Chapter Summaries

Jiang Wang and Xu Xiangan arranged Xu Fang’s burial and carried his body from Blue Stone Palace. Jiang Wang grew suspicious of the Paper Doll Shop’s stand-in and noticed a sparrow at the eerily deserted palace as the funeral procession departed.

• Xu Xiangan hired two young men to carry Xu Fang’s coffin and arranged to collect the workers’ wages from Green Cliff Villa.
• Jiang Wang questioned Old Zhang about the Paper Doll Shop’s taciturn worker and concluded that the man’s story seemed suspicious, though he chose not to act on suspicion alone.
• The procession reached Blue Stone Palace, where Xu Fang’s decomposing body still knelt outside the gate and the coffin bearers vomited at the sight.
• Xu Xiangan used his Haoran qi to place Xu Fang’s body in the coffin, while Jiang Wang’s Devouring Flower cleaned the ground.
• Jiang Wang spotted a sparrow on the palace eaves and urged Xu Xiangan to leave; the bearers carried the coffin away from the silent palace.

Jiang Wang exposed and defeated a military cultivator disguised as a porter who had been following him outside Linzi. He learned the man was acting under orders to investigate him and made him follow along to Drive Horse Mountain.

• Jiang Wang left Xu Xiangan to continue ahead and confronted a porter whose boots he recognized from earlier sightings.
• The porter attacked Jiang Wang with a load of stones, but Jiang Wang overwhelmed him in close combat.
• Jiang Wang questioned the porter about who had sent him, and the man claimed the military was investigating Jiang Wang because of his unclear origins.
• Jiang Wang invoked his imperial title and ties to the Chongxuan family rivalry to pressure the porter into revealing himself.
• The porter wiped off his disguise, and Jiang Wang continued toward Xu Xiangan with the young man following him.

Xu Xiangan’s funeral procession clashed with a wealthy family coming down Drive Horse Mountain, and he called Jiang Wang to help confront their bullying young master. The troublemakers fled after recognizing Jiang Wang’s disguised companion as Lord Zheng, whose identity Jiang Wang then revealed he knew.

• Xu Xiangan’s coffin procession met a much larger funeral party descending Drive Horse Mountain, but its young master refused to yield the path.
• When Xu Xiangan challenged him, the young master sent burly men to attack, and Xu Xiangan had a coffin bearer boast wildly about his connections.
• Jiang Wang arrived as the men charged, and Xu Xiangan announced that the Twin Prides of Drive Horse Mountain were present.
• The young master recognized Jiang Wang’s disguised companion as Lord Zheng, who kicked and threatened him until he rolled down the mountain and led his party away.
• Jiang Wang told Lord Zheng that he and Chongxuan Sheng now knew his identity, and Lord Zheng left without replying.

After Xu Fang was buried on Drive Horse Mountain, Zheng Shangming reconsidered Jiang Wang’s claim that Wang Yiwu had arranged the suspicious mission to make him clash with Jiang Wang. He returned to the Rain Cutter Army garrison determined to find out who had used him, and burst into his commander’s tent.

• Xu Xiangan buried Xu Fang and, at Jiang Wang’s suggestion, wrote Xu Fang’s name on the gravestone.
• Zheng Shangming reflected on the suspicious orders to tail Jiang Wang and concluded that Wang Yiwu or his own commander might have set him up.
• Zheng Shangming returned to the Rain Cutter Army’s southern garrison and ignored the soldiers who greeted him.
• Deputy Commander Wang confronted Zheng Shangming for returning while on a mission, but Zheng Shangming sealed his Dao Essence and shoved him into the commander’s tent.

Zheng Shangming confronted Commander Lei over his assignment to follow the Baron of Green Sheep Town and learned that Wen Lianmu had arranged it. At the Grand Marshal’s Mansion, Wen Lianmu warned Wang Yiwu to handle Zheng Shangming carefully when he came to confront them.

