Chapter Summaries

Song Qingshu returned to his residence and found Tian Guinong and Nan Lan settling in after his rescue. He offered Tian Guinong the Bixie Sword Manual as a path to regain strength, then left to meet Sang Feihong.

• Song Qingshu asked Sunflower Ancestor about True Dragon Qi and hinted at the Great Qing Dragon Vein before leaving the palace.
• Song Qingshu returned to his residence and overheard Tian Guinong arguing with Nan Lan about her attempt to secure his release from Fuk'anggan.
• Song Qingshu reassured Tian Guinong and Nan Lan, then encouraged Tian Guinong to pursue great deeds despite his injuries.
• Song Qingshu told Tian Guinong that he knew where the Bixie Sword Manual was hidden and explained that mastering it required castration.
• Nan Lan escorted Song Qingshu out, told him Sang Feihong was waiting in the western wing, and Song Qingshu squeezed her hand before leaving.

Song Qingshu recruited Sang Feihong’s Five Lakes Sect to gather intelligence and asked her to find Qi Fang and the vanished Wan family. He spent the night with Nan Lan, then recognized that a visitor at the palace was the young man missing the fingers on his right hand.

• Song Qingshu offered Sang Feihong official protection and funding in exchange for Five Lakes Sect’s intelligence work, and she agreed to reorganize the sect.
• Song Qingshu gave Sang Feihong a Nian Gan Chu token and ten thousand taels, then tasked her with finding Qi Fang and the Wan family.
• Song Qingshu secretly entered Nan Lan’s room and told her he would take her husband’s place, while Nan Lan worried that Tian Guinong would discover their relationship.
• Song Qingshu reflected that he had taken Tian Guinong in partly for his talent at schemes and planning as he built his own faction.
• An Imperial Guard told Song Qingshu that a young man with a Nian Gan Chu token had come to see him, and Song Qingshu recognized him by his missing fingers.

Song Qingshu recruited Di Yun into the Nian Gan Chu and later interrupted a matchmaker who was pressuring Shuang'er to remarry. He learned that Tong Erlundai wanted to marry her and suspected the Tong family was settling an old grievance against Wei Xiaobao.

• Di Yun agreed to join the Nian Gan Chu and told Song Qingshu he wanted to win his junior sister back.
• Song Qingshu arranged for Di Yun to stay in Yanjing and promised to have the spies search for Miss Qi.
• Song Qingshu entered Wei Xiaobao's mansion and found a matchmaker urging Shuang'er to marry again.
• Song Qingshu confronted the matchmaker, who named Tong Erlundai as the suitor and warned that he belonged to the powerful Tong family.
• Song Qingshu recalled Wei Xiaobao's past insult to Tong Guogang and realized the Tong family might be taking revenge after Wei's death.

Song Qingshu visited Shuang'er and Fang Yi, rescued Fang Yi from men harassing the Wei residence, and learned that the Tong family was pressuring them. He promised to investigate and protect them, while Fang Yi teased Shuang'er about whether his concern was really for her.

• Erlundai sent men to trouble Shuang'er, and Song Qingshu arrived as matchmakers and hooligans repeatedly targeted the Wei residence.
• Song Qingshu stopped the men from attacking Fang Yi and let them leave, explaining that fighting them could make the harassment worse.
• Song Qingshu told Shuang'er that he had killed Fuk'anggan to avenge Wei Xiaobao, then discussed finding a Leopard Fetus Tendon-Changing Pill for the Poison Hand Medicine King.
• Fang Yi and Shuang'er told Song Qingshu that the harassment continued and that Suo'etu and Duolong had refused to help.
• Song Qingshu promised to investigate the Tong family and send guards to protect the women, despite Shuang'er's warning about opposing the Tong family.
• After Song Qingshu left, Fang Yi teased Shuang'er that he might be helping her for reasons beyond his friendship with Wei Xiaobao.

