Chapter Summaries

After Zhang Lun was murdered for his Shuidu Order, Zeng Anmin narrowed the investigation to the people who knew about it and students with martial-artist guards. Dean Qin Shouchang gathered the students to conduct a Heart Inquiry and find the killer.

• Zeng Anmin and the Master concluded that the Shuidu Order was likely the murderer's target and noticed Zhang Lun had drawn the Xuanjing Division emblem before he died.
• Zeng Anmin reasoned that only Zhang Lun's close acquaintances and Shuidu Academy students could have learned about the Shuidu Order, and singled out students with martial-artist guards for investigation.
• The Master agreed to ask Dean Qin Shouchang to conduct a Heart Inquiry, while Wang Daoyuan reported that Zhang Lun had told none of his close acquaintances about the order.
• Qin Shouchang assembled all 136 students, warned them to cooperate or share the murderer's guilt, and received their pledge to find the killer.

Dean Qin questioned the students, but Wang Lin was exempt from Heart Inquiry under the dynasty’s rules, leaving Zeng Anmin to suspect him over Zhang Lun’s murder. Wang Lin’s guard A Da was presented as the culprit and died before he could be questioned, while Prince Jiang’s Estate moved to close the case; the chapter ended with the estate donating ten thousand taels to the Academy.

• Qin Shouchang used Heart Inquiry on the students, while Wang Lin invoked the rule barring imperial kin and serving officials from being questioned.
• Zeng Anmin suspected Wang Lin of killing Zhang Lun and tried to direct Qin Shouchang toward Wang Lin’s guard, A Da.
• Wang Daoyuan announced that A Da had surrendered as Zhang Lun’s murderer, and Wang Lin claimed Zhang Lun had given him the Shuidu Order after a dispute over a transaction.
• Zeng Anmin urged Qin Shouchang to question A Da, but Wang Daoyuan said A Da had committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
• Wang Daoyuan told Zeng Anmin that Prince Jiang’s Estate had ordered the Xuanjing Division to close the case, and a steward informed Qin Shouchang that the estate was donating ten thousand taels to the Academy.

After the authorities refused to reopen Zhang Lun’s murder case, Zeng Anmin decided to punish Wang Lin himself. That night, disguised in a Black Cat Hood, he killed Wang Lin and took Zhang Lun’s Shuidu Order.

• Zhang Lun’s mother knelt outside Shuidu Academy and begged for justice, but Wang Lin denied responsibility and Dean Qin Shouchang told her the case was settled.
• The old woman fainted, and Wang Lin offered to pay for a physician while smiling hypocritically.
• Zeng Anmin watched Wang Lin’s performance and resolved to use his blade because Confucian Law would not punish him.
• On the road back to Prince Jiang’s Estate, Wang Lin mocked Zhang Lun’s mother and showed A Er Zhang Lun’s Shuidu Order.
• A hooded Zeng Anmin killed A Er and then Wang Lin with the Ornate Dagger, before taking the Shuidu Order.

After Wang Lin was found murdered, Zeng Anmin broke through to the Confucian Path Seventh Rank and gained a Divine Artifact through his new Martial Arts entry. His breakthrough stunned the Academy, and a teacher immediately offered to take him as a personal disciple.

• Wang Lin was found dead near Prince Jiang's Estate, murdered in the same manner as Zhang Lun.
• Zeng Anmin opened his Purple Mansion, condensed Vast Righteous Qi, and became a Confucian Path Seventh Rank cultivator.
• Zeng Anmin chose Martial Arts Restructuring, which transformed his short blade into a Divine Artifact Hand Axe.
• Qin Shouchang learned that a student had opened the Purple Mansion, then discovered the student was Zeng Anmin and ordered everyone to claim Zeng Anmin had stayed in his quarters all night.
• The Academy's instructors gathered around Zeng Anmin in astonishment, and one offered to take him as a personal disciple.

After breaking through to the Confucian Path Seventh Rank, Zeng Anmin faced teachers vying to take him as a student and learned that Wang Lin had been assassinated. He went out with Qi Dachun amid the citywide manhunt and ran into Xuanjing Division Commander Wang Deli.

• The Academy's steward broke up the teachers' quarrel and ordered them out, leaving Zeng Anmin alone with him.
• The steward told Zeng Anmin that Wang Lin had been killed by a martial artist wearing a Cat Mask, and Zeng Anmin praised the killer as the Prince's Estate Judge.
• Zeng Anmin realized the steward had been probing him, then asked for a day off and set out with Qi Dachun.
• As the Xuanjing Division searched the city for Wang Lin's killer, Zeng Anmin and Qi Dachun watched Red-robed Guards march through Tong'an Street.
• Wang Deli approached Zeng Anmin in full military uniform and asked what he was doing there.

