Chapter Summaries

Xiang Yuan adjusted to life in Western Chu after transmigrating into a youth who had worked himself to death before being selected by the Six Doors. He listened to Instructor Lu Ming explain the kingdoms and powerful martial-world factions, learning that the world was far more dangerous than he had assumed.

• Xiang Yuan recalled that his predecessor had trained himself into a fatal fever while hoping to join the Six Doors, and that the agencies had selected most of their recruits while he was unconscious.
• Xiang Yuan joined the youths as Lu Ming began telling a tale about fighting the Three Demons of Dragon Pool, and he listened closely for information about the world.
• A youth asked Lu Ming about Western Chu's power, prompting him to describe the kingdoms of Western Chu, Northern Qi, and Southern Jin.
• Lu Ming listed the world's foremost imperial clans, Buddhist and Daoist sects, demonic factions, Noble Families, and famous sects.
• Lu Ming mocked Northern Qi and Southern Jin while praising Western Chu, leaving Xiang Yuan speechless at his instructor's nationalistic boasts.

Lu Ming described Western Chu’s powerful sects and secretly gave Xiang Yuan advanced techniques after Xiang Yuan missed recruitment by the Six Doors while ill. Xiang Yuan left with the techniques memorized, and Lu Ming began giving the same private lesson to Ma Jie.

• Lu Ming outlined Western Chu’s first-rate powers, including the rival Heavenly lineages, the Great Awakening Temple, and its Thirty-Six Peerless Skills.
• A boy asked whether Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Peerless Skills were stronger, and Lu Ming scolded him and assigned extra practice.
• Lu Ming told Xiang Yuan that he had recommended him to the Six Doors, but Xiang Yuan’s serious illness had cost him the opportunity.
• Lu Ming gave Xiang Yuan five sheets containing true techniques and warned him to keep the lesson secret.
• Ma Jie came to see Lu Ming, who began repeating the same praise and offer of secret instruction.

Xiang Yuan arrived at Fengxian County Yamen, where Liu Jingsheng assigned him to learn the rules from Old Liu. Xiang Yuan began training with the Six-Character Breathing Technique and looked forward to learning how to survive—and make money—in the county yamen.

• Several carriages collected youths from Lu Ming and sent them to posts across Dezhou's counties, with Xiang Yuan among those assigned to Fengxian County.
• On the journey, Xiang Yuan reflected on his cultivation and began using the Six-Character Breathing Technique, which improved his qi training.
• Liu Jingsheng introduced himself as the head constable of Third Squad and assigned Xiang Yuan to Old Liu.
• Old Liu led Xiang Yuan toward the Third Squad Dormitory and warned him to follow instructions, speak little, and ask questions outside the yamen.
• Old Liu demanded five taels of silver as an entrance fee, and Xiang Yuan eagerly considered the lessons and opportunities he could gain from him.

Old Liu showed Xiang Yuan around the County Yamen, explained its ranks and factions, and introduced him to the county's officials. He took Xiang Yuan to dinner at Xianglai Tower, where Xiang Yuan discovered Old Liu had invited his wife and daughter.

• Old Liu showed Xiang Yuan his dormitory and explained the duties and benefits of the Third Squad's Ceremonial, Strong, and Swift Squads.
• Xiang Yuan collected his uniform, saber, and constable's token, then Old Liu warned him about danger in Fengxian County and explained the county officials' rivalries.
• Old Liu told Xiang Yuan about the Sima Clan, King Zhao, and Lord Wang the Instructor before taking him to Xianglai Tower.
• Old Liu ordered six dishes and said he had invited two women, leaving Xiang Yuan worried about the dinner.
• Old Liu's wife and daughter arrived, revealing that they were the two women he had invited.

Xiang Yuan learned the limits of a constable’s authority in Fengxian County, struggled with his chronic headaches while trying to cultivate, and resolved to save money for medicine. After practicing his saber before dawn, he was called by Old Liu to handle a case.

