Chapter Summaries

Zeng Anmin joined Bai Ziqing's team as they seized Prince Qi's Estate, hoping to find the Xi Huang Diagram. After searching the inner courtyard, he uncovered a hidden mechanism in the ancestral hall, revealing a secret opening.

• Huang Shi summoned Zeng Anmin to Bai Ziqing, who told him that the Imperial City Department would seize Prince Qi's Estate that night.
• Bai Ziqing assigned Zeng Anmin to pose as his account clerk and gave him half an hour to search the inner courtyard.
• Zeng Anmin searched Prince Qi's rooms but found no trace of the Xi Huang Diagram, then focused on the ancestral hall.
• Zeng Anmin realized the prayer cushion had not been moved and turned it until a hidden mechanism clicked.
• A fist-sized square opening appeared behind and to the left of the Great Ancestor's tablet.

Zeng Anmin uncovered letters linking Prince Qi, Minister of Revenue Ren Weizhi, and Liu Sanjiang to the embezzlement of disaster-relief funds and a plot against Lou Yingqi. He set out with Bai Ziqing to investigate the poisoning of Lou Yingqi’s son, hoping to strengthen his father’s position at court.

• Zeng Anmin took letters from a hidden compartment in Prince Qi’s ancestral hall, while Chi Bufan secretly opened the compartment and aroused his suspicions.
• Zeng Anmin read the letters and found evidence of stolen disaster-relief funds, a threat against Assistant Minister of Revenue Lou Yingqi, and possible links to Lou Tong’s poisoning.
• Zeng Anmin wondered whether the Xi Huang Diagram had remained with his cousin and connected the mysterious woman in the letters to the attempt to silence Prince Qi and Chi Bufan.
• Bai Ziqing asked Zeng Anmin for help investigating Lou Tong’s poisoning, explaining that the rare Green Belly Snake Poison had no available antidote.
• Zeng Anmin suggested the poisoner might have prepared for this moment and rode with Bai Ziqing to the Minister of Revenue’s residence.

Zeng Anmin investigated the poisoning of Lou Tong and concluded that the culprit had searched the Minister's Residence for evidence, possibly while disguised as a servant. He identified the former maid Xiangchun as a lead and urged Bai Ziqing to work with Lou Yingqi on a plan to lure out the mastermind before Lou Tong died.

• Zeng Anmin accompanied Bai Ziqing to Lou Yingqi's residence and examined the poisoned Lou Tong and the rooms in the courtyard.
• Zeng Anmin spotted suspicious bedding and an open window in Madam Lou's room, then reasoned that a familiar intruder had searched Lou Yingqi's study and bedroom for something.
• Zeng Anmin pressed Bai Ziqing to investigate former servants, and Bai learned that Xiangchun, a maid who had served Madam Lou, had left six months earlier.
• Zeng Anmin suspected Xiangchun was a Green Viper who had poisoned Lou Tong, and he advised Bai Ziqing to tell Lou Yingqi so they could stage a convincing act to draw out the mastermind.
• After Bai Ziqing rushed to inform Lou Yingqi, Zeng Anmin considered whether Prince Qi's Dark Sinking Incense connected the case to the Profound Formation Division, the Eastern Cult, or the Dao Sect.

After Lou Tong died from snake venom, Bai Ziqing and Zeng Anmin discovered that Xiangchun was a Green Snake demon and defeated her before she could escape. Zeng Anmin’s arrow nearly destroyed the snake, but Bai Ziqing salvaged its gallbladder, and Lou Tong woke after receiving it.

• Lou Tong died from the poison, and his family began taking his coffin back to Yangqi.
• Xiangchun returned to the abandoned Lou residence, where Bai Ziqing ambushed her and identified her as the Green Viper demon.
• Xiangchun transformed into a Green Snake and attacked Bai Ziqing with a poison arrow, but Zeng Anmin blocked it with Vast Righteous Qi.
• The Green Snake tried to flee, but Zeng Anmin struck it with a Righteous Qi arrow and killed it before Bai Ziqing could finish his attack.
• Bai Ziqing cut out the snake’s gallbladder and fed it to Lou Tong, who woke and met Bai Ziqing and Zeng Anmin.

Zeng Anmin persuaded Lou Yingqi to join him against the corrupt officials threatening his family, then Bai Ziqing took him to a rooftop hideaway and called him his first friend. The chapter ended with Zeng Anmin agreeing to help Lou Yingqi by sending snake soup to the Princess and Ren Weizhi.

