual market with the Mountain Tribe.
• Xiao Wan'er reported that the family’s medicinal herb business was thriving, and Old Marquis Xiao approved of Xiao Jinghong’s marriage to Chen Yi.
• Li Changqing greeted Xiao Jinghong and Xiao Wan'er, but Xiao Jinghong brushed him off and left with her sister.
• Xiao Wang demanded that Xiao Jinghong severely punish Chen Yi, while Xiao Qiuyun proposed finding him a Registrar post; Xiao Jinghong rejected both suggestions.
• Xiao Jinghong proposed that Chen Yi help Xiao Wan'er instead, leaving Xiao Wan'er protesting, “Second Sister, you mustn't.”

Xiao Jinghong and Chen Yi spoke privately for the first time about their past choices and the lives they wanted, growing more at ease with each other. They parted after introducing themselves anew as husband and wife, leaving Xiao Jinghong quietly watching Chen Yi return to his room.

• Xiao Wan'er asked Xiao Jinghong to consult Chen Yi about helping her, and Xiao Jinghong decided to find him something to do while she handled family and military affairs.
• Chen Yi shared lunch with the Xiao sisters, Xiao Wuge, and Zhang Heng, while Xiao Wan'er remained unusually quiet around him.
• After a busy afternoon at Chunhe Garden, Chen Yi reviewed his progress in calligraphy and martial techniques and reflected on the difficulty of advancing his Medical Dao.
• Chen Yi found Xiao Jinghong sitting by the pond and asked why she had fled their wedding and why she wore a mask; she explained that a barbarian had wounded her during a patrol and that the mask was practical in the army.
• Xiao Jinghong and Chen Yi spoke comfortably for an hour, then introduced themselves anew as husband and wife and wished each other good night.

Xiao Jinghong prepared for the day and invited Chen Yi to accompany her and Xiao Qiuyun on visits to various residences. She then asked him to help Xiao Qiuyun manage the family’s businesses, leaving Chen Yi wary of being put to work.

• Xiao Jinghong reviewed her schedule with Su Zhenyue, dismissed General Changqing’s afternoon appointment, and asked that extra meat be prepared for Pei Guanli.
• Xiao Jinghong surprised Su Zhenyue by deciding to ask Chen Yi whether he wanted to join the visits to various residences.
• Chen Yi woke late, waited for Xiao Jinghong, and listened as Xiao Die recounted the previous day’s encounters with Yue Ming and Li Changqing.
• Xiao Jinghong returned, and she and Chen Yi headed to Jiaxing Garden together.
• Xiao Jinghong invited Chen Yi to visit the residences with her and Xiao Qiuyun, then asked him to assist Xiao Qiuyun with the family’s medicine halls, fields, and shops.

Chen Yi accompanied Xiao Jinghong and Xiao Wan'er around the Xiao family estate while avoiding Xiao Jinghong’s request that he help her sister. As the Old Marquis’s birthday approached, Chen Yi continued his martial training and received Li Huaigu and Yunxiang, who invited him to their wedding and to a poetry gathering.

• Chen Yi resisted Xiao Jinghong’s request to help Xiao Wan'er, while Xiao Wan'er remained embarrassed by his poem and calligraphy.
• Chen Yi accompanied Xiao Jinghong and Xiao Wan'er on visits to the Xiao family branches and learned more about the family’s main and second branches.
• Chen Yi asked Xiao Jinghong to let Xiao Wan'er decide about his assistance after the Old Master’s birthday, and Xiao Jinghong agreed.
• During three days of rain, Chen Yi practiced martial arts and brought several techniques to complete mastery at the practiced level.
• As the Old Marquis’s birthday neared, visitors came to Xiao Manor, and Chen Yi trained while Xiao Jinghong handled official and military affairs.
• Li Huaigu and Yunxiang visited Chen Yi, thanked him for helping them, invited him to their wedding, and offered him an invitation to a poetry gathering; Chen Yi accepted the wedding invitation and refused the gathering.

At Guiyun Academy, Mr. Yue Ming learned that Chen Yi had written the remarkable calligraphy he admired and decided to visit him personally. Back at Chunhe Garden, Chen Yi received a message from his elder brother, Chen Yunfan, summoning him to welcome him in Shu Prefecture, and dismissed the expectation with scorn.

• Mr. Yue Ming told Li Huaigu that he had invited Chen Yi to a poetry gathering to see the calligraphy copybook, but Li Huaigu explained Chen Yi had refused to avoid comparisons with his Zhuangyuan brother, Chen Yunfan.
• Li Huaigu showed Mr. Yue Ming a poem written in Chen Yi's hand, and Mr. Yue Ming recognized it as the same extraordinary calligraphy as the Ode to Marquis Xiao and admitted he had wrongly doubted Chen Yi's maidservant.
• Mr. Yue Ming decided to seek a calligraphy copybook from Chen Yi himself, while keeping the poetry gathering scheduled to welcome Li Huaigu.
• Chen Yi continued his quiet routine at Chunhe Garden as Xiao Jinghong handled visitors, and Liu Si'er delivered a name card from Chen Yunfan.
• Chen Yi read Chen Yunfan's request that he meet him at the North City Official Road the next morning and scoffed at the idea that he should go welcome him.

