Chapter Summaries

Su Ziji received the title of Prince Dai and sought to visit the empress, while the emperor approved his recruitment of household guards and secretly planned to place agents in his residence. Waiting at Eternal Peace Palace, Su Ziji recognized that the emperor favored Prince Qi and decided to gather martial and Daoist knowledge to strengthen himself for the struggle ahead.

• The emperor warned Su Ziji to conduct himself carefully, and Su Ziji asked permission to pay his respects to the empress.
• After Su Ziji left, Eunuch Zhao reported that Prince Dai's Residence was recruiting martial guards, and the emperor ordered him to follow the rules while placing people near Su Ziji.
• Su Ziji went to Eternal Peace Palace and waited while the empress received titled ladies.
• Su Ziji learned that the empress had avoided spending state money on repairs, and he reflected that the emperor favored Prince Qi despite the attack on his residence.
• Su Ziji resolved to use the recruitment to gather martial knowledge and draw further secrets from the Yin Temple Sect, preparing to strengthen himself through martial arts and Daoist Arts.

Chapter Summary: “A Striking Resemblance to the Crown Prince”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Dai reflects on the grave political dangers surrounding him. Although being accused of usurpation would damage his reputation, he considers it insignificant compared with the possibility of dying and seeing his entire clan destroyed.
• Because Bu Hui is pregnant, Prince Dai feels an even greater responsibility to protect both her and their unborn child.
• Recognizing the Empress as an essential ally in managing the consequences of future political conflict, Prince Dai requests an audience with her.
• The Empress is delighted to hear that Prince Dai has arrived. She has been expecting him and has prepared his favorite fruits and pastries, demonstrating how much she values his monthly visits.
• Prince Dai enters the palace in his newly elevated status, and the servants treat him with noticeably greater respect now that he is a prince rather than a duke.
• Zhaoxia, the Empress’s senior female attendant, personally receives him and escorts him into the hall.
• When the Empress sees Prince Dai in ceremonial robes, his manner and appearance evoke memories of her deceased son, the Crown Prince. She is overwhelmed by grief and emotion, feeling as though the past has briefly returned.
• The Empress vows internally to protect Prince Dai’s heir, even at the cost of her own life.
• The scene then shifts to Prince Qi’s Residence. Prince Qi remains furious over the previous day’s confrontation with Prince Dai.
• Prince Qi believes Prince Dai deliberately used him as a stepping stone to gain a reputation for courage and righteousness by defending Wen Xunpeng.
• In retaliation, Prince Qi orders assassins to kill Wen Xunpeng, both to silence his longtime confidant and to strike at Prince Dai.
• He also arranges for disturbances around Prince Dai’s Residence and has some of Prince Dai’s businesses damaged. He intends these attacks as punishment without provoking a response serious enough to bring severe imperial consequences.
• As Prince Qi broods over his plans, Sun Bolan arrives, apparently bringing further news or developments.

Character Developments

• Prince Dai/Su Ziji: He becomes more politically aware and cautious, recognizing that his survival depends on securing powerful allies. His concern for Bu Hui and the unborn child reveals a protective, family-oriented side beneath his political ambition. His respectful treatment of palace officials also shows tact and maturity.
• The Empress: Her affection for Prince Dai deepens into something nearly maternal. His resemblance to the Crown Prince reopens old grief but also gives her renewed hope and a reason to act decisively. She is prepared to use her influence to protect his child.
• Zhaoxia: She acts as a loyal intermediary between the Empress and Prince Dai. Her pleasure at being addressed respectfully reflects the importance of hierarchy and personal favor within the palace.
• Prince Qi: His anger develops into calculated revenge. Feeling humiliated and manipulated, he becomes increasingly reckless, authorizing assassinations and attacks while rationalizing that the Emperor already dislikes him.
• Wen Xunpeng: Though absent from the main scene, he becomes a major target because of his knowledge of Prince Qi’s secrets and his connection to Prince Dai.

Significant Themes

• Family, succession, and political survival: Personal relationships are inseparable from struggles over inheritance and imperial power.
• Memory and resemblance: Prince Dai’s mannerisms revive the Empress’s memories of the Crown Prince, allowing the past to influence present political loyalties.
• The protective power of motherhood and lineage: The Empress’s attachment to Prince Dai’s unborn heir transforms her grief into determination.
• Reputation and manipulation: Prince Qi interprets Prince Dai’s public defense of Wen Xunpeng as a deliberate attempt to build moral prestige at his expense.
• Hierarchy and appearances: Titles, forms of address, ceremonial clothing, and public conduct strongly shape how characters are perceived and treated.
• Revenge and escalating conflict: Prince Qi’s wounded pride leads to covert violence, suggesting that the dispute between the two princes is becoming more dangerous.

Important Character Interactions

• Prince Dai and the Empress: Their reunion is affectionate but formally restrained. The Empress’s emotional reaction reveals that she sees Prince Dai not only as her grandson but also as a living reminder of her lost son.
• Prince Dai and Zhaoxia: Their courteous exchange strengthens the bond between Prince Dai and the Empress’s household. His respectful address wins Zhaoxia’s goodwill.
• Prince Qi and Prince Dai: Although they do not meet directly in this chapter, Prince Qi’s thoughts show that their rivalry has become personal and retaliatory.
• Prince Qi and Wen Xunpeng: Their long-standing association is undermined by mistrust. Prince Qi decides that Wen’s knowledge makes him too dangerous to keep alive.
• Prince Qi and Sun Bolan: Sun Bolan’s arrival at the end of the chapter introduces the next stage of Prince Qi’s plans or the political crisis surrounding them.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Qi receives Sun Bolan’s report on the failed assassination attempt against Wen Xunpeng. Although Wen survived, Prince Qi’s forces killed eleven people, destroyed one of Prince Dai’s taverns and a stolen-goods shop, and seriously damaged Prince Dai’s organization.
• Sun Bolan exaggerates the success of the operation to placate Prince Qi, but Prince Qi remains dissatisfied that Wen was not killed.
• Sun explains that the assassination failed because Luo Jiang, an expert swordswoman from the Imperial City Office and a subordinate of Zhao Eunuch, intervened. Prince Qi recognizes her and realizes that Emperor is keeping close watch on Prince Dai’s Residence.
• Prince Qi concludes that the emperor has spies and agents placed in the residences of powerful princes and ministers. Rather than opposing Prince Dai’s recruitment efforts, he decides to exploit them by planting his own people inside the residence.
• Prince Qi orders Sun Bolan to infiltrate the martial recruitment contest being held by Prince Dai’s Residence. He warns Sun that another failure will bring punishment.
• At the Lü Family Tavern, the impoverished martial wanderer Wei Hai meets an old acquaintance. Wei reveals that Prince Dai’s Residence is recruiting martial instructors and offering rewards to participants, with successful recruits guaranteed food, clothing, and a stable position.
• The acquaintance immediately abandons his meal and leaves with Wei to join the contest, illustrating how desperate martial world wanderers are for opportunity.

