Chapter Summaries

Zeng Anmin pieced together a theory linking Zhang Tongyu’s death, the Dragon Survey Map theft, and Courtesan Shiyi, then told his father his suspicions. He discovered Zeng Shilin had already captured An Shiyi after tracking demon aura from Wang Deli’s death, and his father confronted him about being at the Jiaofang Division last night.

• Zeng Anmin reasoned that Zhang Tongyu may have witnessed a meeting between An Shiyi and a Xuanjing Division constable, connecting the murder to the Dragon Survey Map conspiracy.
• Zeng Anmin spent the night outside Liangjiang Prefecture City, then recalled the hidden clues in Zhang Tongyu’s study verse and suspected An Shiyi was involved with Prince Jiang’s Estate.
• Zeng Anmin returned to the city at dawn, changed clothes, and went to the Xuanjing Division to report his suspicions to Zeng Shilin.
• Zeng Anmin found An Shiyi trembling in his father’s office, and Zeng Shilin explained that he had tracked demon aura from Wang Deli’s death to the Jiaofang Division.
• Zeng Shilin revealed that his agent had learned Prince Jiang dealt with An Shiyi and asked Zeng Anmin whether he had also been at the Jiaofang Division last night.

Zeng Anmin learned that Lin Rong had found Prince Jiang’s corpse and that his father suspected the unregistered Black Cat Martial Artist was responsible, leaving Zeng assigned to investigate himself. At the Clerk’s Office, Dachun called An Shiyi a clam spirit, and Zeng realized his father might have mistaken her identity.

• Zeng Anmin’s father explained that An Shiyi’s broken forbidden curse had exposed her demonic aura.
• Lin Rong reported finding Prince Jiang’s corpse in a forest fifty li outside the city and said a peak Visualization Realm martial artist had killed him.
• Zeng Shilin suspected the unregistered Black Cat Martial Artist and told Lin Rong to seek Zeng Anmin’s advice on the case.
• Dachun arrived, and Zeng Anmin brought him to see An Shiyi before they left for the Clerk’s Office.
• Concubine Lin brought food to Zeng Shilin and Huzi, hinting that the food at home was cleaner than what they had eaten outside.
• At the Clerk’s Office, Dachun described Zeng Shilin catching a clam spirit, and Zeng Anmin realized he had thought An Shiyi was a fish spirit.

Zeng Anmin learned that An Shiyi had sacrificed herself to seal Zeng Shilin’s Vast Righteous Qi, while Zeng Shilin suspected the Demon Race was pursuing a larger goal. Before Zeng Anmin could explain his suspicions, a rebel army and demons attacked Liangjiang Prefecture City.

• Zeng Anmin realized that another Fish spirit was in the city and hurried to find his father.
• Outside Liangjiang Prefecture City, Xu Tong and a scholar discussed attacking on November 20th if Prince Jiang remained missing, then the Demon King and five fish-headed monsters emerged from the river and headed toward the city.
• Zeng Anmin found that An Shiyi had reverted to her clam form, and Zeng Shilin explained that she had sacrificed her life and cultivation to seal his Vast Righteous Qi for half an incense stick.
• Zeng Shilin questioned what the Demon Race wanted and suggested Prince Jiang could not have made them submit willingly, while Zeng Anmin suspected his father was close to the truth.
• A clerk reported that three thousand armored rebels had joined the Demon Race in attacking the city and that Prefect Qi had gone to the gate to organize defenses.

Zeng Shilin remained calm as Prince Jiang's rebel forces entered Two Rivers Prefecture, revealing that he had anticipated the rebellion and arranged a defense. When a powerful Fish spirit and its lesser demons attacked the Xuanjing Division, Qin Shouchang restrained them while Zeng Shilin dismissed the threat and carried Huzi inside.