Chen Yi learned that Chen Yunfan was arriving in Shuzhou and prepared to meet him with Xiao Wuge at his side. Meanwhile, Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Jinghong discussed the estate's finances and their family plans, leaving Xiao Wan'er uneasy about Chen Yi.

• Chen Yi received intelligence that Chen Yunfan would arrive on the North City Official Road and decided to go meet him for the fortune it promised.
• Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Jinghong finished reviewing the estate's accounts and a memorial requesting funds and provisions for the Dingyuan Army.
• Xiao Jinghong told Xiao Wan'er that she and Chen Yi were getting along, then proposed having him help with the estate's affairs, which flustered Xiao Wan'er.
• Chen Yi dressed carefully, informed Xiao Jinghong, and set out with Xiao Wuge, Xiao Die, Wang Lixing, and Yan Hong to meet Chen Yunfan.
• Chen Yi asked Xiao Wuge how to deal with someone who provoked him, and Xiao Wuge suggested having the person flogged before Chen Yi recommended a surprise blow with a club.

Chen Yi traveled with Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die to the Post Station to meet his elder brother, Chen Yunfan, the newly appointed Zhuangyuan and Counselor. After learning Chen Yunfan might become a senior provincial official soon, Chen Yi was warned to act cautiously, but he remained ambiguous about his relationship with his brother.

• Chen Yi's carriage reached the Post Station, where Shuzhou Prefect Liu Si and other officials were waiting for Chen Yunfan.
• Xiao Wuge learned that Chen Yi had come to meet his elder brother, Chen Yunfan, and asked whether they were on bad terms.
• Liu Si praised Chen Yunfan's rank and position, while Chen Yi pointedly compared him with Li Huaigu, souring Liu Si's expression.
• Xiao Dongchen warned Chen Yi that the aging Right Envoy of the Shu Provincial Administration would retire within two years and urged him to be cautious.
• Chen Yi showed Xiao Dongchen the Name Card summoning him, then ended the exchange by saying he did not know whether Chen Yunfan got along with him.

Chen Yi watched his elder brother Chen Yunfan arrive in Shu as the new Zhuangyuan and provincial counselor, and the two traded barbed remarks before parting on strained terms. After receiving a cultivation technique reward, Chen Yi suspected Chen Yunfan concealed his abilities, while Chen Yunfan privately learned that Chen Yi had practiced the Martial Path.

• Chen Yunfan arrived at the post station in an extravagant carriage, and officials welcomed him as Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge watched.
• Chen Yunfan greeted Chen Yi as Yun Fan, and the two exchanged pointed remarks about their past and Chen Yunfan’s romantic reputation.
• Chen Yi introduced Xiao Wuge as the Young Marquis, and Xiao Wuge criticized Chen Yunfan for stepping on a maidservant to leave his carriage.
• Chen Yunfan departed for Shuzhou City after a tense exchange, and Chen Yi received the Mysterious Turtle Breath Concealment Art as a reward for witnessing his arrival.
• Chunying told Chen Yunfan that Chen Yi had practiced the Martial Path, and Chen Yunfan remarked that his brother had changed and learned to hide his abilities.

Chen Yunfan recalled his complicated childhood rivalry with Chen Yi and planned to attend a poetry gathering in Shuzhou, while Chen Yi tried to understand his elder brother’s intentions and the people gathering in Shuzhou. After exploring North City, Chen Yi returned to Chunhe Garden and was surprised to find someone waiting outside.

• Chen Yunfan reminisced to Chunying about Chen Yi’s talent and their childhood grievances, then arranged to attend a poetry gathering at Guiyun Academy instead of the Right Provincial Administrator’s banquet.
• Chen Yi reflected on Chen Yunfan’s carefully proper behavior and suspected that his rise in Shuzhou would require more than family status.
• Chen Yi took Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die around North City, where he bought a set of Silver Needles for Acupuncture on Kanning Street.
• After lunch, Chen Yi returned to the residence and found a bare-footed figure waiting beneath the corridor outside Chunhe Garden.

Chen Yi helped Pei Guanli prepare a birthday gift for the Xiao Family's Old Master, then assisted Xiao Wan'er in receiving guests at the estate. The afternoon ended with Xiao Wan'er flustered by Chen Yi's easy rapport with the visitors, while he wondered why she had glared at him.

