Chapter Summaries

Chen Yi discovered that the wounded Liu Lang was disguised as Liu Yun and hiding at Hundred Herbs Hall, then was abducted on his way back to the Xiao Family. He identified the men who summoned him as agents of the Liu Family of Jingzhou and faced their young master, Liu Jing.

• Chen Yi recognized Liu Lang at Hundred Herbs Hall and learned he was posing as Liu Yun while badly wounded.
• Chen Yi left Wang Ji and hurried toward the Xiao Family, wondering who had injured Liu Lang and why he was hiding.
• Five cultivators surrounded Chen Yi in an alley and forced him to accompany them to a manor near the Xiao Family.
• Chen Yi entered a Wooden Tower and found a young man, two elderly men, and two guards waiting inside.
• The young man introduced himself as Liu Jing, Liu Huanzhi of Jingzhou, and Chen Yi realized the Liu Family had summoned him.

Liu Jing lured Chen Yi to a Wooden Tower to take revenge for the failed Linglan Pavilion scheme, but Chen Yi killed him and his men before returning safely to Marquis Dingyuan's Estate. The chapter left Ge Laosan suspicious of the strange scent on Chen Yi.

• Liu Jing explained that the failed scheme had cost him a chance to gain standing and inheritance rights in the Liu Family, and threatened the Xiao Family before insulting Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Jinghong.
• Chen Yi crushed Liu Jing's throat, killed the guards and Liu Jing's men, and then killed Liu Jing after he begged for mercy.
• Chen Yi removed traces of the fight and returned to Marquis Dingyuan's Estate, where Xiao Die, Pei Guanli, Xiao Wan'er, Wang Lixing, and Ge Laosan had been waiting for him.
• Chen Yi reassured the others and entered the estate, while Ge Laosan noticed that his scent seemed strange.

After killing Liu Jing, Chen Yi considered how the death might worsen the Xiao and Liu Families’ conflict and decided Yang Ye could be pivotal, possibly requiring him to seek help through Li Huaigu and Guiyun Academy. A Judicial Department team investigated the murders, and Captain Fang concluded the killer had deliberately made Liu Jing suffer before ordering the victims’ identities checked.

• Xiao Wan'er, Xiao Wuge, Xie Tingyun, and Shen Huatang welcomed Chen Yi back and warned him about wandering the city at night.
• Chen Yi reflected on the consequences of Liu Jing’s death and identified Yang Ye as the key figure who might restrain Liu Hong and influence the Xiao and Liu Families’ conflict.
• Chen Yi resolved that cultivating ties with Li Huaigu and possibly becoming an instructor at Guiyun Academy might help bring Yang Ye onto the Xiao Family’s side.
• Rain washed over Shu Prefecture City as Judicial Department officers investigated the five bodies at the residence where Liu Jing had been killed.
• Captain Fang examined the corpses, deduced that the killer was powerful and had made Liu Jing suffer, then ordered the officers to investigate the victims’ identities.

Fang Hongxiu investigated the massacre of Liu Jing and his entourage, while Ge Laosan suspected Chen Yi might have carried it out and decided to test him. Chen Yi planned how to keep Ge Laosan occupied and received a visit from Li Huaigu, who asked him to find a physician for Chen Yunfan.

• Fang Hongxiu learned that the dead man was Liu Jing of the Liu Family of Jingzhou and worried that the Xiao Family might be involved.
• Ge Laosan heard that Liu Jing and his companions had been killed nearby, suspected Chen Yi, and resolved to test him while keeping him safe.
• Chen Yi learned that Liu Jing's bodies had been found and considered how to keep Ge Laosan from leaving the estate.
• Li Huaigu visited Chen Yi and explained that Chen Yunfan had been asleep without waking for four or five days, asking for help finding a famed physician.
• Chen Yi recognized that Immortal's Draught had caused Chen Yunfan's condition.

Chen Yi arranged for Ma Liangcai to treat Chen Yunfan and accompanied Li Huaigu to Chen Yunfan’s residence, where he learned that a young lady from the Qinghe Cui Family had come to visit. The chapter ended with Miss Cui dismissing the prospect of finding a famous physician in Shuzhou before she met Chen Yi.

