Chapter Summaries

Shen Tang went to the Moonlit Pavilion to meet the client who had commissioned a painting, only to discover that the sickly young man there could hear her unspoken thoughts. The chapter left them face to face as he remarked on her blazing literary energy and joked about his long life expectancy.

• Shen Tang waited outside the Moonlit Pavilion with Motorcycle, then followed the shopkeeper inside when he called her upstairs.
• Behind a screen, Shen Tang claimed that her older brother had painted the desert sunset artwork for her.
• The young man began coughing, and Shen Tang mistakenly assumed he was a sickly customer seeking pleasure at the Moonlit Pavilion.
• The young man revealed that he could hear Shen Tang's thoughts and advised her to keep her emotions off her face.
• The young man emerged from behind the screen, and he and Shen Tang studied each other; he sensed her powerful literary energy and said a fortune-teller had predicted he would live another twenty or thirty years.

Shen Tang discovered that the sick young man hidden at the Moonlit Pavilion was Gong Yun Chi, an exiled member of the Gong Clan. Gong Yun Chi recognized her as his wife's brother, leaving Shen Tang stunned by the revelation that he had married into the Shen Clan.

• A young man who could read minds overheard Shen Tang's thoughts while she settled a debt with the shopkeeper at the Moonlit Pavilion.
• After hearing someone collapse behind a screen, Shen Tang learned that the rent boy was caring for a sick man named Yun Chi.
• The young man confirmed that Yun Chi's surname was Gong and explained that he had brought the crippled Gong Yun Chi to the pavilion during his exile.
• The rent boy helped Gong Yun Chi leave the room, and Gong Yun Chi recognized Shen Tang as someone he had seen before.
• Gong Yun Chi bowed to Shen Tang and apologized to his wife's brother, revealing that he had married a woman of the Shen Clan.

Shen Tang questioned Gong Cheng about the original owner of her body and learned that the Shen and Gong Clans had joined Consort Chu in a failed plot to kill Zheng Qiao. The Shen bride had died during exile, and Gong Cheng could not explain why Zheng Qiao later ordered the Shen Clan’s extermination.

• Shen Tang challenged Gong Cheng for calling her his wife's brother, then asked him where his bride was.
• Weng Zhi and Gu told Shen Tang that Gong Cheng’s bride had not been found among the women sent to exile and was presumed to have died on the journey.
• Gong Cheng revealed that his father and Lord Shen had conspired with Consort Chu to kill Zheng Qiao, but their plan failed and the conspirators were punished.
• Gong Cheng said his father had arranged for Lord Shen’s eldest daughter to marry into the Gong Clan in hopes of preserving part of the Shen family, but Zheng Qiao still destroyed the clan.

Shen Tang reassured Gong Cheng that Zheng Qiao was responsible for the Shen Clan’s destruction, then left after asking him to stop calling her his wife’s elder brother. Gong Cheng learned that the Shen Clan’s erotic paintings had been made by the person Shen Tang called her elder brother, leaving him stunned.

• Shen Tang told Gong Cheng not to blame himself for the Shen Clan’s destruction and urged him to direct his hatred at Zheng Qiao.
• Mr. Gu questioned how Shen Tang survived the massacre, and Gong Cheng defended the Shen Clan’s honor.
• Shen Tang said she had heard that Gong Cheng’s second uncle, Weng Zhi, was still at large, giving Gong Cheng hope.
• Shen Tang introduced herself as Shen Tang, courtesy name You Li, and Gong Cheng promised to help her if she ever needed him.
• After Shen Tang left, Mr. Gu asked Gong Cheng about the Shen Clan and showed him erotic paintings said to have been made by Shen Tang’s elder brother.
• Gong Cheng opened the paintings and recoiled in shock.

Gong Cheng recovered enough to discuss his rushed marriage and the mysterious Shen Tang, while Gu and Weng Zhi questioned how much he knew about his supposed wife’s family. Shen Tang then tried to buy back Old Chu from the Moonlit Pavilion, where the person in charge recognized him.

• Gu and Weng Zhi teased Gong Cheng with erotic paintings until he began to act like his old self again.
• Gu asked Gong Cheng what he knew about the Shen Clan’s eldest daughter and her brother, Shen Tang, and Gong Cheng admitted he knew almost nothing about his bride.
• Gong Cheng explained that the marriage had been rushed to avert disaster and preserve the family bloodline, and he expressed relief that Shen Tang was still alive.
• The bookstore shopkeeper assumed Shen Tang wanted to buy back a young relative and offered to help her bargain at the Moonlit Pavilion.
• Shen Tang clarified that she wanted to buy Old Chu, a gray-haired kitchen servant, and the person in charge recognized him.

