Chapter Summaries

The Zhuan Po Sword Master warned Lü Buwei that Netherworld might be infiltrated at its highest levels and that internal investigations could expose them. Lü Buwei’s Sword Masters then discussed the danger and who might be compromised, leaving Yan Ri as their leading suspect.

• The Zhuan Po Sword Master said Netherworld had been infiltrated and was too paralyzed to trust its own forces or investigate internally.
• The Zhuan Po Sword Master argued that they should avoid alerting the enemy and focus on going to Wangyue Tower, while warning that the bamboo scroll’s sender might be watching them.
• Lü Buwei considered the Sword Masters’ possible motives and silently assessed whether they had been drawn into the scheme.
• Lü Buwei voiced concern for Yan Ri, Surprise Carp, and Hei Bai Xuan Jian, asking what should be done with them.
• Sword Master Duan Shui judged Yan Ri the most likely of the three to be involved, and Sword Master Zhen Gang agreed.

Lü Buwei considered who might be secretly undermining Netherworld and decided to meet the person behind it at Wangyue Tower. He brought four Sword Masters with him, leaving the cause of the infiltration unresolved.

• Lü Buwei ruled out Yan Ri, Surprise Carp, and Hei Bai Xuan Jian as the source of the trouble, then asked the Soul Slayer Sword Master for his intuition.
• The Soul Slayer Sword Master said the problem came from outside Netherworld rather than from within.
• The Zhuan Po Sword Master questioned how an outsider could infiltrate Netherworld so deeply, and Lü Buwei explained why Heaven-Human Realm martial artists were unlikely to be responsible.
• Lü Buwei decided that meeting the unknown person was better than continuing to speculate, whether the person was connected to Ying Zheng or might become an ally.
• Lü Buwei set out for Wangyue Tower with the four Sword Masters he could mobilize to guard against an attack.

Ye Qingcang used Faceless Men embedded in Netherworld to send the Black Ice Platform information about Lü Buwei, then met Lü Buwei at Wangyue Tower through a Faceless Man and demanded control of Netherworld. The chapter ended as Ye Qingcang explained that a Faceless Man could replace someone so completely that no one could distinguish it from the original.

• Ye Qingcang sent the Black Ice Platform information about Lü Buwei’s movements through agents who had been replaced by Faceless Men.
• Ye Qingcang decided to help Han Fei’s side for Red Lotus’s sake and planned to visit Xinzheng, then sent Red Lotus a message.
• Lü Buwei arrived at Wangyue Tower with four Sword Masters and found a lone Netherworld assassin waiting in the empty tavern.
• The Faceless Man told Lü Buwei that he came from another world and wanted to take over as Netherworld’s leader.
• Lü Buwei questioned whether the man was truly a Netherworld assassin, and the Faceless Man claimed it could reproduce a person’s body and memories so completely that no one could prove it was not the original.

Ye Qingcang revealed that he could control the Faceless Men and negotiate with Lü Buwei over Netherworld. Lü Buwei agreed to give Ye Qingcang Netherworld’s secrets, but said he would have to defeat contenders such as Yan Ri to become its leader.

• Lü Buwei questioned Ye Qingcang about his nature, and Ye Qingcang explained that he had inherited a human body and everything it possessed.
• Ye Qingcang decided not to kill Lü Buwei because he believed Lü Buwei’s continued role could benefit his broader plans and his allies in Han Kingdom.
• Ye Qingcang made the Faceless Men devour animals and transform into them before speaking to Lü Buwei as a palm-sized mouse.
• Ye Qingcang demanded control of Netherworld, warning that otherwise Lü Buwei’s orders would no longer reach its lowest-ranking executors.
• Lü Buwei said Ye Qingcang would have to defeat contenders such as Yan Ri to become Netherworld’s leader, and promised to hand over the secrets he knew about the organization.

Lü Buwei handed Netherworld’s leadership to Ye Qingcang because Faceless Men had infiltrated the organization so thoroughly that purges would destroy its own people. Ye Qingcang warned the Sword Masters that Netherworld’s intelligence network and assassins could turn against anyone who challenged his control.

• Lü Buwei chose to give up Netherworld’s authority rather than risk a futile purge that would kill loyal members and leave Faceless Men in place.
• The four Sword Masters realized they could not take control of Netherworld, since Faceless Men could ignore their orders, undermine their authority, or have them removed.
• Ye Qingcang, speaking through the rat-shaped Faceless Man, argued that intelligence and influence were forms of power equal to martial force.
• Ye Qingcang warned the Sword Masters that Netherworld’s assassins could hunt them down in overwhelming numbers if they lost control of their subordinates.