Character Developments

• Prince Qi is shown to be ruthless, suspicious, and politically calculating. Though irritated by Wen Xunpeng’s survival, he quickly turns the situation into an opportunity to infiltrate Prince Dai’s faction.
• Sun Bolan displays both opportunism and fear. He disguises the mission’s failure with exaggerated praise, carefully avoids contradicting Prince Qi, and eagerly accepts the new assignment despite the threat of punishment.
• Wen Xunpeng emerges as highly alert and capable of escaping an expert assassin, making him a more formidable target than Prince Qi and Sun Bolan expected.
• Luo Jiang is established as a skilled and influential protector whose intervention prevented Wen’s death.
• Wei Hai appears practical and determined. Despite being poor, he invests his savings in new clothes and risks leaving the capital if he fails the recruitment contest.
• The unnamed young martial wanderer is portrayed as impoverished but eager, instantly abandoning his meal when he hears of the opportunity.

Significant Themes

• Political intrigue and surveillance: The emperor’s distrust leads him to monitor even members of the imperial family, while rival princes seek to plant their own agents in one another’s households.
• Manipulation and deception: Sun Bolan reshapes failure into apparent success, while Prince Qi plans to manipulate Prince Dai’s recruitment process for political advantage.
• Desperation and social marginalization: Martial wanderers are poor, disrespected, and treated as expendable, yet recruitment by a prince offers them rare security and advancement.
• Loyalty versus self-preservation: Prince Qi cynically expects absolute loyalty from others while protecting himself through spies and covert schemes.
• Power and reputation: Even a failed operation can strengthen Prince Qi’s prestige when presented convincingly, demonstrating how political image can matter more than reality.

Character Interactions

• Prince Qi interrogates Sun Bolan about the failed assassination, creating a tense exchange in which Sun must praise the operation while avoiding blame.
• Sun cautiously explains Luo Jiang’s involvement, and Prince Qi connects her presence to the emperor’s broader surveillance network.
• Prince Qi and Sun Bolan then cooperate in planning the infiltration of Prince Dai’s recruitment contest, though Sun acts primarily out of fear of punishment.
• At the tavern, Wei Hai reunites with the young martial wanderer, explains the recruitment opportunity, and persuades him to join. Their hurried departure leaves the waiter frustrated and reinforces the tavern’s contempt for impoverished martial men.

Wei Hai and Lu Wu entered the Imperial Feather Guards’ encampment to register for a martial contest, while hearing rumors of ominous signs across Capital City. The waiver revealed that the winner would teach Prince Dai everything he had learned, leaving Wei Hai wary of the unusual condition.

• Wei Hai overheard people blame a Ghost Chariot Bird at the Astronomical Observatory and lingering white dew for possible disaster, but dismissed their fears as nonsense.
• Wei Hai paid the admission fee and entered the drill ground with Lu Wu, then hurried to the registration tables.
• Wei Hai and Lu Wu read the contest waiver, which forbade deliberate killings and assigned contestants responsibility for accidental injuries.
• Wei Hai noticed the final clause stating that signing meant agreeing to teach Prince Dai everything he had learned throughout his life.

Chapter Summary: “Signing the Martial Contest Bond”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wei Hai and Lu Wu review the employment clause requiring successful contestants to teach their martial skills if hired as instructors at Prince Dai’s Residence.
• Although Wei Hai is wary of revealing his secret techniques, he rationalizes that he can control how much he teaches and decides the opportunity is worth the risk.
• Lu Wu agrees, seeing the contest as a chance to gain employment, wealth, status, or even a position as an escort master or household steward.
• At the registration desk, they learn that entering requires paying one mace of silver and signing a binding martial contest bond. The fee is refundable if a contestant passes the preliminaries, while those reaching the final round receive one hundred taels.
• Despite the cost, Wei Hai pays for both himself and Lu Wu, and they sign the contract.
• Lu Wu notices that Zheng Huai, a well-known martial figure with considerable ambition, has also appeared to compete. Wei Hai concludes that rumors of Zheng Huai finding a prestigious position were false.
• Meanwhile, inside a nearby tent, Prince Dai, Su Ziji, receives a report from Bi Xin about preparations for the contests.
• Su Ziji has arranged for the military contests to promote loyal squad leaders and unit leaders while avoiding changes to higher-ranking commanders that might attract the Emperor’s attention.
• Bi Xin reports that 307 martial world figures have registered and signed the bonds. Su Ziji is secretly delighted, viewing them as a valuable source of martial experience and potential recruits.
• Bi Xin reveals that agents of the Nine Gates Commander are recording the contestants’ identities, likely to prepare for a future purge. Su Ziji remains unconcerned, saying this falls within their official duties.

Character Developments

• Wei Hai shows practical ambition and caution. He values his hidden martial techniques but is willing to risk partial disclosure in exchange for access to Prince Dai’s household and a better future.
• Lu Wu is shown to be financially limited but hopeful. He views the contest as a rare opportunity to rise socially and secure employment.
• Zheng Huai is established as an ambitious martial artist who refuses ordinary positions and is now forced—or willing—to compete for advancement.
• Su Ziji demonstrates strategic patience and hidden excitement. He is carefully reshaping the lower ranks of the army while gathering martial talent from outside the military.
• Bi Xin proves loyal and competent, but he remains puzzled by Su Ziji’s unusual interest in wandering martial artists and doubts their reliability.
• Prince Dai’s political position is clarified: his residence lacks troops and influence, so he is quietly building a power base without directly provoking the Emperor.

Significant Themes

• Ambition and social advancement: The martial contest offers common martial artists a rare route into noble service, wealth, and status.
• The value of hidden abilities: Wei Hai’s secret techniques symbolize the tension between protecting one’s advantages and using them to gain opportunity.
• Contracts and coercion: The contest bond turns participation into a serious legal obligation, making withdrawal potentially equivalent to defying Prince Dai.
• Political maneuvering: Su Ziji carefully strengthens his influence from the grassroots while avoiding actions that would alarm the Emperor.
• Talent versus loyalty: Bi Xin doubts whether martial wanderers can be trusted, while Su Ziji sees their accumulated experience as more valuable than their unstable backgrounds.
• Appearances and concealed motives: The public contest appears to be a martial competition, but Su Ziji is using it to recruit talent, gain experience, and expand his power.

Character Interactions

• Wei Hai persuades Lu Wu that the instructor clause is manageable and worth accepting.
• Wei Hai financially assists Lu Wu by paying his registration fee, reinforcing their partnership.
• Lu Wu alerts Wei Hai to Zheng Huai’s presence, prompting speculation about Zheng’s failed career prospects.
• Su Ziji questions Bi Xin about both the military arrangements and the martial contestants, revealing his broader plans.
• Bi Xin warns Su Ziji about the Nine Gates Commander’s surveillance, but Su Ziji dismisses the concern, deepening Bi Xin’s confusion about his true intentions.

Chapter Summary: “Placing Bets”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Zhen arrives at the Imperial Feather Guards’ camp in a wheelchair with a martial-world associate posing as his servant. The wheelchair, originally introduced to the Capital City only six months earlier, has become widely copied and commercially available.
• The camp is crowded with thousands of martial artists hoping to compete for positions as instructors in Prince Dai’s household. The recruitment event offers both ambitious martial wanderers and unknown fighters a chance to gain influence or recognition.
• Prince Dai’s organization charges admission fees through separate lines: three cash for ordinary visitors and thirty cash for those seeking a more respectable entrance. Fang Zhen pays the higher fee without objecting.
• Inside, the event resembles a large fair rather than a simple martial competition. Food vendors, fortune-tellers, physiognomists, and entertainers have gathered, while stalls and viewing areas generate additional income.
• Fang Zhen and his companion enter the paid viewing stand, where wealthy spectators and officials watch five arenas. Seating reflects social status, with prominent officials and successful candidates occupying the higher rows.
• Fang Zhen notices the unusual cold weather, frost, and strange cloud formations, though he does not yet attach any importance to them.
• A pockmarked middle-aged man approaches Fang Zhen to promote a betting operation on the upcoming matches. He explains that the betting is organized by seven large establishments under the direction of Lu Fengyun, a retainer of Prince Dai’s Residence.
• To establish legitimacy, the man says the betting houses paid Prince Dai three thousand taels for permission to use the venue and operate independently. The chapter ends as he argues that seven competing establishments make it difficult for any one party to manipulate the results.