Song Qingshu organized Nian Gan Chu into public and secret divisions while arranging for Di Yun to protect Shuang'er from the Tong family. After learning why the Tong family was targeting Wei Xiaobao’s widow, he questioned whether Kangxi would punish them.

• Song Qingshu praised Di Yun for beating martial artists who mocked his severed hand and assigned him to guard a residence with ten capable men.
• Song Qingshu planned four public divisions for Nian Gan Chu and four secret divisions to build his own faction, with Di Yun slated for the mounted investigators.
• Zhang Kangnian and Zhao Qixian admitted that the Tong family intended to target Shuang'er and directed Song Qingshu to Chief Steward Duolong for an explanation.
• Song Qingshu met Consort Tong in the Imperial Garden, then continued on to find Duolong.
• Duolong told Song Qingshu that the Tong family was avenging an offense against its honor involving Tong Gu Guang, and Song Qingshu questioned whether Kangxi would punish them for bullying a widow.

Song Qingshu learned that the Kangxi Emperor would not openly intervene against the Tong family, then discovered that Shuang'er had been captured during a rescue attempt. He entered the Tong residence in disguise to find her, but the chapter ended before he located her.

• Duolong told Song Qingshu that the Emperor’s advice to visit Shuang'er meant he would leave the dispute with the Tong family to their old friends.
• Song Qingshu considered reconciling with the Tong family and thought Little Empress Tong might help, but Fang Yi arrived wounded with news that Shuang'er had been captured.
• Fang Yi told Song Qingshu that Shuang'er had entered the Tong residence to rescue Taohong and Liulv, and Song Qingshu hurried there to save her.
• Song Qingshu slipped into the Tong residence wearing a black cloth over his face and heard heavy breathing near a woodshed after searching unsuccessfully.

Song Qingshu rescued Taohong and Liulv from the Tong residence and learned that Shuang'er had been taken to Yicui Garden. He found her poisoned in Erlundai's bedroom, where Erlundai revealed his revenge against Wei Xiaobao's wives, and prepared to assault her.

• Song Qingshu subdued two Tong residence guards and learned that Madam Wei was being held in the young master's room at Yicui Garden.
• Song Qingshu freed Taohong and Liulv, carried them to safety outside the Tong residence, and returned to rescue their mistress.
• Song Qingshu slipped into Yicui Garden and found Shuang'er poisoned and held in Erlundai's bedroom.
• Erlundai told Shuang'er he sought revenge for Wei Xiaobao's old insults and claimed Wei Xiaobao had given him the aphrodisiac he used on her.
• Erlundai approached Shuang'er and revealed he had intended to capture and abuse her and Fang as revenge against Wei Xiaobao.

Song Qingshu rescued Shuang'er from Erlundai's attempt to assault her and carried her away while she was under the influence of an aphrodisiac. He used human milk to help her recover, and the chapter ended with Shuang'er teasing him about whether his care for her was truly only because of Wei Xiaobao.

• Erlundai drugged Shuang'er and tried to take advantage of her, but Song Qingshu broke in and sealed Erlundai's acupoints.
• Song Qingshu revealed himself to Shuang'er, carried her away from the Tong residence, and refused to exploit her drugged state.
• Song Qingshu obtained human milk from a wet nurse and fed it to Shuang'er by kissing her beside a secluded riverbank.
• Shuang'er recovered and told Song Qingshu she did not blame him for what had happened while she was drugged.
• Song Qingshu gave Shuang'er his outer robe, and she asked whether he treated her well only because of Xiaobao.

Song Qingshu returned Shuang'er to the Viscount's Mansion and found Erlundai’s soldiers surrounding it, accusing Fang Yi of being a rebel and a suspect in Wei’s death. Song Qingshu arranged for Fang Yi to be taken to Shuntian Prefecture rather than let Erlundai seize her, and promised to find a way to rescue her.

