Chapter Summaries

Han Fei coordinated Quicksand’s defenses against Ji Wuye’s Night Curtain and asked Zi Nu and Nong Yu to help protect Red Lotus from palace threats. Ye Qingcang and Surprise Carp arrived as the group discussed Night Curtain’s next move.

• Han Fei warned that Emerald Tiger or Tidal Nymph could exploit weaknesses in Purple Orchid Pavilion or the palace, then asked Zi Nu to let him use her people.
• Zi Nu deferred the decision to Nong Yu, and Han Fei asked Nong Yu to approach Madam Hu and seek Consort Hu’s support for Red Lotus against Lady Mingzhu.
• Nong Yu agreed to try despite Consort Hu’s ties to Han Yu, while Han Fei asked Surprise Carp to manage matters in the palace.
• Ye Qingcang entered with Surprise Carp, and Red Lotus told him they were preparing for an assassin group that Night Curtain might send.

Zhang Liang considered how his ties to the Zhang Family could help Han Fei without forcing him to break with his family. The chapter explained why court alliances remained uncertain and how Consort Hu had reason to shift her support toward Han Fei.

• Zhang Liang weighed the costs of leaving the Zhang Family against the influence he could wield by remaining within it.
• Zhang Liang reasoned that Zhang Kaidi’s permission for him to visit Purple Orchid Pavilion did not necessarily mean the Zhang Family supported Han Fei.
• King An of Han favored stability and the Crown Prince, while Han Fei’s confrontations with Ji Wuye made the king uneasy.
• Consort Hu saw Han Fei as a way to secure her future, since her family and Quicksand connections linked her to his circle.
• Zhang Liang reflected that alliances could change as people followed their interests and judged the strength of a leader’s influence.

Han Fei and Zi Nu reasoned that Ji Wuye might use surviving Baiyue captives against them, while Ye Qingcang confirmed that he controlled Netherworld and shared intelligence on the Baiyue Assassin Group. He offered the group’s surviving core members as targets for recruitment or elimination, but reserved Flame Lingji for himself.

• Han Fei explained why Ji Wuye might release surviving Baiyue captives as an attack outside the rules of the court.
• Zi Nu argued that the Baiyue Assassin Group had gone into hiding and that Night Curtain had likely kept some of its members imprisoned.
• Han Fei asked whether Ye Qingcang had taken over all of Netherworld, and Ye Qingcang admitted that he had.
• Ye Qingcang gave the group intelligence on the Baiyue Assassin Group’s surviving core members and said Flame Lingji was his to handle.
• Zi Nu teased Ye Qingcang about wanting Flame Lingji, and he said he was not ready for marriage or early commitment.

Ye Qingcang searched Xinzheng’s dungeons for Bai Yifei’s hidden water prison and found Flame Lingji trapped inside a crystal cell. After she communicated with him, he Teleported into the cell and demanded that she dance for him.

• Ye Qingcang used a map from Netherworld’s Xinzheng branch to investigate several dungeons, explaining how the Faceless Men could infiltrate them by taking the identities of people they devoured.
• Ye Qingcang killed the guards at two dungeons and replaced them with Faceless Men before locating the prison Bai Yifei had ordered Emerald Tiger to build.
• Ye Qingcang opened the prison gate and discovered Flame Lingji confined inside a massive crystal platform filled with water.
• Ye Qingcang offered Flame Lingji clothes and promised to release her if she danced, while explaining that he wanted to see her for himself.
• Flame Lingji wrote to Ye Qingcang on a tray, and Ye Qingcang Teleported into the cell, pinched her cheek, and told her to begin her performance.

Ye Qingcang freed Flame Lingji from the crystal prison by altering its alchemy array, after learning how Bai Yifei had kept her captive. Flame Lingji stood on solid ground for the first time in years and questioned Ye Qingcang’s identity and motives.