• Chen Yi agreed to arrange treatment for Chen Yunfan and listened as Li Huaigu urged him to accept Mr. Yue Ming’s invitation to teach at Guiyun Academy.
• Chen Yi noticed Xiao Wang hurrying past with Crimson Brocade officers and saw increased searches in the streets for the men who had abducted him.
• Chen Yi collected Ma Liangcai from Jishi Pharmacy and brought him with Li Huaigu to Chen Yunfan’s residence.
• Chunying told Chen Yi and Li Huaigu that someone from the Qinghe Cui Family had come to treat Chen Yunfan.
• Miss Cui emerged with a physician, reassured Chunying that she would seek famous doctors, then criticized the idea that Shuzhou could have any famous physician.

Chen Yi arranged for Ma Liangcai to diagnose and awaken Chen Yunfan, while Cui Qingwu watched and questioned the physician about his prescription and background. After Chen Yunfan woke, Chen Yi left for the Xiao Family and found Xiao Wan'er waiting outside Chunhe Garden.

• Cui Qingwu warned Chunying to guard Chen Yunfan and then left, while Chen Yi and Li Huaigu waited to examine him.
• Ma Liangcai diagnosed Chen Yunfan with a nonfatal sleeping poison and prescribed common herbs; Cui Qingwu had Chang Chengbi examine the prescription and ordered Huan'er to investigate Ma Liangcai.
• Cui Qingwu returned to the guest room, questioned Ma Liangcai about his training, and personally fed Chen Yunfan the medicine.
• Chen Yunfan woke after drinking several mouthfuls, learned he had been drugged, and thanked Chen Yi for saving him; Chen Yi teased him and left with Li Huaigu.
• On the carriage ride back, Chen Yi explained that he had used the encounter with Xinglin Zhai to test whether the Liu Family had ties to the Qinghe Cui Family.
• Chen Yi returned to the Xiao Family and found Xiao Wan'er waiting outside Chunhe Garden.

Xiao Wan'er warned Chen Yi that the Liu Family of Jingzhou might target the Xiao Family, and Chen Yi arranged for Ma Liangcai to ease her cold affliction with a medicine that worked. Meanwhile, Li Huaigu learned he had to collect a heavy grain tax from the Dingyuan Army within a month, a task Yang Ye suspected was tied to the Liu Family’s plans against the Xiao Family.

• Xiao Wan'er told Chen Yi that Linglan Pavilion had acted on the Liu Family of Jingzhou’s orders and warned him to stay cautious after the Liu family’s Sixth Young Master died.
• Chen Yi agreed to visit Guiyun Academy and later had Ma Liangcai examine Xiao Wan'er and prescribe medicine to alleviate her cold affliction.
• Xiao Wan'er drank Ma Liangcai’s medicine, felt warmth return to her body, and rejoiced when her condition improved.
• Li Huaigu learned that Left Envoy Liu had ordered him to collect the Dingyuan Army’s grain tax at the maximum rate within one month.
• Yang Ye suspected the tax order was connected to the death of the Liu Family’s Sixth Young Master and warned Li Huaigu to proceed carefully; Li Huaigu asked to consult Yue Ming.

On a stormy afternoon, Chen Yi taught Xiao Wuge Go and considered the Xiao Family’s response to Liu Jing’s death, while new intelligence suggested Hidden Guards would meet at Fengchun Tower. The next morning, after confirming Xiao Dongchen and Ge Laosan planned to meet there, Chen Yi headed to Guiyun Academy and unexpectedly encountered Fang Gui.

• Chen Yi taught Xiao Wuge Go and cautiously answered his question about whether Xiao Wan’er’s illness could be cured.
• Chen Yi reasoned that the Xiao Family would investigate Liu Jing’s death and received intelligence that Hidden Guards would discuss important matters at Fengchun Tower.
• Chen Yi deduced that Xiao Dongchen was the likeliest Hidden Guard to attend the meeting and decided he would go investigate.
• Chen Yi visited Xiao Wan’er before leaving for Guiyun Academy, and she said medicinal broth had made her feel warm enough to go without her cloak.
• Chen Yi overheard that Xiao Dongchen had arranged for Ge Laosan to meet him at Fengchun Tower, then headed alone toward Guiyun Academy.
• Fang Gui called out to Chen Yi on the way, and Chen Yi greeted him in surprise.