• A clerk reported that Prince Jiang's remnants had rebelled, and Zeng Shilin calmly told the gathered family to wait.
• Another clerk announced that Governor Qi Xiande had opened the city gates, and Zeng Shilin declared that the rebellion would end there.
• Xu Tong led the Rebel Army toward the Xuanjing Division, where Lin Rong and nearly five thousand soldiers blocked their way under Governor Zeng's orders.
• A Fish spirit and five lesser demons broke into the Xuanjing Division courtyard and attacked Zeng Shilin's group.
• Qin Shouchang entered and used the Sage's words to immobilize the lesser demons, while Zeng Shilin dismissed the Fish spirit and carried Huzi inside without waking him.

Qin Shouchang demonstrated the power of the Confucian Path by effortlessly killing a Fourth Rank fish monster. Zeng Anmin was inspired to pursue the Confucian Path and went to speak with his father.

• The Fourth Rank fish monster confronted Qin Shouchang and attacked him with a gigantic bubble.
• Qin Shouchang used Righteous Qi to dissolve the bubble and summoned his Confucian Dharma Aspect.
• Qin Shouchang’s Suppress character pinned and slowly destroyed the fish monster, leaving Zeng Anmin stunned by the display.
• Qin Wanyue explained that the Confucian Dharma Aspect was available to cultivators of the Fifth Rank and above.
• Qin Shouchang declared that Confucian Dao cultivators swore to suppress demons and bring peace to the people, inspiring Zeng Anmin to pursue the Confucian Path.
• Huzi called out sleepily that he was hungry, and Zeng Anmin addressed his father to discuss something.

Zeng Shilin revealed how he had manipulated Prince Jiang’s rebellion and uncovered the Dragon Survey Map’s secret. He vowed to help Zeng Anmin awaken it as the Fifth Heavenly Dao Diagram, leaving Zeng Anmin stunned by his father’s plans.

• Zeng Shilin told Zeng Anmin that he had known Prince Jiang intended to rebel and had used hidden pawns Jin Taiping and Shen Liu to shape events.
• Zeng Shilin explained that Prince Jiang had conspired with the Demon Race to obtain the Dragon Survey Map, while believing he could frame Zeng Shilin for rebellion.
• Zeng Shilin revealed that he discovered a secret in the Qin family’s Confucian Sage’s Manuscript and learned the Dragon Survey Map was the Fifth Heavenly Dao Diagram.
• Zeng Shilin declared that he would do everything he could to help Zeng Anmin awaken the Dragon Survey Map and become its Awakener.
• Zeng Anmin asked why Zeng Shilin would not awaken it himself, and Zeng Shilin replied that what belonged to him belonged to his son.

Zeng Shilin and Zeng Anmin watched Xu Tong and Qi Xiande attack the Xuanjing Division and accuse Zeng Shilin of treason. As the soldiers charged into the courtyard, Uncle Qi and Dachun stood to face them.

• Zeng Shilin told Zeng Anmin to send a message to the Black Cat Martial Artist and warned that he would not forgive further lawbreaking.
• Xu Tong smashed through the Xuanjing Division’s gates, displayed Lin Rong’s severed head, and demanded Zeng Shilin’s execution.
• Zeng Anmin recognized that Xu Tong had reached the seventh rank through Demonic Blood Martial Arts, while Zeng Shilin realized Wang Deli’s death had cleared the way for the attack.
• Qi Xiande accused Zeng Shilin of colluding with the Demon Race, but Qin Shouchang denounced Qi Xiande for turning the accusation around.
• Xu Tong ordered his armored soldiers to charge into the courtyard, and Uncle Qi and Dachun stepped forward to fight them.

Qi Xiande and Xu Tong cornered Zeng Shilin and his allies at the Xuanjing Division, forcing Zeng Anmin to reveal his awakened Dragon Survey Map and step out to protect his family. Just as Xu Tong moved against him, a white-robed young man appeared and killed Xu Tong.

• Xu Tong defeated Uncle Qi and Dachun, while Qi Xiande threatened the courtyard officials and demanded they kill the supposed traitors.
• An official pointed out that Zeng Shilin's family was still inside, and Qi Xiande praised him for speaking up.
• Zeng Shilin urged Zeng Anmin to flee and gave him money, but Zeng Anmin revealed that the Dragon Survey Map had awakened and made him the Black Cat Martial Artist.
• Zeng Anmin left Huzi with Concubine Lin and walked toward Xu Tong, reciting a half-verse about battle and death.
• Before Zeng Anmin could speak, Xu Tong's throat was cut, and a white-robed young man appeared on the courtyard wall.