• Zheng Shangming revealed his identity and threatened Commander Lei after forcing him back into his seat.
• Commander Lei named Wen Lianmu as the person who had ordered Zheng Shangming to tail the Baron of Green Sheep Town.
• Zheng Shangming learned Wen Lianmu was at the Grand Marshal’s Mansion and grew furious.
• Wang Yiwu finished cultivating while Wen Lianmu complained that he had left him to handle the work.
• Wen Lianmu told Wang Yiwu to prepare for Zheng Shangming’s arrival and to teach him a lesson without humiliating, injuring, or killing him.
• Wang Yiwu agreed to Wen Lianmu’s instructions.

Wen Lianmu explained how he planned to exploit Zheng Shangming’s anger to force Zheng Shi into the conflict between Chongxuan Zun and Chongxuan Sheng. The scheme reached its intended turning point when Zheng Shangming confronted Wang Yiwu at the Grand Marshal’s Mansion.

• Wen Lianmu told Wang Yiwu that Chongxuan Sheng was gaining ground against Chongxuan Zun by absorbing his businesses and securing support from the Four Seas Merchant Alliance.
• Wen Lianmu said he planned to draw Zheng Shi into the rivalry by exposing Zheng Shangming’s pursuit of Jiang Wang, creating a clash that would alienate Zheng Shi from Chongxuan Sheng or force Zheng Shi to cooperate with them.
• Wen Lianmu predicted that Zheng Shangming would react to humiliation by charging into the Grand Marshal’s Mansion to confront Wang Yiwu.
• Zheng Shangming shouted a challenge to Wang Yiwu from outside the mansion, confirming Wen Lianmu’s prediction.
• Wang Yiwu asked Wen Lianmu what it was like to study people, and Wen Lianmu replied, “Endless fun!”

Zheng Shangming confronted Wang Yiwu at the Grand Marshal's Mansion, but Wang Yiwu crushed his attack and shattered his confidence. Just as Wang Yiwu moved to seize him, an unknown arrival intervened with a powerful blade-like strike, startling Wen Lianmu.

• Wen Lianmu waited in the Grand Marshal's Mansion while Wang Yiwu went outside to meet Zheng Shangming.
• Zheng Shangming demanded that Wang Yiwu answer for framing him, and Wang Yiwu challenged him for causing a disturbance.
• Wang Yiwu effortlessly overwhelmed Zheng Shangming's punch and questioned what he had to be proud of.
• Wang Yiwu moved to detain the dazed Zheng Shangming, but a newcomer arrived and forced him to retreat.
• Wen Lianmu stood up in shock and wondered how the intervention could have happened.

Zheng Shi intervened when Wang Yiwu and Wen Lianmu were about to detain Zheng Shangming, and he took his son away after insisting the matter be handled under the law. The chapter ended with Wang Yiwu questioning how Zheng Shi learned what happened and why he came in person.

• Zheng Shi arrived at the Grand Marshal's Mansion and asserted the Patrol Inspection Office's authority over the public disturbance.
• Wen Lianmu argued that Zheng Shi could not judge a case involving his own son, and Zheng Shi offered to take both Zheng Shangming and Wang Yiwu to the Patrol Inspection Office.
• Wen Lianmu warned that detaining Wang Yiwu required approval from the Military Department, so Zheng Shi left with Zheng Shangming instead.
• Zheng Shangming stopped in the street after leaving the mansion, and Zheng Shi urged him to come home, telling him there was no shame in being his son.
• Wen Lianmu described Zheng Shangming as self-contradictory, while Wang Yiwu wondered how Zheng Shi had learned of the incident and why he had come himself.

After Xu Fang’s burial, Jiang Wang brought Xu Xiangan to Chongxuan Sheng’s residence, where they revealed the Zheng-surnamed porter’s identity. Chongxuan Sheng recognized a connection to Wen Lianmu’s backup plan and hurried to the Northern Office, leaving Jiang Wang and Xu Xiangan confused.