Zeng Anmin visited Zhang Lun’s home and connected the clues surrounding his death to the map theft. He concluded that Prince Jiang's Estate had ordered the theft and framed his father, then tried to enter Zhang Lun’s silent home.

• Wang Deli told Zeng Anmin he was sealing the home of the attendant who stole the Dragon Survey Map, but had found no clues about who ordered the theft.
• At Zhang Lun’s door, Zeng Anmin realized Zhang Lun had not been killed over the Shuidu Order and reconsidered the Xuanjing Division emblem he had drawn before dying.
• Zeng Anmin deduced that Wang Lin had killed Zhang Lun to silence him after Zhang Lun witnessed the attendant conspiring with someone.
• Zeng Anmin concluded that Prince Jiang's Estate had ordered the Dragon Survey Map theft and framed his father.
• After receiving no answer at Zhang Lun’s door, Zeng Anmin ordered Qi Dachun to break it down.

Zeng Anmin found Zhang Lun’s mother dead by suicide and learned how deeply she had grieved her son’s murder. After burying them together, he abandoned his return to the Academy, while Zeng Shilin remained unaware of the tragedy and Huzi said he missed his father.

• Qi Dachun broke into Zhang Lun’s home, where Zeng Anmin found Zhang Lun’s mother hanged and judged her death a suicide.
• Zeng Anmin recalled how Zhang Lun’s mother had struggled to support her talented son, then lost hope after learning that his killer had died.
• Zeng Anmin found cat-shaped buns in the pot and told Qi Dachun he would not return to the Academy.
• Zeng Anmin buried Zhang Lun and his mother together, taking Zhang Lun’s annotated copy of “Yi Zi” with him.
• At the Governor’s Mansion, Uncle Qi told Zeng Shilin that Zhang Lun’s murderer had not been found, and Huzi told his grandfather that he missed his father.

Zeng Anmin returned home and shocked everyone by declaring he would leave the Academy, then revealed that he had already opened his Purple Mansion. Father was left stunned by the Vast Righteous Qi shining from his son’s fingertip.

• Father and Zeng Shilin told Huzi that Zeng Anmin might return home within a year, and Huzi eagerly waited for him.
• Zeng Anmin arrived and reunited with Huzi, who said he had missed him and complained that Grandpa had promised Father would stay away for a year.
• Dachun told the household that Zeng Anmin would no longer attend the Academy, prompting Uncle Qi to accuse Dachun of lying and slap him.
• Father demanded to know why Zeng Anmin had quit the Academy, and Zeng Anmin replied that Father had told him he could return after opening his Purple Mansion.
• Zeng Anmin revealed dense milky-white radiance from his fingertip, and Father recognized it as Vast Righteous Qi.

Zeng Anmin revealed that he had opened his Purple Mansion, startling his father, Zeng Shilin, who hid his delight after sending him off to dinner. At Prince Jiang’s Estate, Mr. Qi used a divination array to uncover the identity of the Black Cat Martial Artist.

• Zeng Anmin showed his father that he had opened his Purple Mansion, and his father urged him to cultivate patiently before retreating to his study.
• Zeng Shilin secretly celebrated his son’s talent after Zeng Anmin left with Huzi and Aunt Lin.
• Prince Jiang and Mr. Qi discussed the Spiritual Artifact used to kill Wang Lin and decided to investigate it through the Profound Formation Division.
• Prince Jiang ordered Mr. Qi to use the Ask Heaven array despite the danger to his lifespan.
• Mr. Qi completed the divination, bled from the mouth, and told Prince Jiang that he had identified the Black Cat Martial Artist.

Prince Jiang and Mr. Qi learned that Zeng Anmin had reached the Seventh Rank of the Confucian Path, while Zeng Anmin told his father he wanted to join the Xuanjing Division to confront corruption. Zeng Shilin initially rejected the idea, but secretly appointed him a Left Clerk of the Xuanjing Division.

• Mr. Qi sensed that a young, high-born person nearby had reached the Sheng Pin Realm, and Prince Jiang identified him as Zeng Anmin.
• A secret letter from Shuidu Academy revealed that Zeng Anmin had entered the Seventh Rank Purple Mansion Realm within five days, alarming Prince Jiang and Mr. Qi.
• Zeng Anmin told Zeng Shilin that Prince Jiang's Estate was involved in the Zhang Lun case and that he wanted to join the Xuanjing Division.
• Zeng Shilin rebuked Zeng Anmin for defending the Black Cat Martial Artist and ordered him out of the study.
• After Zeng Anmin left, Zeng Shilin wrote an appointment admitting him as a Left Clerk of the Xuanjing Division.