After Bai Ziqing arrived, Father punished Prince Jiang's accomplices and the rebellion case was settled. In the capital, Sai Chuxue returned to Master Xu with Qi Linxian, whose account of Zeng Anmin's Confucian-Martial Dual Cultivation shocked his former master.

• Bai Ziqing arrived three days late and explained that trouble on the road had delayed him.
• Father slapped Qi Xiande and the official who had invoked family dependents, then ordered both sent to the Imperial Prison for interrogation.
• The court confirmed Qi Xiande and Prince Jiang's collusion with the Demon Race and rebellion, leading to the removal of at least a dozen Two Rivers Prefecture officials.
• Sai Chuxue returned to the Profound Formation Division and presented the captured Qi Linxian to Master Xu.
• Qi Linxian recounted meeting Prince Jiang and told Master Xu that his Ask the Heavens Formation had revealed Zeng Anmin as a Seventh Rank Confucian cultivator and at least an Eighth Rank Body Cultivator.

Emperor Jianhong questioned whether Prince Jiang’s rebellion had been engineered by Zeng Shilin, but Sai Chuxue’s report that the Profound Formation Division had captured Qi Linxian changed his response. Meanwhile, Zeng Anmin gave Bai Ziqing a striking new hairstyle and began probing his skills.

• Qi Linxian complained about the Instantaneous Movement Array until Master Xu silenced him and sent Sai Chuxue to tell Emperor Jianhong that Qi Linxian had colluded with Prince Jiang.
• Emperor Jianhong read Zeng Shilin’s memorial, questioned whether Zeng Shilin had framed Prince Jiang to monopolize power, and drafted an order promoting Zeng Anmin to Censor-in-Chief of Jingzhao Prefecture.
• Sai Chuxue told Emperor Jianhong that the Profound Formation Division had captured Qi Linxian and would handle him, and Jianhong burned the response he had written.
• Zeng Anmin dyed and curled Bai Ziqing’s hair, persuading him that the golden curls would make him stand out.
• Zeng Anmin asked Bai Ziqing whether he was skilled at archery and hidden weapons.

The author reflected on years of writing struggles, family hardship, and the eventual success of “My Father is a Confucian Saint, Yet the System Insists I Become a Crude Martial Artist.” He explained the novel’s Confucian Path setting, thanked supporters, and left readers with his gratitude and recommendations.

• The author recalled being rejected nearly twenty times while revising manuscripts amid financial hardship after his family business failed and his child was born.
• The author’s manuscript for “My Father is a Confucian Saint” was accepted after he switched editors to Good Fortune, and he developed it into “My Father is a Confucian Saint, Yet the System Insists I Become a Crude Martial Artist.”
• The author promised to update at least ten thousand words a day after the book went premium for his readers, wife, and child.
• The author explained that Confucian cultivators sacrificed physical strength so their Vast Righteous Qi could devastate foreign enemies without harming human Martial Artists.
• The author named his favorite characters and thanked editor Good Fortune and his mentor, who wrote under the pen names Loves Drinking Aged Vinegar and Hermit Seeking Fortune.

Zeng Anmin saw Bai Ziqing off and received the Falling Jade Plate archery manual before returning to the Governor's Mansion. There, Qin Wanyue asked him for guidance, and he welcomed her into the main hall.

• Bai Ziqing gave Zeng Anmin the Falling Jade Plate manual and boarded the Long Ship, promising to meet again.
• Zeng Anmin watched the ship depart, tucked the manual into his robes, and headed back to the mansion with Qi Dachun.
• A servant told Zeng Anmin that a guest had come to see him, and he learned it was Qin Wanyue.
• Qin Wanyue asked Zeng Anmin to explain lessons she had struggled to understand, and he invited her into the main hall for tea.
• Zeng Anmin offered to answer Qin Wanyue's questions or consult his father, and she felt a strange sense of familiarity with him.