The four Sword Masters agreed to serve Ye Qingcang, and Netherworld officially shifted from the Qin Kingdom camp to neutrality. As the organization began transferring its operations and records, Ye Qingcang examined Yan Ri’s identity file and started planning his next move.

• The four Sword Masters chose to serve Ye Qingcang, since leaving Netherworld was not a viable option for them.
• Netherworld shifted from the Qin Kingdom camp to neutrality, forcing it to relocate its headquarters and replace income, jobs, supplies, and intelligence records tied to Lü Buwei.
• The Zhuan Po Sword Master demonstrated the Faceless Man’s method of taking another person’s place and reported on the handover of Netherworld’s work.
• The Soul Extinction Sword Master gave Ye Qingcang the bamboo slips containing Yan Ri’s identity records.
• Ye Qingcang read Yan Ri’s file, found it interesting, and began considering his next plans.

Ying Zheng learned that Lü Buwei planned to hand Netherworld to an unknown new leader and feared the powerful organization might leave Qin Kingdom. He went to Wangyue Tower and met Ye Qingcang, whom he invited to serve Qin, but Ye Qingcang’s stance remained unchanged.

• A Black Ice Platform spy told Ying Zheng that Lü Buwei would transfer Netherworld to an unidentified new leader at Wangyue Tower.
• Ying Zheng ordered the spy to take him to Wangyue Tower so he could keep Netherworld from falling into the hands of another state.
• Ying Zheng arrived after Lü Buwei and Netherworld’s agents had departed, and Ye Qingcang invited him upstairs for a drink.
• Ye Qingcang admitted he was Netherworld’s new leader, while Ying Zheng confirmed that he was the King of Qin.
• After drinking together, Ying Zheng invited Ye Qingcang to serve Qin Kingdom, but Ye Qingcang did not agree to change his position.

Ye Qingcang debated Ying Zheng over Qin Law, justice, and their opposing paths of Benevolence and Hegemony, then refused to join him because he already supported a friend who sought to unify the world. He left Ying Zheng to consider the possibility that they would become enemies.

• Ying Zheng defended Qin Law and invited Ye Qingcang to discuss their ambitions, but Ye Qingcang said their paths differed.
• Ye Qingcang described Ying Zheng's goal of unifying the world and distinguished his Path of Benevolence from Ying Zheng's Path of Hegemony.
• Ye Qingcang argued that Qin Law reflected the will of its creators and majority, exposing contradictions in its claims of fairness; Ying Zheng could not refute him.
• Ying Zheng offered Ye Qingcang a chance to help reform Qin, but Ye Qingcang refused because he stood with a friend who shared his dream of unification.
• Ye Qingcang warned Ying Zheng that they might meet as enemies, then vanished through twisted space, leaving Ying Zheng to depart regretfully.

Ying Zheng accepted that he could not stop Ye Qingcang from leaving Qin, while Ye Qingcang traveled to Xinzheng and arranged for Surprise Carp to receive Netherworld’s new leader’s appointment. He arrived at night and learned Surprise Carp was guarding Red Lotus in the Han palace.

• Ying Zheng decided against ordering the Black Ice Platform to capture Ye Qingcang because the risks of provoking Netherworld were too high.
• Ye Qingcang chose the stubborn Surprise Carp as his most suitable confidant and obtained an appointment letter for her through the Mother Nest-controlled Faceless Men.
• Ye Qingcang used the Flying Thunder God to travel from Xianyang to Xinzheng, avoiding the coordinate he had marked on Surprise Carp.
• Ye Qingcang sensed Surprise Carp and a Jade Seal Machine in the Han palace and concluded that Surprise Carp was protecting Red Lotus from threats within the palace.
• Ye Qingcang judged that Surprise Carp could defend herself against the Tidal Nymph’s poison because Netherworld’s poison training was comprehensive.

Ye Qingcang chose to rest in a Netherworld safe house rather than alert Quicksand, while reviewing Han Kingdom’s situation and planning Netherworld’s move to Xinzheng. He weighed the forces that might oppose Quicksand and kept Surprise Carp and Wei Xianxian’s corpse as safeguards against potential threats.

• Ye Qingcang decided not to disturb Han Fei or the others because his return was not urgent and he still needed to understand the current situation.
• Ye Qingcang considered Ji Wuye’s strength, Night Curtain’s activities, Li Kai’s progress, Netherworld’s intelligence, and relocating Netherworld’s headquarters to Xinzheng.
• Ye Qingcang judged that Netherworld’s four Sword Masters could defeat Ji Wuye, but reserved Surprise Carp to guard against the Female Marquis at Snow Garment Fortress.
• Ye Qingcang kept Wei Xianxian’s corpse as leverage over Hei Bai Xuan Jian, hoping to free Wei Xianxian if Hei Bai Xuan Jian obeyed but prepared to control and kill him if he became a threat.