• Lou Yingqi thanked Zeng Anmin for saving Lou Tong, and the two went to speak privately.
• Zeng Anmin confronted Lou Yingqi with details of corruption involving Good Friend Trading Company, Ren Weizhi, Prince Qi, and the Princess.
• Lou Yingqi revealed that he had tried to expose the officials and had secretly continued gathering evidence, but they threatened his family and attacked Lou Tong.
• Zeng Anmin told Lou Yingqi that he had arranged Qi Xianlin’s capture and promised he could protect the household and bring down corrupt officials.
• Lou Yingqi agreed to cooperate, and Zeng Anmin’s first instruction was to send the snake corpse as soup to the Princess and Ren Weizhi.
• Bai Ziqing took Zeng Anmin to his rooftop hideaway, called him his first friend, and teased him about smelling like peach blossoms.

Zeng Anmin told Huzi stories about his father, while court officials learned that a demon had poisoned Lou Tong and argued over who should become Northern Commander. Lou Yingqi defended Bai Ziqing and Zeng Shilin in court, leaving Ren Weizhi accused of slandering a minister.

• Zeng Anmin returned home, praised Huzi’s swordplay, and told him that his father had been the capital’s number one swordsman.
• Concubine Lin thanked Zeng Anmin for helping Huzi learn about his father and said she was glad the boy could live more happily.
• Bai Ziqing reported that a Green Viper had poisoned Lou Tong, and Lou Yingqi confirmed the culprit before the court.
• Emperor Jianhong accepted Lou Yingqi’s plea to treat the case as the Demon Race’s attempt to frame him rather than launch a wider purge.
• Zeng Shilin raised the vacant Northern Commander post and named Bai Ziqing as a possible candidate, prompting Ren Weizhi and his allies to accuse him of favoritism.
• Lou Yingqi praised Bai Ziqing’s merits, defended Zeng Shilin, and called for Ren Weizhi to be punished for slander.

After Emperor Jianhong appointed Bai Ziqing Northern Commander, Lou Yingqi followed Zeng Shilin home and pleaded for help against Ren Weizhi and the Princess. With Zeng Anmin's secret letters and Lou Yingqi's records in hand, Zeng Shilin promised to confront the corruption rooted in the capital, though Lou Yingqi still feared the danger of constant schemes.

• Emperor Jianhong ended the court dispute by appointing Bai Ziqing acting Northern Commander, and Lou Yingqi publicly rebuked Ren Weizhi before leaving.
• Lou Yingqi went to Zeng Shilin's residence, where Zeng Anmin greeted him as Uncle Lou and joined their conversation.
• Zeng Anmin showed Zeng Shilin secret letters found at Prince Qi's Estate, and Zeng Shilin concluded that the Princess stood behind Ren Weizhi.
• Lou Yingqi asked Zeng Shilin to protect him, and Zeng Shilin praised his refusal to collude with corrupt officials and vowed to clear the capital's corruption.
• Lou Yingqi gave Zeng Shilin the Ministry of Revenue records linking it to the Good Friend Trading Company, and Zeng Shilin took them while warning that they were weak evidence on their own.
• Lou Yingqi remained worried that the Princess and Ren Weizhi could keep targeting him, since no one could guard against their schemes forever.

Zeng Shilin sent the Princess a bloodied bowl of Green Viper soup as a warning, prompting her to summon Chi Bufan. At the Imperial Academy, Zeng Anmin learned that Liu Xian was Liu Sanjiang’s son and saw a chance to compare Good Friend Trading Company’s accounts with the Ministry of Revenue’s.

• Zeng Shilin told Lou Yingqi to deliver snake soup to the Princess, and Lou Yingqi left after thanking him.
• Princess Ning'an visited her aunt, the Princess, for silver, then demanded pastries and a pair of Blood Jade cups.
• The Princess received bloodied Green Viper soup sent by the Minister of War, recognized the threat tied to Prince Qi and Qishan Road, and ordered Chi Bufan to come see her.
• During Li Lianting’s music lesson, Zeng Anmin struggled to stay awake until Li Lianting played Border Pass Moon and asked the students to perform it.
• Liu Xian volunteered to play his Array-playing Zither, and the Crown Prince told Zeng Anmin that Liu Xian was Liu Sanjiang’s son, making Zeng Anmin consider comparing the company’s accounts with the Ministry of Revenue’s.