• Pei Guanli told Chen Yi that Xiao Jinghong had let her attend the Old Master's birthday banquet, and she asked him to prepare a gift for her.
• Chen Yi wrote a calligraphy piece for Pei Guanli and sent her to the Mounting Shop with Xiao Die, unaware that their carriage driver had once led her to Liu Si'er's room.
• Shen Huatang asked Chen Yi to help Xiao Wan'er receive the Xiao Family's visiting relatives, and he quickly put the guests at ease.
• Xiao Wan'er endured relatives' teasing about her marriage and dismissed a cousin's love poem, thinking of Chen Yi's poetic talent.
• Xiao Wan'er spotted Chen Yi chatting amiably with the guests, blushed when she met his gaze, and left for the rear kitchen; Chen Yi wondered why she had glared at him.

At Old Marquis Xiao’s birthday banquet, the Xiao Family hosted guests while Chen Yi advanced his Martial Dao Body and practiced new techniques. Xiao Wan’er decided to involve him in the manor’s medicine-hall affairs, leaving Xiao Jinghong to learn that her husband was about to take on something new.

• Old Marquis Xiao welcomed birthday guests, while he, Zhang Xuan, and Sun Fu discussed the banquet and Zhang Xuan’s plans to stay for the Birthday Ode.
• Chen Yi and Xiao Wan’er saw off the guests, and Xiao Wan’er asked Chen Yi to help with the remaining banquet duties.
• Xiao Wan’er decided to invite the managers of the medicine halls to the manor after the birthday banquet, hoping Chen Yi could assist her.
• Chen Yi spent 123 Fortune to raise Martial Dao Body to Major Accomplishment, then advanced Great Spear Stance Cultivation to Mastery Level and increased his strength.
• Chen Yi practiced the Mysterious Turtle Breath Concealment Art, learning to suppress every trace of Qi from his body.
• Xiao Jinghong returned with Su Zhenyue and, after speaking with Xiao Wan’er, learned that Chen Yi was about to have something to do.

Liu Si'er discovered that Pei Guanli was the Mountain Tribe girl he had been ordered to kill, but hesitated to act and decided to seek help at Guiyun Academy. Pei Guanli returned to the estate with her brother-in-law’s mounted calligraphy and became interested when Xiao Die spotted his elder brother near Guiyun Academy.

• Liu Si'er learned from Old Luo that Pei Guanli was inside the Mounting Shop with Xiao Die and secretly watched them from across the street.
• Xiao Die and Pei Guanli waited until the shopkeeper finished mounting the calligraphy, then left with the birthday gift.
• Pei Guanli returned to the shop briefly, and Liu Si'er recognized her as Granny Shan’s granddaughter and realized she was the person he had been ordered to kill.
• Liu Si'er read a note directing him to meet someone at Guiyun Academy and chose to seek that person’s help.
• Pei Guanli rode south with Xiao Die, carrying the calligraphy and listening eagerly to stories about her brother-in-law.
• Xiao Die spotted the son-in-law’s elder brother near Guiyun Academy, and Pei Guanli asked how he got along with her brother-in-law while reaching for medicinal powder.

Pei Guanli went to Guiyun Academy to deliver a calligraphy copybook and waited in the garden for Chen Yunfan, while Chen Yunfan learned that the academy’s teachers planned to visit the Xiao family to see Chen Yi’s calligraphy. He left stunned by the claim that Chen Yi’s writing had the splendor of Calligraphy Artistic Conception.

• Pei Guanli persuaded Xiao Die to let her visit the Poetry Gathering alone and left her waiting in the carriage.
• Pei Guanli entered Guiyun Academy with the copybook, waited in a garden pavilion, and chased off a scholar who approached her.
• Chen Yunfan arrived at a private gathering with Li Huaigu and the academy teachers, declining their invitation to appraise the students’ poems.
• Li Huaigu told Chen Yunfan that the teachers planned to visit Marquis Dingyuan to see Chen Yi’s calligraphy.
• Chen Yunfan heard the teachers debate whether Chen Yi’s New Style Characters truly displayed Calligraphy Artistic Conception and was left in disbelief.

Pei Guanli avenged Chen Yi by drugging and slashing Chen Yunfan's clothes, while Chen Yunfan learned the attack stemmed from Chen Yi's calligraphy and decided to let it go after hearing how dangerous the Mountain Tribe was. Back at Xiao Manor, Chen Yi sent the damaged copybook to be mounted and received a warning of turmoil at Xiao Yuan's Birthday Banquet.