Character Developments

• Fang Zhen: Demonstrates increased awareness of Prince Dai’s political and financial influence. He recognizes that the enormous turnout reflects Prince Dai’s growing importance as a succession contender. Fang Zhen also remains observant and cautious, questioning the fairness and backing of the betting operation rather than immediately participating.
• Fang Zhen’s companion: Though addressed as a servant, he is actually a martial expert employed by the Marquis of Huifeng’s Residence. His calm demeanor, physical strength, and faint killing intent reveal his dangerous background. He offers practical observations about the crowd, event organization, and revenue.
• Prince Dai: Never appears directly, but his growing power is repeatedly emphasized. His residence has successfully attracted the martial world, organized a profitable public event, and created opportunities for both political recruitment and commercial enterprise.
• Lu Fengyun: Gains importance indirectly as the retainer responsible for arranging the betting business with several major establishments.

Significant Themes

• Political ambition and social mobility: Martial artists flock to Prince Dai because serving a powerful prince offers rare opportunities for advancement in a world where recognition is difficult and dangerous to obtain.
• Power as spectacle: The recruitment event is both a political demonstration and a public entertainment spectacle, showing Prince Dai’s ability to command crowds and attract influential figures.
• Commercialization and profit: Admission fees, viewing stands, food stalls, and betting all turn the martial competition into a lucrative enterprise. Prince Dai’s organization monetizes every aspect of public interest.
• Class hierarchy: Separate entrance fees and ranked seating reveal the rigid social distinctions between commoners, officials, successful candidates, and aristocratic guests.
• Trust and fairness: Fang Zhen’s questions about who controls the betting reflect broader concerns about corruption, manipulation, and the reliability of institutions connected to powerful figures.
• Foreboding: The unseasonal frost and unusual clouds introduce an unsettling atmosphere, suggesting that events beyond the competition may soon become significant.

Character Interactions

• Fang Zhen and his martial companion discuss the crowd, Prince Dai’s influence, admission fees, and the practical reasons for charging visitors.
• The pair interact with the gatekeepers while paying for entry and later observe the event’s commercial arrangements.
• Fang Zhen questions the middle-aged betting representative about the operation’s fairness and its connection to Prince Dai.
• The representative explains the role of Lu Fengyun and the seven betting establishments, attempting to persuade Fang Zhen that the system is independent and trustworthy.

Chapter Summary: “Fish Eyes Mixed with Pearls”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Zhen learns the names of seven powerful establishments involved in the martial competition, including Gongchen Hall, Little Sweetwater Shop, Black-Clad Treasure, and Azure Lotus Pavilion. Their influence makes the event difficult to control.
• The contest at Prince Dai’s Residence is organized into five arenas. Each match has twenty contestants, with competitors eliminated through two rounds until five winners remain.
• A formal betting system is introduced. Spectators may wager ten copper coins, one hundred coins, or one tael of silver on a list of five contestants, with increasing rewards depending on how many selected fighters win.
• Fang Zhen finds the event novel and entertaining, so he orders his servant to place several bets on his behalf.
• Imperial Feather Guards surround the arenas and Prince Dai’s private viewing platform, emphasizing the event’s importance and the strict security surrounding it.
• Fang Zhen’s servant reports that the competition has two sections: an internal Imperial Feather Guard selection and the public contest being watched by Fang Zhen.
• More than three hundred wandering martial artists register. The first contestants draw lots, receive red or blue silk markers, and enter the arenas.
• Qin Sanshan and Zheng Huai are introduced as the first fighters in the central arena. Qin boasts of his Thunderclap Palm and lightness skills, while Zheng offers to fight using only fist-and-leg techniques so that neither side must suffer a killing blow.
• Before the match begins, Fang Zhen’s intelligence network investigates the contestants’ backgrounds. Qin is revealed to be an alcoholic former escort master with an unremarkable history.
• Zheng Huai, however, is a capable martial artist who may previously have been connected to a prince’s residence. Fang Zhen suspects he is actually associated with Prince Qi and has entered the contest to infiltrate Prince Dai’s household.
• Fang Zhen also recognizes Wei Hai, who once served the disgraced young lord of the Kingdom of Lin and was later recruited by Bronze Incense Hall, an organization apparently backed by Prince Lu.
• Fang Zhen concludes that the competition is filled with hidden agents and opportunists, making Prince Dai’s attempt to recruit martial instructors potentially dangerous.

Character Developments

• Fang Zhen displays both curiosity and caution. He enjoys the spectacle and participates in the betting, but his attention quickly shifts to political and military implications.
• He demonstrates strong investigative instincts, recognizing Zheng Huai and connecting him to Prince Qi’s possible plans.
• Fang Zhen’s servant and intelligence aides prove efficient, gathering detailed information on the contestants and helping Fang Zhen assess potential threats.
• Qin Sanshan is presented as an ordinary, flawed martial artist whose drinking caused him to lose his former job. He seeks a new opportunity in the capital.
• Zheng Huai appears confident, skilled, and politically suspicious. His restrained fighting style may be intended to make him appear honorable and suitable for recruitment.
• Wei Hai is revealed to have a history of serving powerful political figures, suggesting that his participation may also be part of a larger factional maneuver.

Significant Themes

• Entertainment and commercialization: The competition combines martial combat with tickets, betting, refreshments, and organized spectatorship, turning violence into a profitable public spectacle.
• Political infiltration: The contest is ostensibly for recruiting martial instructors, but powerful princes appear to be using it to plant agents inside Prince Dai’s household.
• Appearance versus reality: Contestants present themselves as skilled, honorable fighters, yet their hidden affiliations may matter more than their martial abilities.
• The danger of indiscriminate recruitment: Prince Dai’s openness to outside talent allows genuine experts and hidden enemies to enter together.
• Information and surveillance: Fang Zhen’s ability to investigate contestants gives him an advantage, contrasting with Prince Dai’s apparent failure to account for the political risks.

Character Interactions

• Fang Zhen instructs his servant to place bets, showing trust in the servant’s judgment while remaining interested in the event himself.
• The servant reports the competition’s structure and later provides intelligence on the contestants, allowing Fang Zhen to analyze the contest from both an entertainment and security perspective.
• Qin Sanshan openly introduces himself and challenges the other fighters with confidence.
• Zheng Huai responds with a formal introduction, emphasizes his martial skills, and proposes a nonlethal fist-and-leg match, winning the crowd’s approval.
• Fang Zhen discusses the contestants with his gray-clothed intelligence aide, using the man’s reports to identify possible ties to Prince Qi and Prince Lu.
• The chapter ends with Fang Zhen privately condemning the mixture of legitimate fighters and concealed political agents as “fish eyes” being passed off as “pearls.”