• Jiang Wang and Xu Xiangan returned to Linzi after Xu Fang’s burial, and Xu Xiangan followed Jiang Wang to Chongxuan Sheng’s residence to avoid the Green Cliff Villa dean.
• Chongxuan Sheng and Xu Xiangan greeted each other with exaggerated warmth before Jiang Wang recounted the incident with the Zheng-surnamed porter.
• Chongxuan Sheng identified the porter as Zheng Shangming, son of Northern Office Commander Zheng Shi.
• Chongxuan Sheng realized Zheng Shangming was tied to Wen Lianmu’s backup plan and rushed to the Northern Office with Shi Si.
• Jiang Wang and Xu Xiangan remained behind, wondering who Wen Lianmu was.

Wen Lianmu devised a new plan to exploit Jiang Wang’s lost lifespan and separate him from Chongxuan Sheng. After learning how many schemes had surrounded Zheng Shangming’s rescue, Jiang Wang questioned whether he could avoid being caught in the rivalry’s plots.

• Chongxuan Sheng saw through Wen Lianmu’s scheme and alerted Zheng Shi, who rescued Zheng Shangming before the plan could draw the Northern Office into helping Wang Yiwu.
• Zheng Shi took Zheng Shangming to the Patrol Inspection Office to thank Chongxuan Sheng, but learned that Chongxuan Sheng had already left and dismissed the rescue as a small matter.
• Wang Yiwu asked Wen Lianmu for another plan, and Wen Lianmu proposed using a supposed lifespan-increasing treasure in the Seven Star Tower to lure Jiang Wang away from Chongxuan Sheng.
• Wen Lianmu explained that he could make Jiang Wang learn the rumor without revealing his involvement and hoped to create suspicion between Jiang Wang and Chongxuan Sheng.
• Chongxuan Sheng returned to Xia Mountain Villa and told Jiang Wang how Zheng Shi had reacted, prompting Jiang Wang to ask whether he would keep getting caught in the schemes around Chongxuan Sheng.

Jiang Wang learned why Chongxuan Sheng planned to target the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce while he was still facing Wang Yiwu. A rumor that the Qi Emperor intended to punish the Chamber forced Su She to abandon his quiet retreat and confront the danger of public consensus.

• Chongxuan Sheng told Jiang Wang that he would move against the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce before dealing with Wang Yiwu, explaining that weakening it could leave Wang Yiwu without support.
• Chongxuan Sheng said he would take control of the Chamber one step at a time, beginning by killing the pig.
• Rumors spread through Linzi that the Qi Emperor intended to punish the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce for supporting the Deposed Crown Prince.
• Su She had kept the Chamber silent while its businesses were seized, but the new rumor prompted him to demand an immediate response.
• Vice President Li disputed the rumor, while Cheng Eleven asked what purpose it served; Su She warned them that even a false consensus could become real.

Qing Xi assessed the Four Seas Merchant Alliance’s decline and ordered Fu Miao to spread news of the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce’s supposed desperate plight. Wang Yiwu agreed to support Su He and the Chamber of Commerce, while Wen Lianmu prepared to help bury someone.

• Qing Xi told Fu Miao that the Four Seas Merchant Alliance had grown old and ordered him to publicize the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce’s desperate situation.
• Wang Yiwu visited Wen Lianmu and asked about the Seven Star Tower news and the Chamber of Commerce.
• Wen Lianmu said Chongxuan Sheng had found the Seven Star Tower news and could decide when to reveal it.
• Wang Yiwu said he would honor A-Zun’s decision by helping Su He and supporting the partnership with the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce.
• Wen Lianmu told Wang Yiwu to bolster confidence where he could, then said he would help bury him.