Liu Xian failed to seize a breakthrough during music theory class, but Zeng Anmin comforted him and won his trust by posing as a fellow scholar who had endured setbacks. Liu Xian agreed to become Zeng Anmin’s sworn younger brother and explained how the imperial examinations and academy recommendations worked.

• Liu Xian entered sudden enlightenment while playing the zither, but his insufficient Literary Qi caused him to cough and lose the chance to condense a Dharma Aspect.
• Li Lianting explained that students could cultivate the Dao of music through sudden enlightenment or by studying and creating an enduring masterpiece, with both paths requiring strong Vast Righteous Qi.
• Zeng Anmin approached the despondent Liu Xian, encouraged him about his lost opportunity, and claimed he had also failed to break through while studying archery.
• Liu Xian revealed his merchant-family background, and Zeng Anmin reassured him that a student’s character mattered more than his origins; Liu Xian then asked to become Zeng Anmin’s sworn younger brother.
• Zeng Anmin asked Liu Xian about the imperial examinations, and Liu Xian explained the scholarly ranks, his Illusion Array examination experience, and the need to earn an academy recommendation through selection studies in the Six Arts.

Zeng Anmin prepared for the Academy Selection Examination by asking Sai Chuxue to imprint Strength Arrays on him so he could compete in archery. As Sai Chuxue began carving an array in a storeroom, Qin Shouchang heard their suggestive-sounding voices outside the door.

• Liu Xian warned Zeng Anmin that Li Ru was a formidable archer, while the Little Fatty Crown Prince dismissed the threat and rebuked Liu Xian for suggesting he bribe Li Ru to withdraw.
• Sai Chuxue approached Zeng Anmin to ask for more of the item he had given her, and he agreed in exchange for her help with his upcoming archery examination.
• Sai Chuxue explained that two Strength Arrays could let Zeng Anmin shoot much farther, then examined his skin and led him to a secluded storeroom to imprint them.
• Qin Wanyue saw Sai Chuxue touching Zeng Anmin and dropped her food box, while Liu Xian and the Little Fatty Crown Prince watched.
• Sai Chuxue told Zeng Anmin to remove his clothes and began drawing an array on his back as he reacted aloud.
• Qin Shouchang stopped outside the storeroom after hearing Zeng Anmin ask Sai Chuxue to be gentler.

Zeng Anmin had Sai Chuxue inscribe Strength Arrays on his body, then soothed Qin Wanyue’s jealousy with an elaborate explanation and won back her warmth. At the Academy Selection Examination, Qin Wanyue brought him Fish Pastry and sat beside him as the rival academies gathered for the contest.

• Sai Chuxue inscribed two Strength Arrays on Zeng Anmin, and Qin Shouchang burst into the storeroom after mistaking their work for demonic mischief.
• Zeng Anmin gave Sai Chuxue a bottle of Chicken Essence, and she gave him a green stone that could open the Profound Formation Division’s gate.
• Qin Wanyue acted distant toward Zeng Anmin after seeing Sai Chuxue with him, but he explained the arrays and reassured her that he regarded Sai as a friend.
• Zeng Anmin told Qin Wanyue he wanted to pass the examination through his own efforts, and she promised to bring him Fish Pastry the next day.
• At the Academy Selection Examination, Qin Wanyue brought Zeng Anmin Fish Pastry and sat beside him as Imperial Academy and Qilin Academy students gathered.

Zeng Anmin competed in the archery selection examination against students from Qilin Academy and the Imperial Academy. After Li Ru scored a perfect hundred, Zeng Anmin displayed his own arrow intent and split his arrows through the bullseye, leaving the arena stunned.

• The instructors began the archery examination, and Li Ru of Qilin Academy challenged the Imperial Academy students before Zeng Anmin traded taunts with him.
• The students shot ten arrows each, and Cheng Yu earned the best score among those who competed before Li Ru.
• Li Ru hit the bullseye with all ten arrows using arrow intent, earning one hundred points and silencing the Imperial Academy students.
• Zeng Anmin took his turn and struck the bullseye without looking, displaying an intent he had realized himself.
• Zeng Anmin’s following arrows split the arrows already lodged in the bullseye, and his final shot left the target split down the center.