Ye Qingcang reflected on the limits of power across different worlds while Red Lotus and Surprise Carp discussed Night Curtain and Quicksand’s plans in the palace. Red Lotus rejected replacing her maids with Faceless Men, instead using animal-form Faceless Men to gather intelligence, leaving her residence with a growing network of cats and dogs.

• Ye Qingcang spent the night quietly considering how supernatural systems and the rules of different worlds shaped strength and lifespan.
• Surprise Carp identified Lady Mingzhu as the Tidal Nymph and explained why keeping her alive could benefit Quicksand.
• Red Lotus refused Zi Nu’s plan to replace her palace maids with Faceless Men, unwilling to endanger innocent people.
• Red Lotus and Han Fei arranged for King An of Han to learn that she had bought a white fox, leading him to assign her two guards whenever she left the palace.
• Red Lotus adopted stray cats and dogs that were actually Faceless Men, using them to gather information throughout the palace.

The chapter explains how Ye Qingcang’s Faceless Men gathered intelligence, survived death, and could be countered, then follows Red Lotus confiding in Surprise Carp about how to win Ye Qingcang’s affection. Red Lotus and Surprise Carp talk through the night, leaving Red Lotus still unsure whether Ye Qingcang would like her.

• The chapter described how Faceless Men used animal forms to gather intelligence and how they could return to the Mother Nest through split souls after death.
• Ye Qingcang had anticipated that powerful supernatural settings could identify Faceless Men and expose the Mother Nest, but considered them effective for infiltrating the Han Kingdom’s palace.
• Surprise Carp advised Red Lotus that bearing Ye Qingcang a child could keep his heart, leaving Red Lotus speechless with her innocence.
• The chapter explained that King An of Han had raised Red Lotus without preparing her for political marriage and prioritized her safety over appearances.
• Red Lotus asked Surprise Carp whether Ye Qingcang had many admirers and whether he might like someone like her, and Surprise Carp told her to ask him directly.
• Red Lotus continued asking strange questions until she grew sleepy, and the night passed.

Han Fei, Zi Nu, and Wei Zhuang discussed Han Kingdom’s military weaknesses and the value of recruiting capable allies as they waited for Bai Yifei’s return. Bai Yifei arrived in Xinzheng while Ye Qingcang continued preparing Netherworld’s intelligence for the turmoil ahead.

• Zi Nu and Han Fei watched the crowds gather at Xinzheng’s city gates for a victorious general’s return.
• Han Fei and Zi Nu discussed Han Kingdom’s shortage of generals, and Wei Zhuang explained why he valued Bai Yifei’s military strength.
• Wei Zhuang considered how Han Fei’s reforms and the recruitment of talented people could help Han Kingdom withstand Qin Kingdom.
• Zhang Liang joined Han Fei, Zi Nu, and Wei Zhuang as they waited near the city gates.
• Bai Yifei returned to Xinzheng, while Ye Qingcang reviewed Netherworld’s intelligence and recorded its achievements.

Bai Yifei received an estate of eight hundred households, and the chapter explained how the Female Marquis had used its tax and military system to build the White Armor Army. At Netherworld’s headquarters, Ye Qingcang learned that Bai Yifei’s cultivation made him suffer from killing intent and considered whether he would have to kill him to stop his threat.

• Bai Yifei respectfully accepted King An of Han’s rewards, including an estate of eight hundred households.
• The chapter explained how estate owners controlled their households’ taxes and labor, and how the Female Marquis’s policies had created the White Armor Army.
• The chapter recounted the army’s record and its devastating defeat at the Battle of Yique against Bai Qi.
• Ye Qingcang read a bamboo slip suggesting that Bai Yifei was the Female Marquis’s child and that his origins had been concealed to protect him.
• Ye Qingcang learned that Bai Yifei’s cultivation method caused persistent killing intent that could only be resolved by reaching the Grandmaster realm, and he considered killing Bai Yifei if no other option remained.

Red Lotus decided to join the meeting at Purple Orchid Pavilion and asked Jing Ni to take her there without alerting anyone. Jing Ni brought her in through a window, where she joined the gathered group just as they were discussing what to do after Bai Yifei's return.

• Jing Ni reported that Tidal Nymph was absent, and Red Lotus guessed where she had gone.
• Red Lotus asked Jing Ni to take her secretly to Purple Orchid Pavilion so she could join the others.
• Jing Ni carried Red Lotus to the pavilion and entered through a third-floor window, blocking an incoming strand of sword qi.
• Red Lotus landed in front of Zi Nu, Wei Zhuang, Han Fei, Zhang Liang, Nong Yu, and the others, then apologized for being late and sat down.