Jiang Wang heard that the Seven Star Tower might enter a Year of Radiance, but he stayed behind as Chongxuan Sheng claimed he could handle the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce’s crisis. In the palace, Empress He ordered He Fu to sever his household’s connection to the Chamber, leaving him worried about how his family would survive.

• Chongxuan Sheng told Jiang Wang that rumors pointed to a Year of Radiance at the Seven Star Tower and a possible lifespan-extending treasure, but Jiang Wang decided not to go.
• Chongxuan Sheng assured Jiang Wang that he and the Four Seas Merchant Alliance had suppressed rivals of the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce as rumors of its collapse spread.
• He Fu visited Empress He, who asked whether his son He Zhen was filial and acknowledged that she had wronged him.
• Empress He asked He Fu to make Cao Xing resign from his position at the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce.
• He Fu asked Empress He to intervene and protested that his household depended on Cao Xing’s income, but she told him to accept hardship and avoid risking Wuhua’s future.

The Empress accepted that He Fu would have to endure suspicion over his ties to the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce to protect Jiang Wuhua’s claim to the throne. As rumors made the chamber seem doomed, Jiang Wang prepared to leave Linzi for the Seven Star Tower Gathering, where Qing Xi’s alliance sent him supplies and a record of past competitions.

• The Empress ordered a court official to accompany He Fu and discreetly warn him if he acted recklessly, prioritizing Jiang Wuhua’s succession over her brother’s grievances.
• After Cao Xing withdrew from the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce, people in Linzi mistook the Empress’s caution for the Emperor’s hostility, and attacks on the chamber intensified.
• Jiang Wang prepared to leave for the Seven Star Tower Gathering, recognizing that he needed to strengthen himself before facing Wang Yiwu.
• Chongxuan Sheng held a small farewell gathering for Jiang Wang with Xu Xiangan, Li Longchuan, Yan Fu, and Gao Zhe.
• Deacon Yang delivered Qing Xi’s gifts of battlefield medicine and a booklet about past Seven Star Tower Gatherings, and Jiang Wang accepted them and promised to thank Qing Xi in person.

Jiang Wang learned that Li Fengyao was joining the Seven Star Tower Gathering and had invited him to travel with her. His friends enthusiastically urged him to accept, while Jiang Wang awkwardly wondered whether refusing would get him beaten.

• Chongxuan Sheng teased Jiang Wang about winning over elders, then took the Four Seas Merchant Alliance’s medicine gift and urged him to read the accompanying documents carefully.
• Gao Zhe and Yan Fu discussed First-Class Deacon Fang Chong’s plans to attend the Seven Star Tower Gathering and the strength required to enter.
• Li Longchuan revealed that Xu Xiangan feared Li Fengyao because she had beaten him in sparring eighteen times after he pursued her.
• Chongxuan Sheng revealed that Xu Xiangan had claimed to withdraw from Li Fengyao’s admirers because Jiang Wang was captivated by her, and Jiang Wang learned that Li Fengyao knew about the claim.
• Li Longchuan told Jiang Wang that Li Fengyao was also joining the Gathering and had invited him to travel with her, prompting the others to urge him to accept.

Jiang Wang reluctantly accepted Li Fengyao’s offer to travel with him to the Seven Star Tower, and rode in her carriage after an awkward greeting. As the carriage departed, Li Fengyao’s tea-cup tap startled the friends who had been eavesdropping from the teahouse.

• Li Longchuan told Jiang Wang that Li Fengyao’s carriage was already waiting outside, and Jiang Wang agreed to leave with her.
• Jiang Wang’s drinking companions stayed behind while he went alone to Li Fengyao’s carriage.
• Li Fengyao greeted Jiang Wang and invited him to sit inside, while her maid explained that she had to drive Quhei.
• Jiang Wang rode beside Li Fengyao, and they agreed he could call her Sister Feng Yao while she called him Xiao Wang.
• Li Fengyao tapped her teacup, sending a sound toward the eavesdropping companions and drawing a few startled screams.