Zeng Anmin won the archery competition and was recognized as the famed poet Zeng Liangjiang, securing the Imperial Academy’s top honors. After Ren Xueliang tried to force him away, the Crown Prince arrived and confronted Ren.

• Zeng Anmin defeated Li Ru in archery, and the instructor named him champion after Li Ru conceded.
• Li Ru recognized Zeng Anmin as Zeng Liangjiang, and the Imperial Academy celebrated his perfect score and success in the Academy Selection Examination.
• Qin Wanyue congratulated Zeng Anmin before Ren Xueliang and three burly men blocked their way and demanded that Zeng Anmin come with them.
• Zeng Anmin identified Ren Xueliang as Ren Weizhi’s son and refused to go, while Liu Xian intervened and Ren Xueliang slapped him.
• The three burly men moved to seize Zeng Anmin, but the Crown Prince arrived and demanded to know who had sent Ren Xueliang.

Zeng Anmin exposed Ren Xueliang’s attempt to implicate Crown Prince Wang Yuanzhen, then went home to discuss the Princess and Ren Weizhi with his father. Evidence from the Princess’s return gift and Zeng Shilin’s memories of disaster relief cast doubt on whether she had colluded with Ren Weizhi and Prince Qi.

• Ren Xueliang publicly revealed Wang Yuanzhen’s identity, and Zeng Anmin knocked him unconscious with a slap.
• Wang Yuanzhen ordered the gathered students and Ren Xueliang’s servants to kneel, then left the Imperial Academy and warned them not to spread his connection to Zeng Anmin.
• Zeng Anmin told Wang Yuanzhen to claim he had only come to study, then praised Liu Xian for trying to protect him.
• After school, Zeng Anmin decided to gather evidence against the Princess and Ren Weizhi and went to consult his father.
• Zeng Shilin showed Zeng Anmin the Princess’s thank-you note and explained that the Good Friend Trading Company had helped cover disaster-relief shortfalls during the Jiangnan Flood.
• Zeng Anmin questioned whether the Princess had truly colluded with Ren Weizhi and Prince Qi, and asked whether Ren Weizhi had pressured his father in court.

Zeng Anmin discussed Ren Weizhi’s warning with his father, disciplined Huzi for bullying children and monks, and received a rare Communication Talisman from Bai Ziqing. Bai Ziqing left the capital to track a Green Viper linked to the Jiang Kingdom’s Eastern Cult, while the talisman meant he could consult Zeng Anmin from afar.

• Zeng Anmin and Zeng Shilin concluded that Ren Weizhi’s revelation of the Crown Prince’s identity was a warning and that the court’s current calm made it dangerous for anyone to act first.
• Concubine Lin told Zeng Anmin that Huzi had beaten classmates and monks, and Zeng Anmin punished Huzi with two hundred apology sentences and ordered him to apologize at Fa'an Temple.
• Bai Ziqing visited Zeng Anmin and explained that his investigation into the Green Viper had uncovered Xiangchun’s secret meetings and traces of the Jiang Kingdom’s Eastern Cult.
• Bai Ziqing said he was leaving the capital to follow the Eastern Cult spy using a Tracking Bamboo and the dynasty’s household records.
• Bai Ziqing gave Zeng Anmin one of four pairs of Communication Talismans so they could speak across the Great Sage Dynasty’s borders, admitting he wanted Zeng Anmin’s help solving mysteries.

Zeng Anmin pursued the Dao of Writing at the Imperial Academy and, inspired by memories of his previous life, wrote his name in two different scripts. His calligraphy strengthened his Vast Righteous Qi without yet forming a Fifth Rank Dharma Aspect, and he chose an entry granting fifty years of lifespan; Qin Shouchang was left stunned by Zeng Anmin’s Wild Cursive.

• Zeng Anmin told Bai Ziqing that investigating the Eastern Cult case could secure Bai’s position and urged him to pursue the southbound spy, sending him off with a poem.
• Qin Shouchang taught the students how Confucian cultivators entered the Dao through calligraphy and demonstrated his self-created Standard Script.
• Zeng Anmin tried copying Qin Shouchang’s character, then recalled sages and calligraphers from his previous life before writing his name in Standard Script and Wild Cursive.
• Zeng Anmin’s writing stirred his Sea of Consciousness, forming a purple-tinged brush and strengthening his Vast Righteous Qi; he chose the entry that granted fifty years of lifespan.
• Liu Xian announced that Zeng Anmin had comprehended calligraphic intent, but Qin Shouchang became transfixed by the Wild Cursive character on Zeng Anmin’s desk.