• Flame Lingji recovered her breath underwater while Ye Qingcang considered how martial artists used Internal Force and the Turtle Breathing Technique to survive without air.
• Ye Qingcang learned from the guard’s mind that Bai Yifei had poisoned Flame Lingji during weekly water changes and kept her captive to ensure Tian Ze stayed alive.
• Ye Qingcang watched Flame Lingji dance, then used complex Alchemy Array patterns to turn the crystal wall into flowing water.
• Flame Lingji passed through the transformed wall and stepped onto solid ground, and Ye Qingcang restored the crystal barrier behind her.
• Flame Lingji ignited a flame at her fingertips and asked Ye Qingcang who he was, noting that his methods were unfamiliar and that he had not come only to watch her dance.

Ye Qingcang explained to Flame Lingji that he wanted her to pass a message to Baiyue’s Crown Prince Tian Ze about Quicksand’s conflict with Night Curtain. He left Flame Lingji weighing his blunt refusal to prove his claims and testing the sincerity of his interest in her.

• Ye Qingcang told Flame Lingji that he liked her but refused to reveal his identity, then explained that he was a Quicksand founder seeking to contact Tian Ze through her.
• Flame Lingji questioned whether Ye Qingcang’s account was true, and he said she could believe or refuse it and that Tian Ze could still decide for himself.
• Flame Lingji accused Ye Qingcang of making his words sound unpleasant to provoke her into scolding him and give him an excuse to get close.

Ye Qingcang offered Flame Lingji and the Baiyue Assassin Group refuge in Quicksand in exchange for standing against Night Curtain. Flame Lingji negotiated a limited alliance, and Ye Qingcang agreed to rescue Tian Ze and restore his freedom.

• Ye Qingcang argued that joining him could save the Baiyue Assassin Group, while siding with Night Curtain would lead to its destruction.
• Flame Lingji said she could not commit the whole group without a concrete offer for the Baiyue people and their future.
• Ye Qingcang promised Quicksand would welcome Flame Lingji, Tian Ze, Unrivaled Ghost, Corpse Driving Demon, and Hundred Poisons King, and that he would find a way to free Tian Ze from Bai Yifei's parasitic insect.
• Flame Lingji proposed joining Quicksand herself if Ye Qingcang rescued Tian Ze, while leaving the others neutral unless Quicksand persuaded them to join.
• Ye Qingcang accepted Flame Lingji's proposal.

Flame Lingji chose to ally with Ye Qingcang, trusting his promise to help rescue Tian Ze in exchange for her loyalty rather than a death oath. As they left the dungeon to search for Tian Ze and her companions, Ye Qingcang revealed the Faceless Men’s ability to replace bodies and restore the dead, leaving Flame Lingji horrified.

• Flame Lingji reasoned that cooperating with Ye Qingcang was her best chance to survive Bai Yifei and secure Tian Ze’s rescue.
• Ye Qingcang proposed searching Xinzheng’s dungeons and possibly Blood Robe Fortress, then stopped Flame Lingji from killing a guard because the dungeon’s people were his allies.
• Flame Lingji asked how Ye Qingcang had turned Bai Yifei’s trusted jailers against him, and he offered to demonstrate the Faceless Men’s secret.
• Ye Qingcang showed a Faceless Man consume and imitate a stray cat, speak through its form, and restore the guard’s corpse before returning the cat’s soul to its body.
• Flame Lingji watched the demonstration in horror as Ye Qingcang explained that everyone in the dungeon was one of his own.

Ye Qingcang gathered Flame Lingji, Unrivaled Ghost, Corpse Driving Demon, and Hundred Poisons King to rescue Tian Ze from Bai Yifei’s Blood Robe Fortress. The group began an infiltration, leaving Unrivaled Ghost outside to avoid exposing their approach.