• Old Liu showed Xiang Yuan around Fengxian County and explained that constables had little authority on East Street and relied on Six Doors for serious cases there.
• Xiang Yuan reflected on the power of martial artists and the obstacles facing a constable, then practiced the Six-Character Breathing Technique and meditation.
• Xiang Yuan discovered that his headaches were chronic and feared that the fever had damaged his mind, but decided to save money for medicine despite his debts.
• The next morning, Xiang Yuan practiced the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber for an hour before Old Liu arrived and asked whether he could ride a horse.
• Old Liu told Xiang Yuan there was a case and hurried him off to get a horse.

Xiang Yuan and Old Liu investigated the murder of Lin Jianfeng, Bao Yi Lang of Lin Family Village, whose body was found at Lesser Morality Temple. Lin Jianzhe blamed a fortune-teller, but the constables suspected he was hiding something and headed to West Street to question the Iron-Mouth Diviner.

• Old Liu told Xiang Yuan that Lin Jianfeng had been killed at a ruined temple outside the city, and they rode there to investigate.
• Xiang Yuan and Old Liu found Lin Family Village members gathered at Lesser Morality Temple, where Lin Jianzhe identified the victim as his elder brother.
• Old Liu examined Lin Jianfeng's body and determined that he had died the previous night from a single, forceful blow.
• Lin Jianzhe accused the Iron-Mouth Diviner of killing Lin Jianfeng after his brother refused to pay to avert a predicted disaster.
• Xiang Yuan suspected Lin Jianzhe was concealing something, and Old Liu agreed before riding with him to West Street to question the fortune-teller.

On the ride back to the county seat, Xiang Yuan and Old Liu reasoned through Lin Baoyi’s murder and went to find the Iron-Mouth Diviner. The diviner handed them the murder weapon and named Zhao Zhifan as the killer, and the constables prepared to take him to the yamen for questioning.

• Xiang Yuan concluded that Lin Jianze was hiding something and might be trying to protect Zhao Family Village, while Old Liu explained that they needed evidence rather than suspicion.
• Old Liu decided to visit the Iron-Mouth Diviner on West Street before returning to the yamen, and Xiang Yuan speculated that the two villages might secretly be involved in illegal dealings.
• The Iron-Mouth Diviner intercepted them outside the western gate and reported that someone had left a cloth-wrapped short blade at his doorstep.
• After Old Liu paid him two taels of silver, the diviner named Zhao Zhifan as Lin Baoyi’s killer and told them where to find the buried murder weapon.
• The Iron-Mouth Diviner said Lin Baoyi and the other Baoyi had fought over illicit goods from the Five Poisons Cult, then agreed to accompany Old Liu and Xiang Yuan to the county yamen.

Xiang Yuan became Heartless Daoist’s disciple after the old Daoist warned him of a deadly calamity that night and gave him a protective mirror. Heartless Daoist prepared to travel to the Southern Border, while Xiang Yuan remained unaware that his flattery had exposed that he did not recognize his master’s name.

• Liu Jingsheng recovered the murder weapon, and Sima Changhui arranged a nighttime raid with Six Doors on Lin Family Village and Zhao Family Village.
• Xiang Yuan brought food to Iron-Mouth Diviner in prison, where the old Daoist warned him that he would suffer a deadly calamity that night.
• Iron-Mouth Diviner offered to avert the disaster if Xiang Yuan became his disciple, and Xiang Yuan readily accepted.
• Iron-Mouth Diviner explained that he had been trapped in Fengxian County for ten years after losing a wager with Huixing and said Xiang Yuan was an outsider with a great fortune ahead of him.
• Iron-Mouth Diviner gave Xiang Yuan a Bagua Heart-Protecting Mirror and said he would travel to the Southern Border for a fight.
• Iron-Mouth Diviner revealed that his name was Heartless Daoist, then realized Xiang Yuan had never heard of him when the disciple praised him anyway.