Chapter Summary: “Leeks All Arrive”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Zhen identifies Pang Si, nicknamed “Pang One-Punch,” as another of Prince Qi’s men. Pang Si is reputedly the strongest contestant and has killed a sinew-, bone-, and skin-tempered martial artist with one punch.
• Concerned that Pang Si may be involved in an assassination attempt against Prince Dai, Fang Zhen orders his servant to watch him closely, especially if he reaches the finals.
• Before the official matches begin, Fang Zhen exploits the competition’s betting rules. He orders his servant to select five likely winners and wager one hundred taels on each, reasoning that Prince Qi’s fighters are unlikely to be eliminated early.
• The competition’s organization and security are described. Prince Dai watches from a heavily guarded platform separate from the crowd, while Wild Daoist and Luo Jiang assist with arrangements.
• Su Ziji receives impartations of martial arts from all twenty contestants through the Rosewood Pendant, including:
  • Qin Family Thunderclap Palm
  • Zheng Family Leg Art
  • Penetrating Back Fist
  • Life-Reaping Hatchet
• The Life-Reaping Hatchet grants Su Ziji an unusually large amount of experience, suggesting either exceptional potential or that it fills a gap in his existing martial knowledge.
• Su Ziji instructs Wild Daoist to bet on five promising contestants, including Zhang Tiecheng, Zheng Huai, Wei Hai, and Pang Si. To avoid attracting suspicion, Wild Daoist orders his men to place the wagers in several batches and not bet excessively.
• The preliminary matches begin across five arenas. Zheng Huai fights Qin Sanshan and quickly gains the advantage, despite using only the three techniques he previously revealed.
• Su Ziji notices that Zhang Tiecheng’s actual combat ability appears mediocre despite possessing the valuable Life-Reaping Hatchet technique. He concludes that Zhang may know only its surface-level forms, while Su Ziji can potentially uncover its deeper principles.
• Su Ziji reflects that the event’s ticket revenue is modest, but limiting attendance is necessary. A crowd too large could cause a stampede, create opportunities for assassination, or give political enemies grounds to impeach him.

Character Developments

• Fang Zhen is shown as cautious, politically aware, and opportunistic. He takes the threat from Prince Qi seriously while also using the tournament to make money through betting.
• Su Ziji demonstrates growing confidence in his ability to absorb and analyze martial arts. He remains calm while receiving numerous techniques and begins evaluating not only fighters’ strength but also the depth of their understanding.
• Wild Daoist proves to be a reliable organizer who understands both the political and financial risks of the event. He also shows concern about Luo Jiang’s recent unusual behavior.
• Pang Si is established as a major potential threat and one of the tournament’s most formidable contestants.
• Zhang Tiecheng appears to possess an excellent weapon technique but lacks the ability to use it fully, highlighting the difference between possessing a martial art and mastering it.
• Luo Jiang remains silent and mysterious, with her recent behavior causing Wild Daoist unease.

Significant Themes

• Political maneuvering beneath public spectacle: The martial arts tournament serves as both entertainment and a setting for surveillance, assassination concerns, financial schemes, and power struggles.
• Knowledge versus mastery: A superior technique does not guarantee victory; talent, experience, and understanding determine how effectively it can be used.
• Calculated risk and moderation: Su Ziji and Wild Daoist carefully balance profit against suspicion, showing the importance of appearing restrained in political society.
• The value of hidden knowledge: Su Ziji’s ability to absorb techniques allows him to turn even brief demonstrations into long-term martial gains.
• Security and legitimacy: The event must be controlled carefully to prevent violence and political repercussions, emphasizing the fragile relationship between authority, public gatherings, and court politics.

Character Interactions

• Fang Zhen consults his servant about Pang Si’s identity and abilities, then directs him to place bets.
• Su Ziji and Wild Daoist discuss why the competition was outsourced and how to profit from it without arousing suspicion.
• Wild Daoist delegates the betting to one of his subordinates and instructs him to divide the wagers into smaller amounts.
• Su Ziji silently evaluates the contestants as they demonstrate their martial arts and later fight.
• Wild Daoist notices Luo Jiang’s strange behavior, adding tension to their group even though she does not speak.
• Zheng Huai and Qin Sanshan engage in the first notable match, with Zheng Huai quickly establishing superiority.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Ziji calculates the profits from hosting the martial arts competition. Registration fees, stall charges, viewing-shed fees, and betting commissions cover the prize money, while the seven betting parties provide him with substantial additional profit.
• He has already collected and skimmed 350 taels in betting money and wins another 250 taels from four successful bets. Wild Daoist explains that their betting results are being carefully managed so they do not appear suspicious or become too consistently profitable.
• Luo Jiang suddenly becomes tense while watching the crowd rather than the arena. Wild Daoist notices and becomes alert, suspecting that an assassin or another threat may be present.
• A young contestant, Bo Yan, arrives with an anxious companion. He reveals that he has accepted an assignment to assassinate someone inside Prince Dai’s Residence, though his target is not Prince Dai himself. His real purpose is to approach a girl on the viewing platform—apparently Luo Jiang—and ask her a question.
• The tournament progresses rapidly. Contestants are eliminated in successive rounds, and the first group produces several winners, including Pang Si, Zheng Huai, and Wei Hai.
• A new batch of contestants enters. Su Ziji uses his system to receive martial arts knowledge from the competitors. While most techniques provide around 150 experience points, Bo Yan’s “Bo Family Saber Technique” grants him 1,000 points, immediately marking Bo Yan as unusually significant.
• Su Ziji orders Wild Daoist to bet on five selected contestants and specifically purchase Bo Yan’s final-round bet in advance. He intends to observe Bo Yan closely and uncover his identity through repeated interactions.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji/Prince Dai: Demonstrates increasing confidence and ruthlessness in exploiting his position. He views the tournament as a way to gather wealth, martial arts knowledge, and influence over the Imperial Feather Guards. His heightened perception allows him to recognize Bo Yan’s exceptional ability, though he does not yet know Bo Yan’s true identity.
• Wild Daoist: Acts as Su Ziji’s trusted organizer and betting specialist. He understands how to manipulate odds without arousing suspicion and remains attentive to possible threats in the crowd.
• Luo Jiang: Becomes visibly uneasy after recognizing someone among the spectators or contestants. Her anxiety suggests a personal connection to Bo Yan or knowledge of his mission. She is especially disturbed when Su Ziji singles Bo Yan out for attention.
• Bo Yan: Revealed to be a skilled martial artist and covert assassin. He has deliberately concealed his strength and entered the tournament because direct assassination elsewhere would be difficult. His mission appears connected to Luo Jiang, whom he intends to question.
• Bo Yan’s companion: Worries that Bo Yan is risking his life, but Bo Yan reassures him that he is not foolish enough to target Prince Dai directly.