On his first day as Left Clerk at the Xuanjing Division, Zeng Anmin was shown his office and assigned a long-stalled murder case involving a powerful ship merchant. He suspected that Xu Yunfeng, the clerk who handed him the case, served Prince Jiang's Estate.

• Zeng Anmin studied Zhang Lun's annotated Yi Zi and dismissed the poem at the end as little more than doggerel.
• Zeng Anmin left for his first day at the Xuanjing Division and briefly made peace with his father, who advised him to behave himself.
• Xu Yunfeng welcomed Zeng Anmin, showed him the Left Clerk's Office, and explained that he was responsible for order along the riverside area.
• Xu Yunfeng handed Zeng Anmin a three-month-old case file about Jin Taiping's nephew killing his aunt.
• Zeng Anmin concluded that Xu Yunfeng was likely aligned with Prince Jiang's Estate and had deliberately given him a difficult case.

Zeng Anmin found flaws in the case against Shen Jun and reopened the murder investigation, suspecting the file concealed a larger secret tied to Prince Jiang's Estate. After questioning Shen Jun, he decided to verify his account at the Jiaofang Division.

• Zeng Anmin examined Shen Liu's case file and noticed it omitted Shen Jun's motive and did not explain why he went to the Jiaofang Division after Madam Shen's death.
• Zeng Anmin visited the Imperial Prison, ordered Shen Jun released from his cell, and announced that he would reopen the case.
• Shen Jun denied killing his aunt and said she tried to seduce him in the Spirit Hall, after which he left and went to the Jiaofang Division.
• Shen Jun named Courtesan Shiyi as the woman he visited, so Zeng Anmin summoned Dachun and set out for the Jiaofang Division.

Zeng Anmin investigated Shen Jun’s aunt’s murder by going to question Courtesan An Shiyi at the Jiaofang Division. He forced his way into her pavilion and discovered his father, Zeng Shilin, was the distinguished guest with her.

• Zeng Anmin reasoned that Shen Jun might have been framed by relatives who wanted control of Jin Taiping's Fleet, and decided to question An Shiyi.
• Zeng Anmin brought two squads of Red-robed Guards to the Jiaofang Division and demanded to see An Shiyi.
• Yun Niang tried to delay Zeng Anmin, explaining that An Shiyi was with a distinguished guest, but he refused to leave.
• Zeng Anmin and Dachun pushed into An Shiyi's Flower Pavilion, where Zeng Anmin found his father, Zeng Shilin.
• Zeng Shilin asked Zeng Anmin what he was doing there.

Zeng Anmin questioned An Shiyi about Shen Jun and began suspecting Xuanjing Division Right Clerk Xu Yunfeng instead. Back at the Xuanjing Division, he encountered Commander Wang Deli showing off his extraordinary archery and boasting about An Shiyi.

• Zeng Anmin questioned An Shiyi about whether Shen Jun had visited her three months earlier, and she recalled that he arrived in a hurry near the end of the Rabbit Hour.
• An Shiyi said no one else had asked her about Shen Jun, leading Zeng Anmin to question why Xu Yunfeng had never investigated her and to shift his suspicion toward him.
• Zeng Anmin left An Shiyi's room and teased his father, who remained inside with her, while Dachun mistakenly thought they had come to see the courtesan together.
• Zeng Anmin returned to the Xuanjing Division and watched Wang Deli shoot an arrow that hit the bullseye and smashed the target.
• Wang Deli bragged about his archery and told Zeng Anmin that he had once been with An Shiyi, prompting Zeng Anmin to compare him to his father.

Zeng Anmin brought Shen Jun and the Xuanjing Division’s Red-robed Guards to Shen Manor to investigate the murder of Madam Liu Shen and clear Shen Jun of suspicion. The search found no secret passage, and Xu Yunfeng challenged Zeng Anmin’s impartiality as he assessed the evidence.

• Zeng Anmin led the Red-robed Guards into Shen Manor, where Shen Jun’s maidservant Zhenzhu greeted him.
• The Shen Family let the investigators search the Spirit Hall, while Zeng Anmin questioned Shen Jun about the manor’s weapons and martial arts.
• Zeng Anmin questioned the two servants who had guarded the Spirit Hall; they repeated that no one but Shen Jun entered and that they heard nothing clearly.
• The Red-robed Guards found no hidden passage, mechanisms, or signs of recent construction in the Spirit Hall.
• Zeng Anmin reasoned that Shen Jun and the servants had little opportunity or motive, but Xu Yunfeng challenged his assessment and urged him to remain neutral.