After Jiang Wang left Linzi, Li Longchuan teased the battered Xu Xiangan about his injuries and his curiosity over Jiang Wang. On the journey to Great Marsh Prefecture, Jiang Wang and Li Fengyao reviewed information about the Seven Star Tower, while Qing Xi’s letter revealed the Four Seas Merchant Alliance’s interest in recruiting him.

• Li Longchuan found Xu Xiangan hiding his swollen face behind a fan and laughed at him for being beaten by Li Fengyao.
• Xu Xiangan asked whether Jiang Wang had been beaten, but Li Longchuan teased him and left without answering.
• Li Fengyao asked Jiang Wang about the Seven Star Tower, and Jiang Wang showed her the information Qing Xi had provided.
• Jiang Wang read Qing Xi’s letter, which offered help from Fang Chong and proposed trading longevity treasures through the Four Seas Merchant Alliance.
• Li Fengyao added notes to the Seven Star Tower information, and Jiang Wang studied it during the quiet journey.
• Jiang Wang asked where they were, and Xiaotong said they should be in Song City.

Jiang Wang and Li Fengyao arrived in Ji City to wait for Seven Star Tower to open, while Jiang Wang continued cultivating and competing in the Great Void Illusion Realm. In the Tian residence, an unseen observer noticed the return of Lunar Star Power and found it interesting.

• Jiang Wang and Li Fengyao entered orderly Ji City, where Seven Star Tower was expected to open between the twelfth and fourteenth of the ninth month.
• Jiang Wang and Li Fengyao stayed at an inn, and Quhei wrecked the room assigned to it while Xiaotong paid for the damage.
• Jiang Wang cultivated, then entered the Great Void Illusion Realm and learned that his Soaring Dragon Realm ranking had fallen to eighth and he had lost his honorific title.
• Jiang Wang adjusted his approach and began a new matching battle in the Great Void Illusion Realm.
• An unseen voice in a small building at the center of the Tian residence remarked on the return of Lunar Star Power and called it interesting.

Tian Anping sat alone in Fubi Tower, staring at the sky, while Jiang Wang trained in the Great Void Illusion Realm and learned about the contenders gathering for the Seven Star Tower event. As the gathering approached, Jiang Wang was pleased that the bookmakers had overlooked him.

• Tian Anping sat bare-chested in Fubi Tower, gazed at the sky, and called the practice “sitting in a well and watching the sky.”
• Jiang Wang challenged his way to fourth place in the Soaring Dragon Realm rankings and realized his opponents were weaker than the Youth in Flowery Robes he had defeated before.
• Jiang Wang learned that nearly three hundred cultivators had gathered in Ji City to compete for eighty-eight places in the Seven Star Tower Secret Realm.
• Jiang Wang heard that Lei Zhangan, Fang Chong, and Li Fengyao were the leading favorites for the top spot in the Heavenly Dipper division.
• Jiang Wang discovered that the underground bookmakers had left his name off their odds list, and he was glad to be overlooked.

Jiang Wang and Li Fengyao arrived at Seven Star Valley as cultivators gathered for the Seven Star Tower Secret Realm. The Ninth Prince, Jiang Wuxie, entered after the passage had been sealed, and the valley suddenly plunged into darkness just as the secret realm was about to open.

• Jiang Wang and Li Fengyao entered Seven Star Valley shortly before the Seven Star Tower opened and surveyed the gathered cultivators.
• Jiang Wang noticed Lei Zhangan, Fang Chong, and Lian Shao among the potential opponents.
• The Ninth Prince, Jiang Wuxie, entered the valley despite the passage having been sealed and ignored complaints from cultivators whose companions had arrived late.
• Jiang Wuxie greeted Li Fengyao and asked her to go easy on him inside the Seven Star Tower, then briefly looked at Jiang Wang.
• The sky suddenly darkened, plunging all of Seven Star Valley into darkness.