Significant Themes

• Power and social status: Su Ziji reflects that his new identity as Prince Dai allows him to accomplish openly what would previously have required secrecy and caution.
• Profit and exploitation: The tournament is presented as a carefully managed commercial enterprise, with contestants and bettors treated as sources of revenue—“leeks” to be harvested.
• Deception and hidden identities: Bo Yan conceals both his true strength and his mission, while Luo Jiang’s reaction implies that several characters possess secrets unknown to Su Ziji.
• Reputation and controlled corruption: Wild Daoist explains that success in the betting business depends on restraint. Excessive cheating would destroy trust, so corruption must remain subtle and sustainable.
• Observation and strategic manipulation: Su Ziji relies on perception, betting patterns, and the system’s experience rewards to identify important figures and gradually expose their origins.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and Wild Daoist discuss profits, betting strategies, and the need to avoid revealing manipulation.
• Wild Daoist watches Luo Jiang’s reaction and becomes more vigilant, while Su Ziji later notices her unstable breathing but does not yet investigate deeply.
• Bo Yan reassures his worried companion that he will not assassinate Prince Dai and explains that he intends to approach another target.
• Su Ziji and Luo Jiang interact indirectly: his decision to single out Bo Yan intensifies her anxiety, suggesting that she fears he may discover Bo Yan’s connection to Prince Qi.
• The chapter ends with Luo Jiang privately wondering whether Su Ziji has somehow seen through Bo Yan’s disguise and identified him as one of Prince Qi’s agents.

Chapter Summary: “Purple Qi from the East”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The martial tournament’s preliminary matches continue throughout the morning on five platforms. The crowd becomes increasingly excited because spectators can place bets on the fighters.
• Betting dramatically boosts attendance and revenue: the number of bettors triples, the prize pool nearly quintuples, and roughly two hundred additional martial artists register.
• The tournament’s early matches proceed quickly, with weaker contestants eliminated in only a few exchanges. By noon, the field is reduced from about five hundred participants to roughly 125.
• Su Ziji learns that the event has earned over 7,000 taels from betting alone, while other fees have generated additional income.
• Su Ziji secretly gains 30,000 experience points from the tournament, raising his progress in [Purple Qi from the East] Level 15 to 6505/15000. The gain leaves him mentally strained and visibly fatigued.
• Wild Daoist notices Su Ziji’s condition and suggests postponing the afternoon matches, but Su refuses, wanting the contest completed quickly because delaying it would create more uncertainty.
• The preliminary round officially ends. Wild Daoist announces that each of the roughly 120 winners will receive two taels, a modest but meaningful prize.
• The successful fighters gather in a temporary rest area, where they receive simple food and water. Many purchase additional meat and wine.
• Bo Yan eats his own jerky while staring angrily at Prince Dai’s viewing platform. He recognizes the person beside Prince Dai as the individual who previously stopped his assassination attempt against Wen Xunpeng, reinforcing his hostility and suspicion.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: Demonstrates effective organization and strategic judgment in running the tournament, successfully turning it into both a martial selection process and a profitable public event. However, the large experience gain places him under physical and mental strain. Despite this, he prioritizes completing the competition over his own comfort.
• Wild Daoist: Acts as Su Ziji’s reliable administrator, managing registrations, betting, prizes, and logistics. He becomes concerned about Su’s health and shows loyalty by directly urging him to rest.
• Bo Yan: Remains resentful and focused on revenge or further action. His fixation on Prince Dai’s companion suggests that his failed assassination attempt continues to shape his motives.

Significant Themes

• Entertainment and social psychology: The tournament’s spectacle and betting draw ordinary people into gambling, showing how excitement and group enthusiasm can overcome their usual caution.
• Power and profit: The contest serves not only to identify martial talent but also to generate substantial revenue through fees, wagers, and public participation.
• Appearance versus reality: Su Ziji appears composed to those around him while secretly struggling with the effects of his experience gain.
• Martial ability as social status: The matches give unknown martial artists a chance to gain recognition based solely on skill rather than background or reputation.
• Hidden conflict beneath public celebration: While the crowd enjoys the tournament, Bo Yan’s quiet anger hints at political and personal tensions unfolding behind the event.

Character Interactions

• Wild Daoist reports the tournament’s growing attendance, revenue, and progress to Su Ziji, who calmly directs him to distribute prizes and maintain oversight.
• Wild Daoist notices Su Ziji’s fatigue and urges him to postpone the matches, but Su firmly declines.
• Wild Daoist publicly announces the end of the preliminary round and distributes prizes to the victorious fighters.
• Bo Yan does not directly confront Prince Dai or his companion, but his hostile observation establishes an important unresolved connection between them.

Chapter Summary: “Prince Dai Was Changing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• During a break in the martial arts tournament, Bo Yan reflects on the competitors. Having concealed part of his strength, he concludes that most wandering martial artists are weak and believes no one can defeat him.
• Bo Yan plans to enter Prince Dai’s residence and question a woman who previously rejected him but has now gone to Prince Dai’s side. He suspects her motives may be vanity or a desire for wealth.
• The Imperial Feather Guards Camp remains crowded despite the midday break. Guards efficiently admit visitors, while vendors, performers, and opera singers turn the tournament into a lively public spectacle.
• Xie Zhenqing arrives through the VIP entrance with Hong Dao, his disguised Daoist attendant. He observes that representatives of several factions—including Fang Zhen, the Imperial City Office, and Prince Qi—are monitoring the event.
• From the viewing shelter, Xie notices Prince Dai sitting quietly on the viewing platform. Although he cannot immediately identify the problem, he senses that something about Prince Dai is changing.
• Liu Zhan of the Yin Temple Sect arrives and recalls the dying counsel of his elder, Xu Tingzhi. Xu warned that the dynasty’s founding lacked Heaven’s Mandate, that the imperial family was vulnerable to calamity, and that the sect needed to align itself with a True Dragon to survive karmic retribution.
• Liu reconsiders Prince Dai’s position. Previously, the sect had favored Prince Shu because Prince Qi was too closely connected to the Demon Race, but Prince Dai now appears cleaner and potentially worth supporting.
• As Liu prepares to enter the viewing shelter, he also senses the transformation surrounding Prince Dai and reacts with surprise, asking what is happening.

Character Developments

• Bo Yan displays confidence and arrogance, judging the tournament’s participants as inferior. His personal uncertainty about the woman he wants to question reveals that his pride is mixed with resentment and suspicion.
• Xie Zhenqing proves observant and politically aware. He recognizes the presence of multiple factions and detects a subtle but significant change in Prince Dai.
• Hong Dao remains alert and attentive to Xie’s concerns, immediately questioning him when he notices his unease.
• Liu Zhan shifts from viewing Prince Dai as a possible opponent to considering him a potential ally or investment. His thoughts show the Yin Temple Sect’s growing pragmatism.
• Xu Tingzhi, though appearing only in Liu’s memory, provides the chapter’s ideological foundation: the imperial succession, Heaven’s Mandate, karmic punishment, and the importance of backing a True Dragon.
• Prince Dai does not speak or act openly, but his unseen transformation becomes the chapter’s central mystery and is noticed by two powerful observers.

Significant Themes

• Hidden transformation and political uncertainty: Prince Dai’s change is subtle but powerful enough to be sensed by figures with exceptional perception, suggesting a major shift in his destiny or nature.
• Heaven’s Mandate versus human effort: Xu Tingzhi’s warning contrasts rulers who possess Heaven’s Mandate with the dynasty’s founder, who allegedly relied almost entirely on personal effort.
• Karmic retribution: The Yin Temple Sect’s history of killing demons may bring consequences, compelling it to seek protection through an alliance with a True Dragon.
• Factional maneuvering: The tournament is not merely entertainment or competition; it has become a meeting point where imperial factions, sects, officials, and hidden agents assess one another.
• Appearance versus reality: The lively public spectacle masks deeper political surveillance and supernatural calculations. Likewise, Prince Dai’s outward stillness conceals an important internal or destiny-related change.