• Flame Lingji worried that learning Ye Qingcang’s secret about life alchemy would make him kill her, but Ye Qingcang reassured her and teased her about their mutual attraction.
• Flame Lingji freed Unrivaled Ghost from his dungeon, and he agreed to help rescue Tian Ze.
• Ye Qingcang explained that Blood Robe Fortress held thousands of White Armor Soldiers and Bai Yifei’s powerful mother, so he needed allies and a diversion.
• Flame Lingji and Ye Qingcang rescued Corpse Driving Demon and Hundred Poisons King, who both agreed to help and considered joining forces against Night Curtain.
• Ye Qingcang led Flame Lingji, Corpse Driving Demon, and Hundred Poisons King toward Blood Robe Fortress to infiltrate it, while Unrivaled Ghost stayed outside to keep watch.

Ye Qingcang explained that Bai Yifei’s mother, the Female Marquis, was likely a Grandmaster, alarming Flame Lingji, Corpse Driving Demon, and Hundred Poisons King as they planned to rescue Tian Ze from Blood Robe Fortress. He insisted the rescue could still succeed, saying the Female Marquis was badly injured and that he was more concerned about the White Armor Soldiers.

• Flame Lingji and Corpse Driving Demon said they felt oppressed beneath the Night Curtain, while Hundred Poisons King stayed quiet.
• Ye Qingcang told them that Bai Yifei’s mother was likely a Grandmaster and that her martial arts were connected to Bai Qi.
• Corpse Driving Demon and Hundred Poisons King questioned whether rescuing Tian Ze from the enemy’s headquarters was too dangerous.
• Ye Qingcang said the Female Marquis was severely injured and that he was wary chiefly of the White Armor Soldiers, not her.

Ye Qingcang led Flame Lingji, Hundred Poisons King, and Corpse Driving Demon in a plan to rescue Tian Ze from Blood Robe Fortress. They infiltrated the dungeon and found Tian Ze chained up, but the rescue had not yet begun.

• Ye Qingcang explained that Bai Yifei and the White Armor Soldiers were away, and Flame Lingji agreed to join the rescue and honor their deal.
• Hundred Poisons King volunteered to hold off the White Armor Soldiers, and Corpse Driving Demon joined to help identify the Gu he suspected Bai Yifei had placed on Tian Ze.
• Ye Qingcang led the group into Blood Robe Fortress, using a captured White Armor Soldier's memories to locate Tian Ze's dungeon.
• Ye Qingcang gave the others Optical Camouflage Cloaks and used a spell to lead them through the dungeon entrance and its obstacles.
• The group found Tian Ze bound by layers of chains.

Ye Qingcang and his allies reached Tian Ze's cell through magical means and offered to free him in exchange for cooperation against Night Curtain. Tian Ze agreed to release Flame Lingji and consider an alliance, and the group prepared to leave before Bai Yifei returned.

• Ye Qingcang brought Flame Lingji, Corpse Driving Demon, and Hundred Poisons King through the dungeon's defenses and appeared before Tian Ze.
• Tian Ze asked whether Unrivaled Ghost had stayed outside, and Flame Lingji confirmed that his size made infiltration impractical.
• Corpse Driving Demon introduced Ye Qingcang as a founder of Quicksand who had rescued them and wanted to ally with Tian Ze against Night Curtain.
• Flame Lingji teased that she had promised to serve Ye Qingcang in exchange for rescuing Tian Ze, and Ye Qingcang clarified that he had asked only for her loyalty.
• Tian Ze agreed to release Flame Lingji and let her decide whether to serve Ye Qingcang, while leaving broader cooperation dependent on Quicksand's sincerity.
• Ye Qingcang urged the group to leave before Bai Yifei returned.

Tian Ze broke out of Blood Robe Fortress’s dungeon with Ye Qingcang and the others, then fled as a powerful presence awakened within the forbidden ground. Bai Yifei discovered the escape and hurried to the dungeon, while the mysterious woman’s aura suggested a formidable Grandmaster remained inside the fortress.