Heartless Daoist explained the True Heart Dao’s teachings and why cultivation had grown difficult, then gave Xiang Yuan the Daoist name Wentian. After reviewing Xiang Yuan’s saber art, he offered an ambiguous fortune that left Xiang Yuan to choose his own path.

• Heartless Daoist taught Xiang Yuan to follow his true heart rather than force himself into tranquility, and Xiang Yuan felt relieved that his restless nature would not prevent cultivation.
• Heartless Daoist explained that declining Vital Energy, an ancient demon curse, and Yan Xuanhe’s severing of the heavens had made cultivation harder for later generations.
• Heartless Daoist urged Xiang Yuan to read and learn for himself, then bestowed on him the Daoist name Wentian.
• Xiang Yuan demonstrated the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber, and Heartless Daoist praised his fundamentals and said simple martial arts could lead toward the Dao.
• Xiang Yuan asked Heartless Daoist to divine his fortune, and Heartless Daoist said rain would come tomorrow and that bringing an umbrella or not would lead to different encounters.

Xiang Yuan received a battered physiognomy book from Heartless Daoist, who then mysteriously vanished on his way to the Southern Border. As Xiang Yuan prepared to join a nighttime operation against the Five Poisons Cult, he trusted the Heart-Protecting Mirror to protect him from the bloodlight disaster Heartless Daoist had predicted.

• Xiang Yuan asked Heartless Daoist to teach him divination, and Heartless Daoist instead gave him a coverless physiognomy book passed down from his grandmaster.
• Heartless Daoist told Xiang Yuan the book concealed the workings of heaven, while privately recalling how he had damaged it as a child by soaking and smoking it.
• Xiang Yuan read the book's advice about reading faces and conducting oneself in the world until hunger pulled him away from it.
• Heartless Daoist left the prison, and Xiang Yuan followed outside but could no longer find him.
• Old Liu told Xiang Yuan to eat before joining the County Yamen constables and Six Doors in a nighttime operation to catch suspected Five Poisons Cult criminals.
• Xiang Yuan remembered Heartless Daoist's prediction of a bloodlight disaster, trusted the Heart-Protecting Mirror, and bet Old Liu that it would rain tomorrow.

Xiang Yuan joined the constables guarding an escape route during Six Doors’ raid on the Zhao and Lin estates, suspecting danger despite Old Liu’s confidence in Liu Jingsheng. After Liu Jingsheng exposed a hidden tunnel and fought off its occupants, fighters from the Southern Border emerged, and both sides prepared to fight.

• Xiang Yuan warned Old Liu that the plan could change and that they might encounter the Five Poisons Cult, but Old Liu dismissed his fears and praised Liu Jingsheng.
• Xiang Yuan and the constables joined Liu Jingsheng’s force and waited for the raid on the two estates to begin.
• When battle cries and a signal flare showed that Six Doors had gained the upper hand, Liu Jingsheng led the constables toward the estate.
• Liu Jingsheng discovered a hidden tunnel, fought off a swarm of poisonous insects, and attacked its occupants beneath the ground.
• A burly man and other Southern Border fighters burst from the tunnel, forcing Liu Jingsheng to block the man’s palm attack as both sides prepared to fight.

Liu Jingsheng drove the Five Poisons Cult’s leader into retreat, but poison and a sudden ambush disrupted the constables’ victory. As Xiang Yuan faced an attacker while dazed, he instinctively copied Liu’s saber technique and struck back.

• Liu Jingsheng outmatched the zombie-like leader in a saber duel, exposed his iron-body kung fu’s weaknesses, and blinded him in one eye.
• Xiang Yuan watched Liu’s fighting and grasped the essence of the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber, though a headache interrupted his concentration.
• The Five Poisons Cult unleashed poison that felled several constables, letting their leader escape into the woods and the remaining cultists flee.
• Liu Jingsheng threw knives to bring down four fleeing cultists, then pursued the leader while the constables rescued their poisoned comrades.
• Xiang Yuan entered the poisonous miasma to save two constables, but stumbled and was attacked by a cultist pretending to be dead.
• Xiang Yuan steadied himself and imitated Liu Jingsheng’s saber strike, bringing his blade down on the attacker.