Character Interactions

• Bo Yan’s thoughts center on an unresolved relationship with a woman who has chosen Prince Dai’s residence, creating a possible future confrontation.
• Xie Zhenqing and Hong Dao discuss the tournament and the unusual atmosphere surrounding Prince Dai, with Hong Dao responding closely to Xie’s observations.
• Xie notices officials and agents from rival factions, emphasizing the tournament’s role as a political arena.
• Xu Tingzhi’s final conversation with Liu Zhan shapes Liu’s current strategy and explains why he is reconsidering Prince Dai.
• Liu Zhan independently confirms Xie’s impression, ending the chapter with shared recognition that Prince Dai is undergoing an unexplained change.

Chapter Summary: “Childhood Sweethearts”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the morning matches, Bo Yan leaves the rest area and is approached by Zheng Huai, a skilled saber wielder with ties to the martial world.
• Both men recognize that the other is unusually capable and privately suspect the other may be working for a powerful faction—Bo Yan wonders whether Zheng Huai serves Prince Qi, while Zheng Huai suspects Bo Yan may belong to a noble house.
• Their polite conversation carries an undertone of rivalry, since the competition may have only one or two remaining places. They tacitly agree that they may eventually have to fight.
• During the afternoon drawing of lots, Bo Yan notices Luo Jiang standing behind Prince Dai in the viewing stand. He becomes consumed by questions about whether she has recognized him and why she chose to remain with Prince Dai rather than accept his past proposal.
• Bo Yan is called to fight in the second group. He faces a hunchbacked martial wanderer whose unusual body and vicious, deceptive techniques make him dangerous despite his mediocre formal skill.
• Bo Yan attracts considerable attention from the spectators after his impressive morning performance. Although cautious, he is confident enough to handle the hunchback’s underhanded attacks.
• From the viewing stand, Luo Jiang anxiously watches Bo Yan’s match, revealing that she still cares deeply about his safety.
• Su Ziji, using the experience and information gained through his mysterious ability, discovers the political identities of several competitors. Zheng Huai is revealed as one of Prince Qi’s agents, planted to infiltrate Prince Dai’s residence, while Bo Yan is also connected to Prince Qi and may have been sent to assassinate Wen Xunpeng.
• Su Ziji further learns that Bo Yan has another connection to Luo Jiang: they were childhood sweethearts.
• The chapter ends when True Person Liu Zhan requests an audience with Su Ziji. Though Su Ziji would prefer not to meet him, he agrees to avoid arousing suspicion. Liu Zhan then arrives and salutes him.

Character Developments

• Bo Yan: Maintains his cold, restrained exterior but is emotionally unsettled by seeing Luo Jiang and Prince Dai together. His jealousy, confusion, and lingering affection reveal that he has not moved on from Luo Jiang. He also demonstrates tactical caution and considerable martial ability in his match.
• Luo Jiang: Her concern while watching Bo Yan fight indicates that their past relationship still affects her. Although she remains physically beside Prince Dai, her attention and anxiety suggest unresolved feelings.
• Zheng Huai: Introduced as a formidable and ambitious martial artist. His willingness to challenge Bo Yan reflects both confidence and the competitive pressure surrounding the tournament. He is secretly revealed to be Prince Qi’s agent.
• Su Ziji: Demonstrates increasing political awareness as he uncovers the affiliations of the competitors. He also begins to understand the emotional history connecting Bo Yan and Luo Jiang, treating their childhood relationship as an important and intriguing development.
• Prince Dai: Seen through Bo Yan’s eyes as young, elegant, and intimidating despite his refined appearance. His noble presence sharply contrasts with Bo Yan’s life as a martial wanderer.
• Liu Zhan: Enters at the end as a politically significant visitor whose motives and conversation are left for the next chapter.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and political infiltration: The martial competition is revealed to be a battlefield for rival princes and aristocratic factions, with many contestants acting as spies or assassins.
• Past love and unresolved emotions: Bo Yan’s encounter with Luo Jiang exposes the continuing pain caused by their separation and her choice to align with Prince Dai.
• Appearance versus reality: Elegant or ordinary appearances conceal danger, political allegiance, and exceptional ability. The tournament participants are not merely martial competitors.
• Rivalry and survival: Competitors must balance courtesy with suspicion, knowing that allies may become enemies when limited positions are at stake.
• Power and influence: Su Ziji reflects on how stronger political forces can compel weaker factions and servants to submit, emphasizing the hierarchy governing the imperial world.

Important Character Interactions

• Bo Yan and Zheng Huai: A seemingly respectful exchange develops into a veiled challenge between two saber users who suspect each other’s political affiliations.
• Bo Yan and Luo Jiang: They do not speak, but their silent connection dominates Bo Yan’s thoughts, while Luo Jiang watches his fight with visible concern.
• Bo Yan and Prince Dai: Bo Yan compares himself with Prince Dai and feels jealousy and resentment toward the man who now stands beside Luo Jiang.
• Su Ziji and the competitors: Through his supernatural information-gathering ability, Su Ziji identifies their factional connections and uncovers Bo Yan and Luo Jiang’s shared history.
• Su Ziji and Liu Zhan: Their impending meeting introduces a new political tension and interrupts Su Ziji’s analysis of the tournament.

Chapter Summary: “Sudden Collapse”

Key Plot Points and Events

• True Person Liu Zhan of the Yin Temple Sect visits Prince Dai, Su Ziji, for two reasons: to inspect the newly established martial arts arena and to offer Su access to the sect’s alchemy and Daoist texts.
• While observing Su Ziji closely, Liu Zhan detects a mysterious suggestion of purple qi around him. This is extraordinary because purple qi traditionally belongs only to the emperor, while the Crown Prince is associated with green qi. Liu Zhan is unable to explain the phenomenon and concludes that Su is a dangerous or extraordinary “Hidden Dragon” who should not be antagonized.
• Su Ziji accepts Liu Zhan’s invitation to visit the Yin Temple Sect, though internally he is eager to end the conversation because absorbing large amounts of knowledge has left him severely unwell.
• The martial arts selection tournament continues. Thirty-two contestants are chosen, and Su orders Wild Daoist to distribute their rewards and proceed with the next round.
• When the next round begins, Su absorbs another surge of martial arts experience. The additional knowledge pushes him beyond his physical limits, causing intense headaches, nausea, a racing heart, and eventually a nosebleed.
• Su notices that Bo Yan continues to yield unusually large amounts of martial arts potential, comparable to Luo Jiang, while many other contestants appear to be spies rather than genuine martial artists.
• Realizing that he may suffer a more serious collapse, Su abruptly leaves the arena and orders his attendants to escort him to the ox cart.
• Wild Daoist and Luo Jiang recognize the severity of his condition. A physician is summoned, and Wild Daoist orders everyone to keep Su’s collapse secret.
• Su manages to instruct Wild Daoist to accept all thirty-two selected contestants and publicly claim that he merely felt unwell. He then loses consciousness.
• At the arena, a scholar announces that Prince Dai has returned to his residence but has ordered the competition to continue, preserving the event’s appearance of normality.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: His ability to absorb experience and hidden knowledge continues to grow, but the chapter makes clear that his body and mind have limits. His determination to complete the tournament causes him to ignore worsening symptoms until he collapses. He also demonstrates political awareness by ensuring the selected contestants are accepted and the public receives a controlled explanation.
• Liu Zhan: His curiosity about Su turns into cautious admiration and fear. The unexplained purple qi convinces him that Su possesses immense and possibly imperial potential. Liu therefore decides that cooperation is safer than hostility and actively offers the Yin Temple Sect’s resources.
• Wild Daoist: He becomes increasingly protective and anxious about Su’s health. Although he obeys Su’s orders, he quickly takes charge of the emergency, arranging transportation, medical attention, secrecy, and the continuation of the tournament.
• Luo Jiang: She responds efficiently when Su weakens, helping escort and support him without hesitation. Her reliability as a personal guard is reinforced.
• Bo Yan: His exceptional ability to continue producing martial arts experience marks him as unusually talented and potentially important.