• Tian Ze charged through the jailers guarding the dungeon and slaughtered them as he escaped.
• Ye Qingcang urged Tian Ze and the others to leave before Bai Yifei returned with the White Armor Soldiers.
• A woman in the forbidden ground awakened and released an aura that made Tian Ze suspect she was a Grandmaster.
• Ye Qingcang countered the woman’s aura and led the group away using cloaks that rendered them invisible.
• Bai Yifei returned to Blood Robe Fortress, found the slaughtered guards, and discovered Tian Ze’s dungeon was empty.
• A message from the Forbidden Ground eased Bai Yifei’s alarm somewhat, though his expression remained grim.

Ye Qingcang returned to Purple Orchid Pavilion with Tian Ze and his companions, where they met Zi Nu and Wei Zhuang. Tian Ze explained why he would not kill King An of Han, and the gathering ended with introductions that revealed Wei Zhuang was a disciple of the Ghost Valley School.

• Tian Ze considered his enemies but decided not to kill King An of Han, since doing so would help Ji Wuye seize power and would not meaningfully change Han Kingdom's course.
• Ye Qingcang returned to Purple Orchid Pavilion and learned from Zi Nu that Han Fei and Zhang Liang were at the Minister of Justice's residence, while Red Lotus had returned to the palace with Surprise Carp.
• Zi Nu teased Ye Qingcang about Flame Lingji, who clung to his arm and challenged his brief introduction of her.
• Tian Ze introduced himself as the deposed Crown Prince of Baiyue, and Hundred Poisons King introduced Corpse Driving Demon and Unrivaled Ghost.
• Ye Qingcang introduced Wei Zhuang as a disciple of the Ghost Valley School, startling Tian Ze and his companions.

Tian Ze learned that Wei Zhuang belonged to the Ghost Valley School and became more willing to work with Quicksand against Night Curtain. Ye Qingcang reflected on the Ghost Valley School’s political philosophy and the inexperience of Wei Zhuang and Gai Nie before turning to Quicksand’s development with Zi Nu.

• Tian Ze recognized the Ghost Valley School’s reputation and began treating Wei Zhuang as a potential ally in a struggle against Night Curtain.
• Tian Ze introduced himself to Wei Zhuang as the deposed Crown Prince of Baiyue, and Wei Zhuang replied briefly.
• Ye Qingcang explained that the Ghost Valley School’s core strength lay in shaping the political situation among states, not simply in martial arts or persuasion.
• Ye Qingcang judged Wei Zhuang and Gai Nie inexperienced because they had neglected the broader political game.
• Ye Qingcang discussed Quicksand’s development with Zi Nu while Tian Ze spoke with Wei Zhuang.

Ye Qingcang struggled to find a suitable place for Tian Ze and his followers in Quicksand, so he proposed that Tian Ze and Jing Ni settle the issue in a fight. Meanwhile, Jing Ni confronted an intruder in Red Lotus's bedchamber and identified her as Tidal Nymph.

• Zi Nu explained that Quicksand's hierarchy left no suitable positions for Tian Ze and his followers without causing disputes over seniority and strength.
• Ye Qingcang proposed bringing Jing Ni to fight Tian Ze so the newcomers could be convinced of their place in Quicksand.
• Ye Qingcang left to fetch Jing Ni while Zi Nu stayed behind to attend to Flame Lingji and the others.
• An intruder secretly entered Red Lotus's bedchamber, where Red Lotus and Jing Ni were waiting.
• Jing Ni raised the Jing Ni Sword's killing intent and addressed the intruder as Tidal Nymph.

Jing Ni and Red Lotus confronted Lady Mingzhu over her palace activities, but she tried to use threats and escape tactics to turn the situation in her favor. Ye Qingcang arrived during the standoff, leaving Lady Mingzhu startled and Red Lotus embarrassed.