Xiang Yuan killed a Five Poisons Cult criminal and was swept into a Six Doors pursuit before poison and exhaustion led him back to the Lesser Morality Temple. Elsewhere in the Southern Border, Old Daoist Quexin confronted his senior brother Daoist Lingguang, who attacked him with a star formation.

• Xiang Yuan killed the vicious man from the Five Poisons Cult after his saber skills and imposing aura suddenly improved.
• Six Doors officers arrived, ordered a pursuit, and gave the uninjured constables Spirit-Cleansing Pills before sending them to search the mountains.
• Xiang Yuan became lost, succumbed to poison, and found shelter in the Lesser Morality Temple.
• Old Daoist Quexin met Daoist Lingguang in the Southern Border and declared that his senior brother was fated to die by his hand.
• Daoist Lingguang summoned a powerful formation from the stars and challenged Old Daoist Quexin to recognize it.

Daoist Lingguang fled after Old Daoist Quexin defeated him again, but the Yellow Springs Ancient Mirror intervened and helped him escape. His wounded primordial spirit reached Lesser Morality Temple and possessed Xiang Yuan, declaring that he would take the young constable’s body.

• Daoist Lingguang recalled how Que Xin had surpassed him despite his years of training and fled while Old Daoist Quexin pursued him.
• Daoist Lingguang transformed into a three-headed, six-armed demonic body and challenged Old Daoist Quexin, but Quexin defeated him again.
• The Yellow Springs Ancient Mirror appeared and protected Daoist Lingguang’s escaping primordial spirit, forcing Old Daoist Quexin to stop his pursuit.
• At Lesser Morality Temple, Xiang Yuan tried to leave during a cold, rainy night but a gust swept him onto a cushion.
• Daoist Lingguang’s wounded primordial spirit entered Xiang Yuan’s body and demanded that the constable surrender it.

The Bagua Heart-Protecting Mirror destroyed Spiritual Light Old Devil and saved Xiang Yuan, who inherited fragments of the devil’s memories. Xiang Yuan found the Formless Seal Method among them and began cultivating it, opening the Shenque Acupoint despite a severe headache.

• The Bagua Heart-Protecting Mirror drove Spiritual Light Old Devil out of Xiang Yuan’s sea of consciousness and erased every possibility of his return.
• Xiang Yuan woke, realized he had been possessed, and cautiously explored the memories left behind by Spiritual Light Old Devil.
• Xiang Yuan found the Three Yin Book of Life and Death, the Formless Seal Method, and several other cultivation arts and martial techniques in those memories.
• Xiang Yuan thanked his master and the Venerable Lord of Morality, then began cultivating the Formless Seal Method behind the altar.
• Xiang Yuan circulated his qi through the Ren Meridian and opened the Shenque Acupoint, though his head hurt intensely.

After breaking through several acupoints, Xiang Yuan spoke with Old Daoist Quexin, then searched for the person tied to his fated encounter while returning from Lin Family Village. At Yulin Academy, a young scholar spotted Xiang Yuan’s umbrella and met his gaze.

• Xiang Yuan learned that Old Daoist Quexin had sent his divine perception to protect him, and Quexin took back the cracked Bagua Heart-Protecting Mirror.
• Old Daoist Quexin told Xiang Yuan to keep the Formless Seal Method secret, then left him to cultivate in the mortal world and invited him to visit the True Heart Dao.
• Xiang Yuan descended the mountain under an umbrella, hoping to meet his fated person, and questioned Six Doors constables at Lin Family Village about a scar-faced Five Poisons Cult member.
• Xiang Yuan returned toward town and reached Yulin Academy, where Wang Wenxu scolded a lazy young scholar before leaving him without an umbrella.
• The young scholar saw Xiang Yuan walking with an umbrella, and their eyes met.