Shen Tang bought Old Chu’s contract for three taels and invited him to leave with her, while a courtesan ordered an investigation into Shen Tang and said to kill her if she proved a threat. Old Chu agreed to go with Shen Tang, and the courtesan’s faction began watching her.

• The manager agreed to sell Old Chu to Shen Tang for three taels, and she paid for his contract.
• Shen Tang declined to transfer Old Chu’s registration and decided to restore his freedom after he tutored her.
• The manager told Old Chu that his granddaughter had come to take him home, leaving him confused when he met Shen Tang.
• Shen Tang asked Old Chu to come with her, and he agreed to gather his belongings.
• After Gong Cheng fell asleep, the courtesan ordered Mr. Gu to watch Shen Tang and have her killed if she posed a threat.
• The courtesan also ordered his men to look for news about the Gong Clan’s Wudafu.

Shen Tang freed Chu Yao from the Moonlit Pavilion and brought him away, while a suspicious young man began asking questions about her. Chu Yao revealed that he had been waiting for Shen Tang to pay three silver coins for him.

• A young man questioned a servant about Shen Tang buying Old Chu and ordered the Moonlit Pavilion's manager to come to him.
• Shen Tang met Old Master Chu outside the Moonlit Pavilion and invited him to ride her Motorcycle, but he insisted that a servant should not ride while his master walked.
• Chu Yao introduced himself by his name and courtesy name, and Shen Tang explained that she had paid three taels to free him.
• Shen Tang asked why Chu Yao had not bought his own freedom, and he answered that he had been waiting for her three silver coins.

Shen Tang asked Chu Yao about the three taels of silver and learned how his exceptional Literary Heart had been stolen and replaced. Chu Yao explained the secretive Way of the Scholar, leaving Shen Tang to realize how coveted and dangerous a powerful Literary Heart could be.

• Shen Tang asked Chu Yao whether the three taels had to come from her, and he admitted he did not know the reason.
• Chu Yao told Shen Tang he had condensed a Second Rank Upper-Middle Literary Heart when he first learned to read, though he considered it a curse.
• Chu Yao explained that scholars had different kinds of Literary Heart talent, including the Way of the Scholar, which could be used without a Word Spirit.
• Chu Yao revealed that his Literary Heart had been stolen and replaced before his Way of the Scholar could develop.
• Chu Yao said the Way of the Scholar reflected a scholar's private nature and was usually kept secret, and Shen Tang recognized the danger of such abilities.

Chu Yao told Shen Tang how his teacher betrayed him and arranged for his Second Rank High Literary Heart to be exchanged for the Crown Prince’s low-ranked one. He also explained his ruined Scholar’s Way, leaving Shen Tang doubtful about the strange prescription it had produced.

• Chu Yao explained that his teacher had kept him as a fallback for the Crown Prince and coerced him into exchanging his Second Rank High Literary Heart for a low-ranked one.
• Shen Tang condemned the teacher’s justification and the Crown Prince’s promise to reward Chu Yao after taking his Literary Heart.
• Chu Yao recounted how the Crown Prince drowned in a pit during the Curse Disaster, his faction was purged, and Chu Yao was later sold and passed between owners until he reached Xiaocheng.
• Shen Tang asked Chu Yao about his Scholar’s Way, and he described its uncontrollable ability, Willow Dark Flower Bright, and the prescription from his dream.
• Chu Yao revealed that the prescription called for three taels of moonlight to reveal the Mandate of Heaven and cure stubborn illnesses, and Shen Tang doubted its credibility.

Shen Tang and Chu Yao discussed his prophecy and her encounter with a mind-reading scholar as they traveled toward Xiaocheng. Shen Tang decided to focus on earning money and proposed buying wine jars wholesale.

• Shen Tang told Chu Yao that relying on his prophecy had made his life difficult, and he explained why he had kept believing in it.
• Shen Tang interpreted the prescription’s Four Treasures as a reference to Sibao Prefecture and wondered what fate and illness it described, while Chu Yao said he did not know.
• Shen Tang told Chu Yao that a scholar at the Moonlit Pavilion had read her mind, and Chu Yao described the burdensome Heart Peeking Word Spirit and warned her to stay away from the scholar.
• Shen Tang considered the danger of being drawn into Gong Cheng’s affairs, then decided she needed to earn money and suggested buying wine jars wholesale.