Significant Themes

• Power and hidden destiny: The appearance of purple qi suggests that Su’s status and potential may exceed that of an ordinary prince, hinting at a larger political or imperial destiny.
• The cost of knowledge and power: Su’s ability to absorb experience grants him extraordinary advancement, but excessive accumulation becomes physically dangerous. Knowledge is portrayed as both a weapon and a burden.
• Secrecy and political control: Su’s collapse is concealed to prevent rumors, while the tournament is allowed to continue. Maintaining appearances is essential to preserving authority.
• Trust versus caution: Liu Zhan’s reaction shows how powerful figures must balance cooperation with fear when confronted with an unpredictable rising force.
• Hidden motives: Many tournament participants may be spies, suggesting that the martial arts competition is also a contest of intelligence, loyalty, and political infiltration.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zhan respectfully offers Su access to the Yin Temple Sect’s library, while Su politely accepts despite internally wishing to end the conversation.
• Liu silently studies Su’s mysterious aura, developing both awe and caution toward him.
• Su relies on Wild Daoist to manage the tournament and distribute rewards, showing their established hierarchy and trust.
• Wild Daoist and Luo Jiang coordinate immediately when Su collapses, prioritizing his safety while obeying his demand for secrecy.
• Su’s final conscious orders demonstrate his authority over his attendants: even while failing physically, he controls both the tournament’s outcome and the public narrative.

Chapter Summary: “There Must Be a Great and Difficult Matter”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Before dawn, Prince Dai’s advisers—Wild Daoist, Jian Qu, and Cen Rubai—remain awake in the residence after Su Ziji suddenly faints.
• Physician Du Haihan examines Su Ziji and determines that he is not seriously ill, attributing the collapse to exhaustion and irregular meals. He predicts that Su Ziji should wake by morning.
• The advisers order Du Haihan to keep the matter secret and arrange for him to remain at the residence so he can examine Su Ziji again.
• The men remain uneasy because even the trusted physician cannot explain the sudden fainting. They also fear that news of the prince’s condition could spread and create political turmoil.
• They discuss practical matters that must be handled in Su Ziji’s absence, including the thirty-two martial competitors recruited after the previous day’s contest. The top three—Bo Yan, Zheng Huai, and Pang Si—are considered distinct from the others and may require special rewards or appointments.
• Cen Rubai insists that all recruits be investigated for criminal histories, political affiliations, or connections to rival princes and nobles who might be trying to infiltrate Prince Dai’s household.
• The advisers’ greatest concern is the pregnant Princess Consort, who has not been told that Su Ziji collapsed. They fear that alarming her could endanger both her and the unborn heir. They decide to conceal the news as long as possible.
• Just as their anxiety peaks, Su Ziji awakens. His physical symptoms have disappeared, though he appears pale, troubled, and unusually contemplative.
• Rather than allow the physician to examine him immediately, Su Ziji asks to be left alone, suggesting that his fainting has given him a serious and mysterious matter to consider.

Character Developments

• Wild Daoist demonstrates his role as the stabilizing strategist. Though deeply worried, he suppresses panic, keeps the others focused, and organizes the response to the crisis. He admits that without Su Ziji, he feels deprived of the “backbone” that steadies him.
• Jian Qu remains practical and duty-focused, raising the issue of how to handle the newly recruited martial artists while waiting for Su Ziji’s instructions.
• Cen Rubai shows decisiveness and protective loyalty, prioritizing the safety of the pregnant Princess Consort and the unborn heir above concerns about secrecy or political appearances.
• Su Ziji awakens physically recovered but psychologically changed. His silence, gloom, and intense concentration imply that he has learned or realized something significant during his unconsciousness.
• Physician Du Haihan is established as a trusted and highly capable medical authority whose expertise makes the unexplained collapse especially alarming.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and dependence: Su Ziji’s advisers are capable men, yet his absence leaves them uncertain and emotionally unsteady, revealing how central he is to their collective strength.
• Secrecy and political danger: Even a private illness can become a political crisis in the royal court, where rivals may exploit any sign of weakness.
• Protection of family and succession: The advisers’ decision to conceal the collapse reflects their determination to protect the pregnant Princess Consort and Prince Dai’s only heir.
• Responsibility under pressure: Despite their fear, the advisers continue handling recruitment, security, and political concerns rather than allowing the household to become paralyzed.
• Mystery and foreboding: Su Ziji’s unexplained fainting and troubled awakening suggest that a major revelation or difficult challenge is imminent.

Character Interactions

• Wild Daoist questions and reassures Physician Du Haihan while firmly warning him to preserve confidentiality.
• Wild Daoist, Jian Qu, and Cen Rubai work together despite their anxiety, balancing medical concerns with administrative and political responsibilities.
• Jian Qu and Cen Rubai debate how to manage the newly recruited martial artists, while Wild Daoist confirms the need for background investigations.
• Cen Rubai emphasizes the danger of upsetting the pregnant Princess Consort, and Wild Daoist attempts to reassure everyone that Su Ziji’s fate and health remain strong.
• When Su Ziji awakens, all three advisers immediately approach him with concern. However, his request for solitude temporarily halts their efforts and leaves them wondering what profound matter has occupied his thoughts.