Chen Yi accompanied Li Huaigu to Guiyun Academy, where he agreed to teach calligraphy after reading Master Juyi’s approval. Li Huaigu sought advice about a grain-tax assignment tied to tensions between the Xiao and Liu families, and Chen Yi stayed at the academy as Mr. Yue Ming immediately asked him to produce a calligraphic masterpiece.

• Chen Yi joined Li Huaigu on the way to Guiyun Academy and learned that Liu Hong had ordered Li Huaigu to collect two-tenths of the summer grain tax from the Three Towns within a month.
• Chen Yi advised Li Huaigu not to rush the journey, since the contest between the Xiao and Liu families would determine what happened and the assignment’s deadline might be impossible to meet.
• Li Huaigu and Chen Yi arrived at Guiyun Academy, where Mr. Yue Ming gave Chen Yi a letter from Master Juyi approving his teaching appointment.
• Mr. Yue Ming advised Li Huaigu not to act rashly, and Li Huaigu prepared to leave for the Three Towns while Chen Yi stayed at the academy.
• Mr. Yue Ming took Chen Yi into a study room and asked him to leave behind a calligraphic masterpiece before they had even signed his instructor contract.

Chen Yi toured Guiyun Academy, became its calligraphy instructor, and headed to Fengchun Tower after learning Ge Laosan was waiting to collect Master Dongchen. A Light Screen warned him that an unseen person had arrived, so he changed his mind about riding back with Ge Laosan and went inside instead.

• After Li Huaigu left, Chen Yi wrote two calligraphy copybooks, which Mr. Yue Ming hid away to keep the other academy gentlemen from claiming them.
• Mr. Yue Ming showed Chen Yi around Guiyun Academy, introduced him to its bickering gentlemen, and announced Chen Yi’s appointment as an instructor.
• Chen Yi visited several Study Halls, where some students recognized him from Li Huaigu’s wedding banquet and reacted with suspicion or dislike.
• Chen Yi signed an employment contract for one tael of Silver Coins per month and learned his first class would be in three days.
• Chen Yi left the academy and went to Fengchun Tower, where he found Ge Laosan waiting to pick up Master Dongchen.
• When Chen Yi considered asking Ge Laosan to take him back, the Light Screen awarded him Fortune +10 and warned that someone had arrived unseen; Chen Yi instead went into Fengchun Tower to buy Ice Ciba for Wu Ge.

Chen Yi entered Fengchun Tower to listen for the Hidden Guards’ discussion, but left without learning who else was there after Chen Yunfan invited him upstairs. Chen Yunfan later departed with Cui Qingwu, who remained determined to stay in Shuzhou and investigate the drug that had made him unconscious.

• Ge Laosan watched Chen Yi enter Fengchun Tower and resolved to test him because of his recent strange behavior and the smell of blood he had noticed.
• Chen Yi used the Mysterious Turtle Breath Concealment Art to overhear Miss Cui’s maid investigating Ma Liangcai and to confirm that Chen Yunfan and Xiao Dongchen were also in the tower.
• After the maid spotted Chen Yi, Chen Yunfan came downstairs, offered to pay for his ciba, and invited him to join the gathering, but Chen Yi declined and left alone for the Xiao Family residence.
• Ge Laosan watched Chen Yunfan return upstairs and wondered whether his warmth toward Chen Yi might be useful.
• Chen Yunfan told Cui Qingwu that he would investigate the drug that had made him unconscious, while Cui Qingwu insisted she would stay in Shuzhou.
• After Xiao Dongchen returned, Chen Yunfan left in a Chen Family carriage with Cui Qingwu following behind; when her maid questioned her, Cui Qingwu ordered her to slap herself.

Chen Yi deduced that Xiao Dongchen was plotting to exploit the Xiao-Liu family conflict, then advanced his Fist Dao to Great Accomplishment. The Light Screen warned that the Judicial Department would capture Liu Jing’s supposed murderer outside Huixian Tower, leading Chen Yi to suspect a Xiao Family scheme and decide to investigate.

• Chen Yi replayed the fragments he had overheard at Fengchun Tower and concluded that Xiao Dongchen intended to use the Xiao-Liu family conflict to help the Second Branch seize control of the Xiao Family.
• Ge Laosan brought Xiao Dongchen back to Xiao Manor, where Chen Yi overheard the two Hidden Guards discussing people who would be sent out the next day.
• Chen Yi returned to Chunhe Garden, shared Ice Ciba with Xiao Die, Pei Guanli, and Xiao Wuge, and said he would soon teach writing at Guiyun Academy.
• Chen Yi spent Fortune to raise Martial Dao Fist to the Great Accomplishment Realm, then continued cultivating the Four Symbols Technique.
• The Light Screen reported that the Shuzhou Judicial Department would capture Liu Jing’s murderer outside Huixian Tower, and Chen Yi suspected the supposed murderer would be impersonating someone connected to the Xiao Family.