Zeng Anmin entered the Path of Writing by producing wild cursive, impressing Qin Shouchang, who praised the style and took his calligraphy. After class, Zeng accepted Liu Xian’s invitation to visit his family and arrived at the Liu Residence, where he heard bronze chimes near the main hall.

• Qin Shouchang recognized that Zeng Anmin had entered the Path through his own wild cursive rather than by copying Qin’s Standard Script.
• Zeng Anmin wrote “Those Who Wish to be Hooked” in wild cursive, and Qin Shouchang delighted in the calligraphy and dismissed the class.
• Qin Shouchang indicated that Zeng Anmin had reached the Sixth Grade but kept the news discreet, and the students crowded around Zeng seeking his guidance.
• Liu Xian invited Zeng Anmin to his home, and Zeng agreed to go at once, hoping to meet Liu Xian’s father, Liu Sanjiang.
• Zeng Anmin arrived at the remote, luxurious Liu Residence with Liu Xian and heard the sound of bronze chimes near the main hall.

Zeng Anmin met Princess at the Liu Residence, where she showed him Good Friend Trading Company’s original disaster-relief ledgers and asked what he had seen at Prince Qi’s Estate. Their discussion led Zeng Anmin to suspect that Princess’s true purpose might involve the Xi Huang Diagram.

• Liu Xian brought Zeng Anmin to the courtyard, where a woman played chime bells and Chi Bufan served her tea.
• Zeng Anmin recognized Chi Bufan and suspected Liu Xian had lured him into a trap, but the woman revealed that she had summoned him herself.
• The woman turned out to be Princess, who gave Zeng Anmin the original Good Friend ledgers showing 123,464,000 taels spent on relief for the Jiangnan flood and northern drought.
• Princess asked what Zeng Anmin had seen in Prince Qi’s ancestral hall, and he realized she did not know who stood behind Ren Weizhi and Prince Qi.
• Zeng Anmin proposed that Princess and his father cooperate against Ren Weizhi while he secretly investigated the hidden figure.
• After Princess said she had no clues and had sent Zeng Anmin to investigate, he recalled Chi Bufan’s visit to Prince Qi’s Estate and suspected Princess sought the Xi Huang Diagram.

Zeng Anmin confronted Princess about her search for the Xi Huang Diagram and exposed how he had pieced together her suspicions and tests. They agreed to cooperate, with Princess promising to support his father’s position in court, and Zeng Anmin left Liu Xian with a warning to study so others could not manipulate him.

• Princess offered Zeng Anmin a palace-entry token and a Protective Jade that could withstand a full-force strike from a fourth rank expert.
• Princess asked Zeng Anmin to investigate the person behind the events and mentioned her old connection to his elder female cousin and her search to overturn the verdict against Zhongyuan Count's Estate.
• Zeng Anmin guessed that Princess wanted the Xi Huang Diagram and explained how he had deduced her suspicions and her use of Liu Xian to test him.
• Princess admitted her purpose, and Zeng Anmin agreed to help find the Xi Huang Diagram in exchange for her support in securing his father's position at court.
• After Princess departed, Zeng Anmin met Liu Sanjiang and went with Liu Xian to see Liu Xian's birth mother, then told Liu Xian to study if he did not want others to manipulate him.

Zeng Anmin brought Huzi to Fa'an Temple to apologize to Little Monk Yingchen, and the boys made peace and became friends. After spotting a high-ranking official named Lord Ren at the temple, Zeng Anmin noticed a crippled old man heading toward the forbidden nunnery and wondered who he was.

• Zeng Anmin learned Liu Hao had encouraged Huzi to hit a monk, then heard Huzi had described his uncle as a demon lord to his classmates.
• Zeng Anmin took Huzi to Fa'an Temple, where Huzi apologized to Yingchen and offered to let him strike back with a wooden sword.
• Yingchen forgave Huzi, accepted the wooden sword, and agreed to be his friend.
• Yingchen told Huzi that Lord Ren was worshipping in the Mahavira Hall, and Zeng Anmin suspected the visitor was Minister of Revenue Ren Weizhi.
• Zeng Anmin let Huzi stay at the temple while Dachun collected odd objects, then saw a limping old man head toward the forbidden nunnery.