Zeng Anmin and Qin Wanyue discussed the Six Arts and her cultivation of the pipa, then shared Western Flow Fine Wine sent by Shen Jun. Qin Wanyue asked Zeng Anmin for the rest of the half-verse he had recited, and he recognized the line as a poem about drinking wine on the battlefield.

• Qin Wanyue explained that cultivating the Six Arts could help Quanfu break through to the Fifth Rank, and told him she chiefly practiced music and played the pipa.
• Zeng Anmin praised Qin Wanyue for cultivating the pipa, and she was moved by his sincere acceptance of the instrument.
• A servant delivered Shen Jun's gift of Western Flow Fine Wine and jade cups, and Qin Wanyue explained the wine's rarity.
• Zeng Anmin invited Qin Wanyue to taste the wine, described its flavor, and listened as she asked about the rest of the half-verse he had recited at the Xuanjing Division.
• Zeng Anmin remembered that he had recited, “Drunk on the battlefield, do not laugh; since ancient times, how many have returned from war?” and wondered at the coincidence of discussing wine.

Zeng Anmin completed his poem while Qin Wanyue played the pipa, and Zeng Shilin overheard the performance on returning home. After praising the poem, Zeng Shilin confronted his son about risking his life during the rebellion and asked why he had not used the item he had given him.

• Zeng Anmin asked Qin Wanyue to play the pipa so he could finish his half-verse, and she agreed.
• Zeng Shilin returned to the Governor's Mansion and heard Zeng Anmin recite the completed poem as Qin Wanyue played.
• Zeng Shilin was deeply moved by the poem and called it a masterpiece passed down through generations.
• Qin Wanyue asked Zeng Anmin whether he had already resolved to die when he faced the rebels, and he said he had stepped forward to protect his family.
• Zeng Shilin angrily called Zeng Anmin an idiot and demanded to know why he had not carried or used the item he had given him.

Zeng Anmin explained to Zeng Shilin why he had not used the Firearm during the rebellion, and his father warned him to keep his trump cards secret before praising his poetry. At Shuidu Academy, Qin Wanyue recited Zeng Anmin’s poem to answer students challenging Princess Wencheng’s literary reputation, then revealed who had written it.

• Zeng Anmin told Zeng Shilin he had withheld the Firearm during the fight with Xu Tong to avoid exposing his identity, and Zeng Shilin warned him that others could see through his secrets.
• Zeng Shilin praised Zeng Anmin’s poem and suggested naming it Two Rivers Rhapsody.
• At Shuidu Academy, students asked Qin Shouchang to produce a poem to rival Princess Wencheng’s celebrated quatrain.
• Qin Wanyue offered to recite a poem she believed could contend with Princess Wencheng’s, and the students eagerly urged her to perform it.
• Qin Wanyue recited “Grapes and fine wine in a Night-Shining Cup” and revealed that Zeng Anmin had written it, surprising the students and troubling Qin Shouchang.

In a Two Rivers Prefecture teahouse, a storyteller spun a tale of Zeng Anmin’s poetry and achievements to portray him as the Confucian Sage reincarnated and superior to Princess Wencheng. The crowd embraced the story, while Uncle Qi paid the storyteller and moved on to another teahouse.

• The storyteller provoked the teahouse crowd by recounting Princess Wencheng’s claim that her poem would suppress Jiangnan scholars for thirty years.
• He announced that Zeng Anmin’s “Two Rivers Rhapsody” had answered Wencheng’s poem and accepted coins and silver from eager listeners.
• The storyteller described Anmin’s miraculous birth, precocious talents, rapid cultivation, and role in resolving Prince Jiang’s rebellion.
• He claimed Anmin’s battlefield poem manifested the Confucian Sage and used azure righteous qi to immobilize eight thousand soldiers and kill Xu Tong.
• The crowd praised Anmin as a peerless talent who could suppress the Jiang Kingdom, while the storyteller slipped away from the stage.
• Uncle Qi praised the storyteller, gave him a grain of broken gold, and appeared backstage at another teahouse.