Chen Yi cultivated, discussed his new teaching work and pharmacy duties with Xiao Wan'er, then went to Hundred Herbs Hall to pursue a plan related to Liu Jing's death and the Xiao Family. Wang Ji told him that there had been progress on the task Chen Yi had assigned him.

• Pei Guanli tried chilies with Xiao Wuge, then enjoyed Strawberry Tea before heading to Jiaxing Garden.
• Chen Yi trained in the Purple Bamboo Grove, displaying the power of his mastered Martial Dao Fist.
• Chen Yi ate with Xiao Wan'er and said he planned to continue working at Jishi Pharmacy while teaching at Guiyun Academy.
• Xiao Wan'er warned Chen Yi to be careful outside the manor, and Chen Yi left for Hundred Herbs Hall without a guard.
• Chen Yi surveyed the alleys near Huixian Tower, then noticed Liu Lang's injuries remained severe when he entered Hundred Herbs Hall.
• Wang Ji took Chen Yi to a quiet room and reported progress on the matter Chen Yi had assigned him.

Chen Yi suspected that the injured Liu Lang had come to Hundred Herbs Hall for a reason and decided to use bait to test him. That night, while secretly heading toward Huixian Tower, Chen Yi overheard a Hundred-Household Commander investigating where the Liu Family guards had gathered.

• Chen Yi arranged for Wang Ji to relocate a disguised martial artist, asked him to look after Ma Liangcai and the other physicians, and probed Liu Lang about his strength and health.
• Liu Lang wondered whether Chen Yi had recognized his injuries and decided to visit Ma Liangcai at Jishi Pharmacy.
• Chen Yi spent the afternoon at Chunhe Garden, then prepared a disguise and slipped out that night without alerting the others.
• Chen Yi headed toward Huixian Tower and overheard a Hundred-Household Commander order a subordinate to take him to a witness who had seen the Liu Family guards gathering there.

Chen Yi followed the Judicial Department’s investigation into a witness whose testimony implicated the Xiao Family, then uncovered a plot involving a staged witness and a deadly attack. After killing the witness and escaping the pursuing officers, he concluded that a spear-wielding man was from the Xiao Family and sensed someone following him as he headed home.

• Chen Yi followed Fang Hongxiu and the Judicial Officers as Sun Erhu claimed he had seen men connected to the Xiao Family near Huixian Tower.
• A flying dart killed Sun Erhu, and Chen Yi knocked out the officer left behind before pursuing Fang Hongxiu toward West Market.
• Chen Yi watched the Judicial Officers capture an old black-clad man, then recognized that the man was likely meant to frame the Xiao Family.
• A second black-clad man with a spear attacked the Judicial Officers, and Chen Yi killed the captured old man before fleeing and drawing Fang Hongxiu after him.
• Chen Yi knocked out Fang Hongxiu and the other pursuing officers, then headed back toward the Xiao Family and called out to someone following him.

Chen Yi fought off two Hidden Guard women after discovering they had been watching him, then escaped to Hundred Herbs Hall to treat his injuries. There, Liu Lang recognized Chen Yi’s needlework and asked which renowned Medical Saint Hand he was.

• Chen Yi called out the hidden watcher, learned that a Sixth Rank Realm woman and her companion were Hidden Guard officers, and fled toward the Great Dao.
• The Sixth Rank Realm woman pursued Chen Yi and attacked him with darts and a flexible sword, but Chen Yi struck her with his great-mastery Collapsing Mountain Fist Intent and damaged her hand.
• Chen Yi taunted the woman with knowledge of her meeting with Xiao Dongchen, then struck her flexible sword with a porcelain bottle containing pink fluorescence and escaped as she collapsed.
• Chen Yi recognized the women as Cui Qingwu and her maidservant Huan'er, warned Huan'er that Cui Qingwu owed him a life, and left before tending his wounds at Hundred Herbs Hall.
• Liu Lang found Chen Yi treating himself with Silver Needles and herbs, and asked whether he was a Medical Saint Hand after recognizing his Qi to Control Needles.