Shen Tang set up a stall selling wine from empty jars, and a handsome young man paid for one. She began using her Literary Heart to produce the wine, while Chu Yao noticed the buyer’s Martial Gall Tiger Tally.

• Shen Tang bought ten empty wine jars and said she planned to sell wine despite having no brewing experience.
• Shen Tang carved a sign and offered two jin of wine for three hundred copper coins, drawing skeptical onlookers.
• A handsome young man paid Shen Tang for a jar, then questioned whether she meant to sell him an empty one.
• Chu Yao pointed out the young man’s Martial Gall Tiger Tally, and Shen Tang recognized it.
• Shen Tang stirred her Literary Heart and recited a line about generous, fervent spirit.

Shen Tang sold Du Kang wine in Xiaocheng, where Zhai Le bought several jars and introduced himself before rejoining his traveling companion. After earning money for cloth and returning home, Shen Tang brought Chu Yao face-to-face with Qi Shan.

• Shen Tang used her Literary Heart to create Du Kang wine, and Zhai Le drank a whole jar before asking for two more.
• Zhai Le apologized for mistaking Shen Tang for a woman, then introduced himself as a traveler from Qu Dian in Shen Country.
• Shen Tang made two more jars for Zhai Le, who gave one to his colder traveling companion before the two entered a teahouse.
• Other passersby bought small amounts of Shen Tang's wine, and she calculated that her earnings would cover new clothes.
• Shen Tang bought cloth, returned to the courtyard with Chu Yao, and found Qi Shan beneath the veranda; Qi Shan and Chu Yao exchanged tense looks.

Shen Tang brought back wine made with her Word Spirit and discussed selling it with Qi Shan and Chu Yao. Qi Shan warned that unrest was coming to Xiaocheng because a rumor about a prophesied ruler was drawing attention to the region.

• Shen Tang gave Qi Shan two jars of Du Kang, and he guessed she had made the wine with her Word Spirit.
• Shen Tang argued that she could sell wine for profit, but Qi Shan said her business would not last because Xiaocheng was nearing chaos.
• Qi Shan revealed a rumor that Xiaocheng might become a hotbed of trouble, and Chu Yao explained that it could be the source of the unrest.
• Shen Tang recognized the rumor's illustration from a courtesan's room and asked whether the courtesan had helped spread it.
• Qi Shan suspected Northern Desert or Ten Crows was using the rumor to attract talent or stir up the northwestern kingdoms, and he and Chu Yao mocked its source.

Shen Tang made Qingkou Plums and Green Plum Wine, then drank a bowl of Du Kang liquor and collapsed. Chu Yao and Qi Shan discussed her unusual Way of the Feudal Lord and their own pasts before discovering her fallen in the hallway.

• Shen Tang offered Chu Yao a place to stay, and Qi Shan agreed to share his room with him.
• Chu Yao questioned Shen Tang about conjuring green plums and warned that she might regret it, but he did not explain why.
• Shen Tang and Chu Yao prepared Qingkou Plums and sealed Green Plum Wine in a crock.
• Shen Tang drank a bowl of Du Kang liquor beneath the eaves and became warm and lightheaded.
• Chu Yao and Qi Shan played chess and discussed Shen Tang's awakened Way of the Feudal Lord, Chu Yao's history, and why Qi Shan had returned to the northwest.
• Chu Yao and Qi Shan found Shen Tang sprawled in the hallway, checked that she was breathing, and watched her sit upright with her eyes flung open.

Drunk Shen Tang mistook her sword for a way to hunt down a thief who had stolen her treasure and set out to uphold justice. She recruited Zhai Le and fled toward the outskirts, while Qi Shan chased after them.

• Shen Tang sobered enough to summon a sword, then declared she would hunt a villain and retrieve her stolen treasure.
• Shen Tang cut through a stone mill with Sword Qi and vaulted over the courtyard wall, forcing Qi Shan to pursue her.
• Qi Shan raced after Shen Tang as she bounded across rooftops toward the crowded city center.
• Zhai Le recognized Shen Tang and agreed to join her after hearing she was pursuing a thief.
• Shen Tang seized Zhai Le by the collar and ran toward the outskirts, telling him the thief had fled that way and calling Qi Shan a Guiding NPC.

Shen Tang led Zhai Le into the mountains, where they found a burning settlement and a badly injured man fighting a group of attackers. Shen Tang recognized him as the thief who had stolen her things and rushed to intervene, leaving the man to suspect she wanted his treasure too.