Zeng Anmin rejected Xu Yunfeng’s accusation against Shen Jun and deduced that Shen Liu had faked his death and murdered Madam Liu Shen. Xu Yunfeng resisted opening Shen Liu’s grave, leaving the truth to be tested by an examination of the coffin.

• Xu Yunfeng accused Shen Jun of murdering Shen Liu to take over the fleet, but Zeng Anmin argued that Shen Jun had no reason or ability to kill Madam Liu Shen.
• Zeng Anmin concluded that the murderer had to be a ranked martial artist and identified Shen Liu, supposedly inside the coffin, as the killer who had faked his death.
• Zeng Anmin proposed that Shen Liu had killed Madam Liu Shen after she seduced Shen Jun and that Shen Liu had feigned death to protect his family from someone powerful.
• Xu Yunfeng mocked Zeng Anmin’s theory and refused to let him open the grave, while Zeng Anmin challenged him to examine the coffin.

Zeng Anmin cleared Shen Jun after discovering Shen Liu’s coffin was empty, then ordered a search for Shen Liu and suspected Xu Yunfeng had tried to use him to kill Shen Jun. At Prince Jiang’s Estate, Prince Jiang and Mr. Qi learned Xu Yunfeng had ruined their plans and decided to eliminate him.

• Zeng Anmin had the coffin opened and found it empty, confirming that Shen Jun was innocent and Shen Liu had faked his death.
• Shen Jun offered to accept punishment in Shen Liu’s place, but Zeng Anmin rejected his appeal and ordered the search for Shen Liu.
• As he rode back to the Xuanjing Division, Zeng Anmin realized Xu Yunfeng had likely tried to make him condemn Shen Jun and suspected the case was connected to Prince Jiang’s Estate.
• Prince Jiang and Mr. Qi discussed how the Profound Formation Division’s denial had ended their trail through Black Cat Martial Artist’s weapon.
• Prince Jiang read a secret letter about Xu Yunfeng’s failure, and he and Mr. Qi agreed that Xu Yunfeng had to be dealt with cleanly.

Zeng Anmin questioned Shen Jun about Shen Liu’s disappearance and arranged to search a place called Wild Mountain. After inspecting a ship belonging to Prince Jiang’s Estate, Zeng Anmin was confronted by a masked assassin who looked just like the Black Cat Martial Artist.

• Zeng Anmin questioned Shen Jun, who said Shen Liu might be hiding on Wild Mountain, and ordered Shen Jun to guide him there the next day.
• Zeng Anmin left Wangxian Tower and decided that solving the Shen Family case could help his father gain a powerful subordinate force.
• Zeng Anmin ordered Red-robed Guards to inspect a ship from Prince Jiang’s Estate and found soap and Sulfur Stones but nothing suspicious.
• A masked assassin killed a nearby Red-robed Guard with a throwing dagger and advanced on Zeng Anmin carrying a blade identical to his own.

Zeng Anmin escaped an assassin’s attack by diving into the river and killed him underwater with a Hand Axe, preventing the assassin from exposing his martial arts identity. As the people celebrated the Black Cat Martial Artist’s apparent victory, Zeng Anmin struggled to stay submerged and avoid being recognized.

• Zeng Anmin leaped into the river to escape the Black Cat Hood assassin’s strike, and the assassin followed him underwater.
• Zeng Anmin waited for the assassin to approach, then used his Hand Axe to sever the assassin’s Cold Blade and take off his left arm.
• The wounded assassin tried to reach the surface and reveal Zeng Anmin’s identity, but Zeng Anmin dragged him back underwater and cut his throat.
• The people on shore saw blood spread across the river and cheered, believing the Black Cat Martial Artist had killed a corrupt official.
• Zeng Anmin fought the urge to surface and swam onward to keep his identity hidden.

Zeng Anmin broke through to the eighth rank underwater, chose an entry that protected him from soul and spiritual attacks, and escaped the river. Meanwhile, Zeng Shilin ordered a massive search for him and a crackdown on Prince Jiang’s Estate, and Zeng Anmin encountered Red-robed Guards in the city.

• Zeng Anmin’s Martial Arts Aura surged under the pressure of the battle and lack of oxygen, condensing into a Martial Pill and advancing him to the eighth rank.
• Zeng Anmin chose the Unyielding Martial God entry, which made him immune to soul and spiritual attacks.
• Zeng Anmin found a cave hidden behind a scale-covered boulder but dismissed it and continued swimming until he surfaced far from Liangjiang Prefecture City.
• Zeng Shilin ordered officials to search for Zeng Anmin, shut down Prince Jiang’s Estate businesses, and bring three thousand Southern Garrison Soldiers to search the river.
• Zeng Anmin entered the city as soldiers and Red-robed Guards mobilized, then called to a passing squad to ask for a horse, startling a familiar guard.