• Song Qingshu carried the weakened Shuang'er toward the Viscount's Mansion after she asked him to protect Fang Yi, Taohong, and Liulv from Erlundai.
• Song Qingshu and Shuang'er arrived to find Erlundai’s soldiers confronting Di Yun, Fang Yi, Taohong, and Liulv outside the residence.
• Erlundai accused Fang Yi of being a member of Prince Mu's Mansion and suspected her of involvement in Wei’s death, using bloodstained night clothes as evidence.
• Song Qingshu challenged Erlundai’s authority to arrest Fang Yi and proposed that Nian Gan Chu investigate her case.
• After Erlundai pointed out that Nian Gan Chu lacked authority to interrogate suspects, Song Qingshu agreed Fang Yi should go to Shuntian Prefecture and promised to rescue her if necessary.

Song Qingshu tried to protect Wei Xiaobao’s household, but learned that the Tong family had framed Wei for embezzling Aobai’s fortune and that the court would not defend him. Kangxi Emperor ordered Wei’s honors stripped and his family sent to the Jiaofangsi.

• Song Qingshu helped Fang Yi leave with the Shuntian Prefecture Magistrate and reassured her that she could trust him.
• Song Qingshu met Nalan Xingde and persuaded him to arrange an introduction to Nalan Mingzhu.
• Nalan Mingzhu told Song Qingshu that the Tong family had blamed Wei Xiaobao for the entire million taels stolen from Aobai’s estate, leaving Wei’s former allies afraid to intervene.
• Song Qingshu learned that Kangxi Emperor had accepted testimony blaming Wei alone and accused him of corruption and other crimes.
• Kangxi Emperor ordered Wei Xiaobao stripped of his honors and his family sent to the Jiaofangsi.

Song Qingshu tried to protect Shuang'er and the others after the Kangxi Emperor ordered Wei Xiaobao’s household confiscated and its women sent to the Jiaofangsi. He and Shuang'er arranged a plan to keep the Heaven and Earth Society from walking into a trap, but Erlundai’s taunts left Shuang'er worried about Sister Fang.

• The Kangxi Emperor ordered Song Qingshu to confiscate Wei Xiaobao’s household and escort Shuang'er and the others to the Jiaofangsi, warning him against any mishap.
• At the confiscation, Shuang'er told Song Qingshu to contact Qian Laoben so the Heaven and Earth Society could rescue them, but Song Qingshu suspected the emperor was trying to lure the Society out.
• Song Qingshu and Shuang'er agreed to warn the Heaven and Earth Society to stay away while Song Qingshu guarded Shuang'er at the Jiaofangsi under the appearance of being her patron.
• Erlundai confronted Song Qingshu and mocked him for keeping Shuang'er close, suggesting he had taken Wei Xiaobao’s wife for himself.
• After Erlundai left, Shuang'er questioned whether she and Song Qingshu were truly innocent and then worried that Erlundai would target Sister Fang.

Song Qingshu tried to comfort Shuang'er about Fang Yi's disappearance, then used the maids' absence to draw closer to her. Shuang'er ultimately asked him to carry her to bed, and the chapter ended with her questioning whether he had planned to take advantage of her from the start.

• Song Qingshu told Shuang'er that Fang Yi had likely been rescued from prison and said he had sent people to investigate.
• Taohong and Liulv left Song Qingshu and Shuang'er alone, and Song Qingshu pulled Shuang'er onto his lap and teased her with a cup of wine.
• Song Qingshu kissed Shuang'er, then admitted he had told Taohong and Liulv to stay away until he called for them.
• Shuang'er asked Song Qingshu to carry her to the bed, and he realized she was still a virgin.
• Shuang'er accused Song Qingshu of pretending to be drunk when he had pressed himself against her and questioned whether he had planned his earlier scheme at the Jiaofangsi to take advantage of her.