Zeng Anmin traveled to Stone Mountain to gather leaves from the Crimson Flame Spirit Fruit and used them to break through to the seventh rank. The breakthrough offered him three Martial Arts Entries, and he hesitated over Big and Strong.

• Zeng Shilin dismissed the rumors praising Zeng Anmin's poetry while privately welcoming the fame as cover for his son's Black Cat Martial Artist identity.
• Zeng Anmin sailed to Stone Mountain with Shen Jun and Dachun, intending to find a strange herb and advance his cultivation.
• Zeng Anmin slipped away to a cave, collected the Crimson Flame Spirit Fruit's leaves, and returned to his companions after noticing its fruit had not ripened.
• Back in his room, Zeng Anmin used the leaves to ease the pain as his Martial Arts Aura forced open the Heaven and Earth Twin Bridges.
• Zeng Anmin broke through to the seventh rank and received a choice of three Martial Arts Entries, including Heart of a Warrior, Small and Deadly, and Big and Strong.

Zeng Anmin advanced to the Visualization Realm and gained Sixth Rank Void Comprehension combat power, then received a longbow and began studying the Falling Jade Plate archery technique. His first practice shot missed the target and struck a courtyard wall.

• Zeng Anmin chose Heart of a Warrior, opened the meridians linking his Martial Pill and sea of consciousness, and reached the Visualization Realm with Sixth Rank Void Comprehension combat power.
• Zeng Anmin infused his Short Axe with Martial Arts Aura and formed a transparent axe blade.
• Dachun showed Zeng Anmin the longbow Shen Jun had sent, and Zeng Anmin took it to the Xuanjing Division.
• Zeng Anmin studied the first three forms of Bai Ziqing's Falling Jade Plate manual, including its Visualization Diagram.
• Zeng Anmin tried firing an arrow at the training-ground target, missed, and hit the courtyard wall, prompting an officer to order the laughing guards to patrol.

Zeng Anmin tested the power of the Heart of a Warrior and discovered that his bow could devastate a tree from forty zhang away. In the capital, Si Zhongxiao advised Emperor Jianhong to send Huang Yuangao to govern Fengqi Road instead of granting Prince Jiang both Fengqi Road and Yan'an Road.

• Zeng Anmin used Martial Arts Aura to hit the bullseye at the Xuanjing Division, then went to an unnamed forest to test his Engraved Longbow.
• Zeng Anmin fired an arrow infused with Martial Arts True Qi, and its force split a tree apart before he fled the forest.
• Zeng Anmin returned to the Clerk's Office, realizing the Heart of a Warrior had multiplied his Martial Arts Aura's power and imagining combining it with the Dragon Survey Map's intent.
• Emperor Jianhong asked Si Zhongxiao whether Prince Jiang should be rewarded with governorship over Fengqi Road and Yan'an Road.
• Si Zhongxiao suggested letting Minister of War Huang Yuangao retire to Two Rivers Prefecture and temporarily take charge of Fengqi Road, prompting a sharp gleam in Jianhong's eyes.

Emperor Jianhong and Si Zhongxiao arranged Zeng Shilin’s transfer to the capital, while Zeng Anmin learned that Wangxianju had earned a fortune. An Imperial Decree promoted Zeng Shilin and appointed Zeng Anmin Crown Prince’s Study Companion, but the messenger’s whispered news left Zeng Shilin looking increasingly gloomy.

• Si Zhongxiao suggested moving Zeng Shilin to the capital as Minister of War and placing Huang Yuangao in Two Rivers Prefecture, and Emperor Jianhong praised the scheme.
• Shen Jun presented Zeng Anmin with 6,300 taels earned by Wangxianju in two months, and Zeng Anmin hurried home after learning an Imperial Decree had arrived.
• The imperial messenger decreed that Zeng Shilin would become Minister of War, Grand Scholar of Martial Valor Hall, and a member of the Grand Secretariat, while Zeng Anmin would become the Crown Prince’s Study Companion.
• Zeng Shilin asked who would replace him as Governor of Fengqi Road, and the messenger whispered an answer that made Zeng Shilin’s expression grow gloomy.