Ji Wuye gathered Night Curtain’s leaders to discuss mounting disruptions to their operations, and they learned that the powerful organization Netherworld was behind some of their troubles. Bai Yifei demanded to know how Straw Raincoat Guest had provoked Netherworld.

• Ji Wuye and the others waited for Lady Mingzhu, who explained that trouble on her way had been handled without leaving traces.
• Emerald Tiger complained that the Minister of Justice had seized several shipments of his goods, and Straw Raincoat Guest blamed his failure to heed warnings about Han Fei’s Seven Absolutes Hall.
• Straw Raincoat Guest revealed that a third-party force had also interfered with Night Curtain’s operations, and Ji Wuye named it as Netherworld.
• Night Curtain’s members fell silent as they considered Netherworld’s overwhelming strength and long history.
• Bai Yifei questioned Straw Raincoat Guest about what he had done to attract Netherworld’s attention.

Straw Raincoat Guest could not explain why Netherworld was targeting him, while Bai Yifei argued that the more immediate threat to Night Curtain was the Ninth Young Master’s courtly maneuvering. Ji Wuye rejected Lady Mingzhu’s offer to interfere in the Inner Palace, and Emerald Tiger proposed striking at their opponents’ financial resources.

• Straw Raincoat Guest stayed silent when Bai Yifei questioned him about provoking Netherworld, since he could not identify a reason for its hostility.
• Bai Yifei said Netherworld’s movements did not yet warrant panic and warned that the Ninth Young Master posed a more direct threat to Night Curtain.
• Lady Mingzhu offered to inflame King An of Han against his ninth son, but Ji Wuye told her to manage the Inner Palace and avoid risking her position.
• Emerald Tiger suggested destroying their opponents’ sources of money to limit their actions.

Night Curtain’s leaders debated how to respond to Han Fei, whose attacks had cost Emerald Tiger heavily. They concluded they could not openly kill a royal prince without risking Night Curtain’s destruction, leaving them to avoid giving Han Fei evidence against them.

• Bai Yifei argued that Night Curtain should not target Han Fei personally before political conditions changed.
• Emerald Tiger objected and urged Ji Wuye to kill Han Fei, as they had killed two royal uncles.
• Straw Raincoat Guest and Lady Mingzhu warned that assassinating a prince would bring political consequences and public condemnation.
• Ji Wuye and the others recognized that killing Han Fei could unite Han Kingdom’s nobles and invite invasion by rival kingdoms.
• Night Curtain abandoned the idea of attacking Han Fei directly and resolved that he must not obtain evidence against them.

Bai Yifei agreed to Ji Wuye and Emerald Tiger’s plan to use force against Han Fei, though he remained displeased and left to reorganize his troops. Lady Mingzhu met him afterward, and he warned her that Xinzheng had become an arena filled with an abnormal number of people harboring Killing Intent.

• Bai Yifei reluctantly agreed to coordinate the violent plan against Han Fei and departed to revise his military arrangements.
• Ji Wuye complained about Bai Yifei’s attachment to the captive woman, while Emerald Tiger defended his cousin’s personal choices and described their mutually beneficial alliance.
• Ji Wuye agreed to ensure the captive woman was not harmed, knowing that even a scratch would upset Bai Yifei.
• Two black- and blue-clad figures listened from the roof, exchanged glances, and remained silent.
• Lady Mingzhu approached Bai Yifei and asked why he had acted strangely during the meeting.
• Bai Yifei told Lady Mingzhu that Xinzheng felt like an arena and contained an abnormal number of people with Killing Intent.

Bai Yifei explained how Killing Intent worked and concluded that Netherworld had filled Xinzheng with dangerous assassins. He warned Lady Mingzhu that Night Curtain could not defeat Netherworld directly and urged her to watch Han Fei and Princess Crimson Lotus as they parted ways.

• Lady Mingzhu asked whether the elite killers Bai Yifei sensed throughout Xinzheng could be Netherworld assassins, and he agreed that Netherworld was likely behind their presence.
• Bai Yifei told Lady Mingzhu that neither he nor their family could overcome Netherworld's Grandmasters and assassins in a direct fight.
• Lady Mingzhu concluded that Night Curtain had little chance of victory, while Bai Yifei warned that retaliation or inaction would both threaten Xinzheng's stability.
• Bai Yifei advised Lady Mingzhu to be careful in the palace and spend more time with Princess Crimson Lotus while they assessed Han Fei's growing influence.
• Lady Mingzhu headed toward the royal palace, while Bai Yifei left the city for the military camp and Snow Garment Fortress.