• Chen Yunfan speculated about Chen Yi's calligraphy and poetry before Pei Guanli drugged him and cut his robe and sash to pieces.
• Pei Guanli returned to Xiao Manor with Xiao Die, and the two agreed to blame their delay on the Mounting Shop.
• Chunying showed Chen Yunfan Chen Yi's signature on the calligraphy copybook, revealing why Pei Guanli had attacked him, and warned him against seeking revenge on the Mountain Tribe.
• Chen Yunfan decided to spare Pei Guanli and waited for Harrier Eagle, who was exchanging intelligence with an Iron Banner Officer.
• At Xiao Manor, Chen Yi dismissed Pei Guanli and Xiao Die's apologies, then sent the damaged copybook to the Mounting Shop for repairs.
• Chen Yi received a warning that Xiao Yuan's Birthday Banquet would bring a day of turmoil and several fortunes.

Chen Yi prepared for the coming birthday banquet, where his fortune forecast promised turmoil, while Xiao Jinghong reflected on their growing bond. As the manor began its preparations before dawn, Chen Yi caught Xiao Jinghong dressing up and teased her, leaving her flustered.

• Chen Yi decided to show some ability at Marquis Dingyuan's birthday banquet while avoiding drawing too much attention, and he reflected on how the Mysterious Turtle Breath Concealment Art steadily increased his qi.
• Xiao Jinghong watched Chen Yi return to his room and thought that his confidence and steadiness complemented her; she went to bed thinking of him as her husband.
• Old Marquis Xiao kept his birthday celebration at Xiao Manor to comply with ritual rules, and Xiao Wang inspected a hundred guards before ordering them to welcome guests.
• Chen Yi rose before dawn and saw Xiao Jinghong preparing for the occasion; she ordered Su Zhenyue to wake Guanli and help her dress in Mountain Tribe clothing.
• Chen Yi laughed when Xiao Jinghong awkwardly shut the window, and she blushed, unsure how to handle the teasing.

At the Xiao Family’s ancestral rites before the Old Marquis’s birthday banquet, Chen Yi faced provocation from General Li Changqing over fleeing his wedding to Xiao Jinghong. Chen Yi turned the exchange back on Li and drew support from Sun Fu and Zhang Xuan, leaving the onlookers unsettled as the banquet preparations continued.

• Old Marquis Xiao took Xiao Wuge, Xiao Wan'er, and Xiao Jinghong into the ancestral hall to pay respects, while Chen Yi waited outside with the guests.
• Li Changqing introduced himself to Chen Yi and mocked him for fleeing his wedding to Xiao Jinghong.
• Chen Yi calmly offered to bring Xiao Jinghong and gifts to Li Changqing’s home to apologize, provoking Li until Pang Xuan and another general pulled him back.
• Xiao Wang silenced the group, and Pang Xuan apologized to Chen Yi for Li Changqing’s behavior.
• Sun Fu defended Chen Yi’s right to speak against the repeated mockery, while Zhang Xuan noted how sharply the scholars had insulted their critics without using vulgar words.

After Chen Yi impressed Zhang Xuan and Sun Fu with his poem, Li Changqing faced criticism for provoking him and was ordered by Xiao Jinghong to receive a hundred strokes of the military rod. Xiao Jinghong stood beside Chen Yi as they went to welcome the birthday guests, and he felt more at home in his new life.

• Zhang Xuan and Sun Fu praised Chen Yi's poem, while Zhang Xuan offered to pay handsomely for his work and Sun Fu warned him against selling it.
• Pang Xuan and Ma Kui reprimanded Li Changqing for provoking Chen Yi and reminded him that his behavior had disrespected the Old Marquis's birthday.
• The Old Marquis returned and invited everyone to the central courtyard, where Xiao Jinghong ordered Li Changqing to accept a hundred strokes of the military rod.
• Chen Yi felt grateful that Xiao Jinghong had defended him, and she asked him to join her in welcoming the guests.
• As Chen Yi walked beside Xiao Jinghong, he decided he could accept reasonable requests from her and felt his sense of belonging grow.

Chen Yi and Xiao Jinghong received guests at Marquis Dingyuan's Estate for the Old Marquis's birthday, where Chen Yunfan arrived after his dispute with Chen Yi the previous day. After Chen Yi explained the exaggerated rumors about Xiao Jinghong's appearance, she asked whether they had also caused him to flee their marriage, leaving him flustered.

• Chen Yi and Xiao Jinghong welcomed birthday guests, and Xiao Jinghong quietly taught Chen Yi about their identities and connections.
• Xiao Jinghong offered to handle Chen Yunfan if he used their disagreement to cause trouble, while Chen Yi said his elder brother was more perceptive than he seemed.
• Chen Yunfan arrived with Chunying, exchanged pointed remarks with Chen Yi, and formally greeted Xiao Jinghong before entering the estate.
• Xiao Jinghong asked how people in Jinling described her, and Chen Yi privately told her the outlandish rumor about her appearance.
• Xiao Jinghong asked whether that rumor was why Chen Yi had fled their marriage, and Chen Yi denied it as she said she believed him.