• Lady Mingzhu recognized Jing Ni's sword and realized she faced a Grandmaster, while Red Lotus challenged her about her martial arts.
• Lady Mingzhu scattered medicinal powder and tried to use her black gauze, but a Faceless Men cat dragged it away and Jing Ni exposed her tricks.
• Lady Mingzhu mocked Red Lotus's words and threatened that her disappearance would alert Ji Wuye, Emerald Tiger, and Blood Garbed Marquis.
• Lady Mingzhu claimed a Grandmaster's Killing Intent could let her make noise, but Ye Qingcang appeared behind her and startled her.
• Red Lotus covered herself with a blanket when she noticed Ye Qingcang, while he focused his attention on Lady Mingzhu.

Ye Qingcang confronted Lady Mingzhu after Crimson Lotus explained her earlier words, then exposed her Night Curtain plot and offered her a chance to survive by serving as his spy. Lady Mingzhu pledged loyalty to him, and he warned her that betrayal would bring severe consequences.

• Crimson Lotus told Ye Qingcang that Lady Mingzhu had tried to use her as leverage against Surprise Carp, and Lady Mingzhu hurried to dispute the account.
• Ye Qingcang dismissed Lady Mingzhu’s explanation and revealed that he already knew Night Curtain planned to use the Baiyue Assassin Group against Han Fei, Zi Nu, Wei Zhuang, and their allies.
• Lady Mingzhu suspected Straw Raincoat Guest had betrayed Night Curtain and asked Ye Qingcang about his position in Netherworld.
• Ye Qingcang said Netherworld’s leader belonged to his side, identified himself as Ye Qingcang, and pressed Lady Mingzhu to choose whether to risk betraying Night Curtain.
• Lady Mingzhu pledged to become Ye Qingcang’s spy within Night Curtain and offered to accept measures proving her loyalty.
• Ye Qingcang declined to impose restraints but warned Lady Mingzhu that he would show no mercy if she betrayed him.

Ye Qingcang discussed Lady Mingzhu, Bai Yifei, and Li Kai’s situation with Jing Ni before leaving Red Lotus’s bedchamber, where Red Lotus fell asleep. Outside Xinzheng, Bai Yifei suspected a traitor within Night Curtain and decided to hedge his bets as he awaited Ji Wuye’s response.

• Ye Qingcang told Red Lotus and Jing Ni that Lady Mingzhu’s trustworthiness mattered less than her judgment, and Jing Ni agreed there was no need to watch her.
• Ye Qingcang asked Jing Ni to teach Red Lotus internal cultivation and learned that Madam Hu’s resistance had stalled her relationship with Li Kai.
• Surprise Carp reported that Hei Bai Xuan Jian was about to arrive in Xinzheng, and Ye Qingcang accepted the news without concern.
• Bai Yifei tallied his losses, suspected Night Curtain had an internal problem after Tian Ze’s rescue, and resolved to place bets on both sides.

Bai Yifei met Lady Mingzhu after Tian Ze and the other Baiyue people escaped Blood Robe Fortress, and learned that Quicksand had the backing of Netherworld. Faced with the choice of submitting or being destroyed, Bai Yifei asked Lady Mingzhu to find out whether Netherworld’s master would spare him.

• Bai Yifei told Lady Mingzhu that Tian Ze and the other Baiyue people had escaped Blood Robe Fortress in what appeared to be a planned rescue.
• Lady Mingzhu revealed that Red Lotus was close to Netherworld’s master and that Quicksand had the support of two Grandmasters, with more Netherworld forces likely to arrive.
• Lady Mingzhu said she had warned Bai Yifei of her own accord, while Netherworld’s master had either allowed it or simply felt no concern about her warning him.
• Bai Yifei considered defecting but feared losing command of the White Armor Soldiers and being executed for his crimes if Han Fei took the throne.
• Bai Yifei asked whether joining Netherworld could save his life, and Lady Mingzhu offered to ask Netherworld’s master for him.