Song Qingshu and Shuang'er agreed to keep their relationship secret while she entrusted him with the Treasure Map and learned of his plans to use its treasure to fund a rebellion. After arranging to find a way to free her from the Jiaofangsi, Song Qingshu went to the palace to address the conflict between the Tong family and Wei Xiaobao by influencing Kangxi through the two Empress Tongs.

• Shuang'er asked Song Qingshu to conceal their relationship to protect her reputation and Wei Xiaobao's memory, and he agreed.
• Shuang'er revealed the Treasure Map embroidered on her undergarment and told Song Qingshu its origins.
• Song Qingshu told Shuang'er he planned to use the treasure to fund a rebel army and said he possessed the other two copies of The Forty-Two Chapters Scripture.
• Song Qingshu promised to find a way to rescue Shuang'er from the Jiaofangsi, and the pair hid their intimacy from Taohong and Liulv.
• Song Qingshu left the Jiaofangsi for the palace, deciding that the two Empress Tongs could influence Kangxi's attitude toward the feud between the Tong family and Wei Xiaobao.

Song Qingshu failed to persuade Empress Tong to help Shuang'er, but Little Empress Tong promised to plead the case to Kangxi. That evening, Kangxi rebuked Little Empress Tong for getting involved and asked whether Song Qingshu had sent her.

• Song Qingshu visited Empress Tong, who refused to help Shuang'er because Wei Xiaobao had insulted her family.
• Song Qingshu left Kunning Palace and met Little Empress Tong, who offered to speak with Kangxi about Shuang'er.
• Little Empress Tong told Song Qingshu that Kangxi had selected her plaque for that night, then went to find her sister.
• Kangxi told Little Empress Tong not to interfere in Shuang'er's case and asked whether Song Qingshu had prompted her.

Little Empress Tong persuaded Kangxi Emperor to pardon Wei Xiaobao’s family, and Song Qingshu helped secure Shuang'er’s release from the Jiaofangsi. The chapter ended as Song Qingshu returned to his mansion and Fang Yi greeted Shuang'er.

• Little Empress Tong urged Kangxi Emperor to spare Wei Xiaobao’s family so the court would not discourage talented Han Chinese from serving it.
• Song Qingshu teased Nan Lan about her jealousy and Brother Tian’s injuries, then reflected on his recovering true qi and the dangers of the Blissful Zen Method.
• Kangxi Emperor told Song Qingshu to request a pardon for Wei Xiaobao’s family at court, and Song Qingshu agreed while keeping the Heaven and Earth Society’s silence secret.
• Song Qingshu submitted the memorial, and Kangxi Emperor pardoned Shuang'er and the others after Wei Xiaobao’s former friends and the Tong family supported clemency.
• Song Qingshu thanked Little Empress Tong in passing, then announced the decree at the Jiaofangsi and freed Shuang'er and her maids.
• Song Qingshu returned to the Viscount’s Mansion, where Fang Yi greeted Shuang'er.

Song Qingshu welcomed Fang Yi back, tasked Zhang Kangnian and Zhao Qixian with locating martial-world villains to recruit, and agreed to leave soon for Divine Dragon Island. After sneaking into Shuang'er's room, he teased her about leaving, and she asked him to wait until the servants were asleep.

• Fang Yi told Shuang'er and Song Qingshu that Prince Mu's Mansion had rescued her from prison and helped her escape the capital.
• Song Qingshu ordered Zhang Kangnian and Zhao Qixian to find Li Mochou, Ding Busan, and Ding Busi, warning them not to confront the dangerous martial artists.
• Song Qingshu explained that he wanted the Nian Gan Chu to recruit martial-world experts and compete with the Blood Droplets, while privately considering how to control future recruits.
• After Zhao Qixian relayed Kangxi's request, Song Qingshu said he would depart for Divine Dragon Island within a couple of days.
• Song Qingshu sneaked into Shuang'er's room after her maidservants left, and Shuang'er urged him to wait until late at night before leaving so the servants would not discover him.