• Shen Tang assured Zhai Le that the thief was outside the city and led him into the mountains, where Zhai Le grew suspicious of her intentions.
• Shen Tang and Zhai Le discovered a burning settlement and watched a badly injured man battle a large group of attackers.
• Shen Tang told Zhai Le that the besieged man had stolen her things, and Zhai Le hesitated to help him.
• An armored man wielding a Wild Goose Feather Saber struck the thief with a powerful blade-light and sent him crashing into a house.
• Shen Tang charged from the forest and cut a long Sword Qi scar between the attackers and the thief, who accused her of coveting his treasure.

Shen Tang and Zhai Le fought alongside a mysterious young swordsman against the Wild Goose Feather Saber Wielder and his men. The enemy forces kept growing, and Zhai Le realized they were facing organized fighters with reinforcements still in reserve.

• The wounded thief warned the young swordsman not to get involved, but Shen Tang mistook the Wild Goose Feather Saber Wielder’s threat for proof that the men were thieves.
• The young swordsman struck the Wild Goose Feather Saber Wielder hard enough to crack his saber, then killed several attackers with swift sword strokes.
• The Wild Goose Feather Saber Wielder transformed his weapon and armor with his Martial Gall Tiger Tally and charged Shen Tang, but Zhai Le’s arrows repeatedly deflected his attacks and killed the surrounding men.
• Zhai Le kept firing arrows while joking and asking Shen Tang for help; Shen Tang complained but saved him from a man sneaking up behind him.
• Zhai Le grew serious as enemy numbers continued to increase and recognized that the coordinated fighters were likely soldiers, while the Wild Goose Feather Saber Wielder had not yet deployed the four hundred soldiers his tally could command.

Zhai Le and Qi Shan joined Shen Tang in battle against the men pursuing a wounded Ninth Rank Wudafu, turning the fight into a clash of summoned armies. Shen Tang drove after the saber-wielding enemy but exhausted her Literary Energy and collapsed.

• Zhai Le rescued the wounded Ninth Rank Wudafu and fought off the enemies pursuing him.
• Qi Shan arrived, used [Self-Preservation] to shield the wounded man, Shen Tang, and Zhai Le, then created two copies of himself with "Three Hearts, Two Minds."
• Qi Shan tried to stop the saber-wielding man from escaping while Shen Tang fought him, but the man summoned four hundred red-armored soldiers with his tiger tally.
• Zhai Le summoned his own black-armored soldiers, turning the skirmish into a thousand-man battle and easing the pressure on Shen Tang.
• Shen Tang cut through the red-armored soldiers and pursued the saber-wielding man despite Qi Shan's warning.
• Shen Tang began a Word Spirit verse to continue her pursuit, ran out of Literary Energy, and collapsed.

Shen Tang woke in the aftermath of a battle, learned that she had gone on a drunken rampage, and helped the others deal with the wounded and dead. The group stayed in the mountains for the night, while the badly wounded man they had captured thanked them for saving him.

• Shen Tang awoke in a bloodied mountain hollow and learned from Qi Shan that she had run more than twenty li while drunk, attacking people with her sword.
• Zhai Le brought a badly wounded man to Shen Tang as the thief who had supposedly stolen her treasure, but Shen Tang said she had been drunk and remembered nothing.
• The black-armored soldiers defeated the red-armored soldiers, and Shen Tang and her companions decided to spend the night outdoors rather than return to Xiaocheng.
• Shen Tang chopped firewood, Zhai Le buried the corpses, and Qi Shan treated the wounded man, who thanked the three of them for saving him.

Shen Tang and her companions fed the wounded Gongshu Wu and discussed the danger of his being hunted. Qi Shan recognized him as Gong Yili, while Shen Tang and Qi Shan persuaded him to stay hidden in Xiaocheng.

• Shen Tang gave roasted flatbread to the group, and Zhai Le accepted one while Qi Shan warned him not to mention wine.
• Gongshu Wu introduced himself by that name and said he did not know why he was being hunted.
• Qi Shan deduced that Gongshu Wu was actually the fugitive Gong Wen, also known as Gong Yili, a Rank Nine Wudafu who had fled the Gong Clan.
• Gongshu Wu said he might have to flee to a neighboring country, and Qi Shan described the dangers and unrest there.
• Shen Tang suggested that Gongshu Wu hide in Xiaocheng, and Qi Shan said the influx of newcomers could help conceal him.
• Gongshu Wu accepted their advice and agreed to remain hidden in Xiaocheng.