Xiang Yuan met Xiao He, a talkative young man from the Shendu Xiao Clan, and rejected the idea that their meeting was fate. After returning to the yamen and confirming Old Liu was safe, Xiang Yuan shut himself away to cultivate.

• Xiao He joined Xiang Yuan under his umbrella and introduced himself as a student from the Shendu Xiao Clan.
• Xiang Yuan gave his name after threatening Xiao He to stop talking, but Xiao He continued chattering as they walked to the yamen.
• Xiao He borrowed Xiang Yuan’s umbrella and told him to visit the Xiao Residence on Willow Creek Street.
• Xiang Yuan learned that Old Liu had returned safely and that many constables were recovering from the previous night’s mountain search.
• Xiang Yuan reported his safe return, went to his room, and began cultivating.

Xiang Yuan cultivated rapidly while his primordial spirit developed three distinct aspects, and he wondered whether this was his long-awaited Golden Finger. During a patrol with Old Liu, he learned about the case’s rewards and the likely limits of the Six Doors’ investigation.

• Xiang Yuan advanced quickly in cultivation, but worsening headaches led him to let his primordial spirit extend in three directions and strengthen it with Candle Yin Casting God.
• Xiang Yuan found he could switch among three aspects of himself, which he named Steady, Cold Blood, and Doubi, and worried that Doubi could not be removed.
• Old Liu came to fetch Xiang Yuan, and Xiang Yuan joined him on patrol after admitting he was feeling better.
• Old Liu told Xiang Yuan that the captured zombie-faced man was being questioned, Scarface had escaped and was suspected of belonging to the Five Poisons Cult, and the case had brought rewards for the constables.
• Old Liu said the seized goods implicated Forget Sword Manor and White Cloud Manor, but he doubted the Six Doors would investigate further because its officials had enough to report to their superiors.

Xiang Yuan and Old Liu arrested two brawling household servants, only to learn that their fight involved County Lieutenant Qin’s concubines and get summoned to a costly banquet. County Lieutenant Qin’s reprimand was interrupted by a loud guest whom he recognized as Young Master Xiao.

• Old Liu broke up Big Tiger and Flying Mantis’s street fight, while Xiang Yuan frightened Flying Mantis into falling with a fierce glare.
• Old Liu and Xiang Yuan escorted the two servants to the yamen, but later found them outside with an invitation to dine at Fortune Garden.
• The servants explained that they worked for County Lieutenant Qin’s concubines, who were competing for his favor, and Old Liu worried about offending their powerful employer.
• At Fortune Garden, Old Liu apologized to County Lieutenant Qin and offered to pay for the meal, while Xiang Yuan stayed silent and accepted a mild reprimand.
• Young Master Xiao called out to Xiang Yuan, and County Lieutenant Qin’s displeasure turned to deference when he recognized him.

Xiao He revealed his powerful family background and used it to protect Xiang Yuan from County Lieutenant Qin. After Xiang Yuan decided their meeting fulfilled Heartless Daoist’s prediction, Qin arranged for Xiang Yuan to serve as Xiao He’s personal protector.

• Xiao He confronted County Lieutenant Qin and revealed that his father was Xiao Yan, King Zhao, making Qin panic and beg forgiveness.
• Xiang Yuan explained that Qin had arranged the banquet to reward him and Old Liu, and Xiao He proposed becoming sworn brothers with him.
• Old Liu urged Xiang Yuan to take advantage of Xiao He's connections, while Xiang Yuan initially suspected their meeting had been deliberately arranged.
• Xiang Yuan concluded that the umbrella had brought him and Xiao He together as Heartless Daoist had predicted, and resolved to find Xiao Yan and reunite with his adoptive father.
• Xiao He complained that he lacked a companion, and County Lieutenant Qin arranged for Xiang Yuan to become his personal protector.