Chen Yi repaired his injuries with Using Qi to Control Needles and agreed to treat Liu Lang in exchange for thirty tasks, discovering that Liu Lang had been defeated by Xiao Jinghong. Chen Yi returned to the Xiao Family, where Xiao Die panicked because she thought the Son-in-law had disappeared again.

• Chen Yi repaired his meridians and wounds, and Liu Lang asked him to treat his injuries despite being unable to afford a fee.
• Chen Yi accepted Liu Lang's Five-Fold Spear as part of the consultation fee and required him to perform thirty tasks, warning that they could be dangerous.
• Chen Yi arranged to treat Liu Lang at Hundred Herbs Hall the following night, and Liu Lang realized Chen Yi was the hall's mysterious owner.
• Liu Lang explained that he had robbed the Xiao Family's Medicinal Herbs at another's request and that Xiao Jinghong had defeated him with two fingers.
• Chen Yi returned to the Xiao Family before midnight, where Xiao Die rushed out and feared that the Son-in-law had run away again.

After returning from his dangerous trip, Chen Yi concealed his injuries and reflected on the fortune he had earned, while Xiao Die worried that he would laugh at her. At the Xiao Family residence, the Old Master concluded that someone was trying to provoke conflict with the Liu Family and ordered a cautious response.

• Chen Yi pretended to have just woken up when Xiao Die searched for him, and she ran back to the wooden house in embarrassment after noticing her unfastened buttons.
• Xie Tingyun saw Chen Yi and Xiao Die from the wall, then told Shen Huatang that they had been playing hide-and-seek.
• Chen Yi cleaned his wounds, checked his reward for disrupting the Hidden Guard's scheme, and chose to cultivate rather than investigate a low-grade intelligence report.
• The Xiao Family Old Master told a black-clad subordinate that someone was trying to stir conflict between the Xiao and Liu Families and ordered him to find an unrelated scapegoat.
• The Old Master ordered the Shadow Guard to watch Cui Qingwu and told the subordinate to identify and later reward the person who had helped the Xiao Family.

Chen Yunfan and Cui Qingwu discovered that the attacker who had knocked them unconscious was likely connected to the Xiao Family and agreed to find him. Meanwhile, Chen Yi spent the morning with Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die, then hurried to Jiaxing Garden after learning Xiao Wan'er had fallen ill.

• Chen Yunfan learned Cui Qingwu had been carried back injured and went to visit her, where she admitted the person who attacked her was likely connected to the Xiao Family.
• Chen Yunfan and Cui Qingwu realized they had both been attacked by the same person and agreed to search for him.
• Chen Yi buried his bloodstained clothes, ate breakfast with Xiao Wuge, Pei Guanli, and Xiao Die, and arranged beef for lunch.
• Pei Guanli said she planned to visit North City and buy Mid-Autumn Festival supplies rather than return to the Mountain Tribe.
• Chen Yi fished with Xiao Wuge while Xiao Die served tea, but Cui'er arrived to report that Xiao Wan'er had a fever and a cough.
• Chen Yi went to check on Xiao Wan'er and told Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die to stay behind to avoid catching her illness.

Chen Yi treated Xiao Wan'er’s life-threatening cold with acupuncture, then left her to recover while he waited for her medicine. After waking, Xiao Wan'er learned he had lifted her quilt and remembered him saying that his poem was written for her, leaving her embarrassed and wondering whether he truly had only been treating her.

• Chen Yi found Xiao Wan'er unconscious and used acupuncture to stabilize her failing aura, telling Cui'er and Juan'er that she had an ordinary cold.
• While Xiao Wan'er briefly regained consciousness, she asked Chen Yi whether his poem had been written about her, and he confirmed that it had before she fainted again.
• Juan'er caught Chen Yi beside Xiao Wan'er with her quilt lifted, but he claimed he had uncovered her because her soaked clothes were worsening her illness.
• Xiao Wan'er woke later, overheard Cui'er and Juan'er discussing Chen Yi lifting her quilt, and recalled a hazy memory of him saying the poem was written for her.
• Xiao Wan'er asked what had happened while she was unconscious, learned Chen Yi had returned to prepare for teaching at Guiyun Academy, and privately hoped he truly knew medicine.