Song Qingshu and Shuang'er reunited in private, and she showed him the completed Treasure Map assembled from the sheepskin fragments. Song Qingshu proposed burning it at Wei Xiaobao's grave the next day, having memorized its contents, though Shuang'er worried he might have made a mistake.

• Shuang'er hid Song Qingshu beneath the covers when Taohong came to check on her.
• After Taohong left, Song Qingshu and Shuang'er embraced and talked together.
• Shuang'er revealed that she had pieced together the sheepskin fragments from the two copies of The Forty-Two Chapters Scripture with the earlier map.
• Song Qingshu proposed taking the complete Treasure Map to Wei Xiaobao's grave and burning it to fulfill one of Wei's wishes.
• Song Qingshu said he had memorized the Treasure Map, and Shuang'er questioned whether he could have remembered it perfectly.

Song Qingshu tried to weaken Shuang'er’s attachment to Wei Xiaobao while concealing his affair with Nan Lan from Tian Guinong. He accompanied Shuang'er to Wei Xiaobao’s grave, where she mourned him and Song Qingshu resolved to care for her.

• Song Qingshu regretted asking Shuang'er whether she would have chosen him over Wei Xiaobao, and he left after she asked to be alone.
• Song Qingshu found Nan Lan helping Tian Guinong walk and offered the couple medicinal supplies before leaving the capital; Tian Guinong suspected Song Qingshu’s interest in Nan Lan.
• Song Qingshu visited Shuang'er and asked her to accompany him to Wei Xiaobao’s grave, while Fang Yi declined to go and planned to leave the Viscount's Mansion.
• Shuang'er explained that Fang Yi had never truly regarded Wei Xiaobao as her husband, and Song Qingshu comforted Shuang'er as they traveled to the grave.
• At Wei Xiaobao’s grave, Shuang'er apologized to him, while Song Qingshu silently promised to take care of her.

Song Qingshu and Shuang'er visited Wei Xiaobao's grave, where Shuang'er admitted she and Song Qingshu were together. Back at the Viscount's Mansion, Fang Yi served poisoned wine, and Su Quan revealed herself and explained that she had forced Fang Yi and the Little County Princess to obey her.

• Shuang'er burned the garment embroidered with the Great Qing Dragon Vein treasure map and told Wei Xiaobao's gravestone that she and Song Qingshu were together.
• Song Qingshu and Shuang'er returned to the Viscount's Mansion, where Fang Yi welcomed them with a meal and several cups of wine.
• Fang Yi and Shuang'er drank the wine, and Song Qingshu realized that it contained poison.
• Su Quan emerged from behind a screen, and Song Qingshu seized her before she could escape.
• Su Quan identified the poison as the Leopard Fetus Tendon-Changing Pill, while Fang Yi explained that she and the Little County Princess had been forced to obey the Cult Master's Wife.

Song Qingshu confronted Su Quan and Fang Yi over the poisoning and the Leopard Fetus Tendon-Changing Pill. He drank the poisoned wine without concern, then startled Su Quan by revealing that Cult Master Hong's martial arts forbade him from approaching women, and asked why she had come alone.

• Song Qingshu told Fang Yi that Wei Xiaobao had failed to protect her, while Fang Yi remembered her resentment toward Wei Xiaobao and Shuang'er and admitted to herself that she had wanted them to suffer.
• Su Quan accused Song Qingshu of causing Divine Dragon Sect's destruction, but he blamed Thin Monk and pulled her into his embrace while offering her poisoned wine.
• Su Quan warned that only the Cult Master had the antidote and that the year's supply had not yet been prepared, then whispered to Song Qingshu before he released her.
• Shuang'er warned Song Qingshu that the wine was poisoned, but he drank it anyway and explained that the pill's effects could be managed if he took the antidote in time.
• Song Qingshu teased Shuang'er and Su Quan, then revealed that Cult Master Hong's martial arts likely prevented him from approaching women.
• Su Quan concealed her shock at Song Qingshu's knowledge, and he asked why she had come alone.