Chapter Summary: “Something Was Off in Those Words”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Ziji awakens before dawn and asks Wild Daoist for an update on the martial-arts arena.
• He decides to recruit the winners:
  • Bo Yan, Zheng Huai, and Pang Si are appointed as instructors with guest-retainer treatment, ranking slightly below Luo Jiang.
  • The remaining twenty-nine are offered positions as a new, lower-ranked unit of residence guards, equipped with uniforms and long sabers.
• Jian Qu is ordered to oversee their recruitment and induction.
• Cen Rubai warns that the men’s unknown backgrounds and jianghu origins require investigation and discipline. Su Ziji acknowledges the concern but explains that the residence urgently needs more guards, especially because the Princess Consort is pregnant and he may soon need protection while traveling.
• Cen Rubai privately suspects Su Ziji may be using the new guards as expendable pawns rather than genuinely trusting them.
• Su Ziji asks about recent strange incidents. Cen Rubai recounts an event in Clear Sun Prefecture:
  • A fireball and thunderous explosion appeared inside a temple without causing any physical damage.
  • The temple prefect and the attendant who opened the door both fainted and have remained unconscious despite being medically healthy.
  • Rumors claim the temple’s immortals invited them inside.
• Su Ziji treats the incident seriously and orders preparations to visit a Daoist temple and meet Liu Zhan.
• Before leaving, Su Ziji visits his pregnant wife, Ye Buhui. He reassures her, checks on the unborn child, and promises to visit daily unless urgent matters arise.
• He recognizes an elderly servant woman from the Jia family, rewards her for her experience in childbirth, and jokes warmly about her prediction that Ye Buhui will bear a son.
• After Su Ziji leaves, the servant praises his affection. Ye Buhui, however, senses that something in the woman’s words was unnatural or suspicious, though she ultimately dismisses the feeling as overthinking.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: Demonstrates practical political judgment, balancing the need for immediate manpower against concerns about the recruits’ loyalty. He appears affectionate and attentive toward Ye Buhui and the unborn child, while remaining alert to supernatural or politically significant events.
• Wild Daoist: Continues acting as a trusted subordinate who understands that Su Ziji’s questions and decisions usually have hidden purposes.
• Cen Rubai: Shows caution and strategic insight. He questions the wisdom of trusting unknown martial artists and privately recognizes that Su Ziji may be exploiting them as potential sacrificial pawns.
• Jian Qu: Eager to carry out Su Ziji’s orders, though Cen Rubai restrains him from continuing to object to the recruitment plan.
• Ye Buhui: Appears content and reassured by Su Ziji’s concern, but her intuition detects something suspicious in the servant woman’s praise.
• The elderly servant woman: Presents herself as loyal and experienced, but her unusually flattering remarks cause Ye Buhui to question her sincerity or motives.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism versus caution: Su Ziji accepts potentially dangerous recruits because the residence urgently lacks guards, while his retainers worry about their unknown origins.
• Trust and hidden motives: The chapter repeatedly suggests that people’s words and actions may conceal other intentions, especially through Cen Rubai’s suspicions and Ye Buhui’s unease.
• Political necessity and expendability: Su Ziji’s willingness to use the new guards despite mistrust hints that they may serve as disposable assets in future conflicts.
• Supernatural mystery: The temple incident introduces unexplained phenomena that may connect to larger mystical or political developments.
• Family and protection: Su Ziji’s concern for his pregnant wife and unborn child contrasts with his calculated treatment of political and military resources.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and his retainers discuss how to employ the martial-arts competitors, revealing differing views on security and loyalty.
• Cen Rubai silently influences Jian Qu to stop objecting, showing the retainers’ discipline and awareness of their lord’s authority.
• Cen Rubai’s account of the temple incident captures Su Ziji’s attention and prompts him to visit the Daoist temple.
• Su Ziji shares a tender, playful exchange with Ye Buhui, reassuring her about the pregnancy.
• Su Ziji rewards the elderly servant woman, but her exaggerated praise afterward leaves Ye Buhui with a lingering sense that something is wrong.

Chapter Summary: “Curb Impatience and Exercise Forbearance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After leaving the inner courtyard, Su Ziji reflects on a disturbing prophetic dream he experienced while unconscious.
• In the dream, Ye Buhui was pregnant and Su Ziji had become Prince Dai. Because he had heeded the warning from an earlier dream, the assassination that once threatened them never occurred.
• However, after Ye Buhui passed the first three months of pregnancy, she accepted an invitation from the Marchioness of Huifeng to attend a garden gathering. Despite extensive protection, she mysteriously vanished within the Capital City.
• Su Ziji’s dream-self investigated the disappearance but found only a few insignificant traitors inside the residence. The complete lack of useful clues frightened him more than an obvious conspiracy would have.
• He suspects that the Emperor arranged Ye Buhui’s abduction to obtain her Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, which could serve as the medicinal catalyst for the Great Restoration Elixir and potentially prolong the Emperor’s life.
• Su Ziji realizes that only someone with immense authority and influence in the Imperial City could make Fang Zhen betray him and erase all traces of the kidnapping.
• He nearly orders Wild Daoist to kill every possible traitor within the residence, but restrains himself and decides that acting in anger would be counterproductive.
• Instead, he orders discreet surveillance of several suspicious individuals within his household and commands that Prince Qi’s Residence also be watched.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: Becomes increasingly wary and strategic. His fear for Ye Buhui exposes how deeply protective he is, but he also demonstrates maturity by suppressing his immediate killing instinct. He recognizes that patience and careful investigation are more effective than emotional retaliation.
• Ye Buhui: Though absent from the present action, she is established as the likely target of an imperial conspiracy because of her recent entry into the Dao and the unique medicinal value of her Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart.
• Wild Daoist: Remains highly loyal and obedient, recognizing the seriousness of Su Ziji’s mood. He is willing to carry out violent orders but waits for Su Ziji’s command.
• The Emperor: Is portrayed as ruthless and desperate enough to sacrifice even family members for longevity. His possible involvement raises the threat against Su Ziji and Ye Buhui to the highest political level.
• Fang Zhen and the Marchioness of Huifeng: Their connection to the garden gathering makes them potentially complicit or manipulated, especially since Fang Zhen may have been forced into betraying Su Ziji.

Significant Themes

• Forbearance over impulsiveness: The chapter’s central lesson is that decisions made in anger can destroy long-term plans and create regret.
• The danger of prophecy: Because Su Ziji’s first prophetic dream came true, he must treat the second as a serious warning rather than dismissing it as a nightmare.
• Political paranoia and hidden enemies: The absence of evidence becomes evidence of a powerful, carefully concealed conspiracy.
• Power and survival: The Emperor’s willingness to sacrifice relatives for the Great Restoration Elixir demonstrates how political authority can become inseparable from ruthless self-preservation.
• Patience as strategy: Su Ziji realizes that exposing or killing suspected informants too soon would alert the true enemy and allow new spies to replace them.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and Wild Daoist walk together in silence, reflecting the gravity of the situation and Wild Daoist’s respect for his master.
• When Wild Daoist asks what is troubling him, Su Ziji briefly turns his anger toward the suspected traitors, considering a mass purge.
• Su Ziji then explains the danger of acting emotionally, deciding instead to use surveillance and preserve his existing counterintelligence arrangements.
• His orders to monitor Old Madam Jia, Lin Kang, Zhuo Shang, Jiang Yi, Hou Cai, and Prince Qi’s Residence mark the beginning of a more deliberate investigation into the leak surrounding Ye Buhui.

Su Ziji ordered the Wild Daoist to watch suspected household members and required new recruits to serve in his personal guard under strict rules. As he prepared to visit Liu Zhan at Hongxiang Temple, the thirty-two martial-world recruits were assigned to accompany him.

• Su Ziji told the Wild Daoist to monitor several household pillars and ensure all new recruits obeyed his rules in the personal guard.
• Su Ziji decided to leave after breakfast for Hongxiang Temple to meet Liu Zhan and ordered the Wild Daoist to arrange carts and oversee the residence.
• The Wild Daoist comforted Steward Zhou, who was grieving his dead son, and wondered whether the suspected men were connected to the attacks on Prince Dai's Residence.
• Jian Qu instructed the thirty-two new recruits to collect Prince Dai's Residence livery and regulation sabers, then accompany Su Ziji on his appointment.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Dai’s newly recruited martial wanderers are formally accepted into his residence as soldiers. Although they unanimously pledge obedience, Wild Daoist and Jian Qu find their perfectly synchronized response suspicious, suspecting that many may be trained spies.
• The thirty-two recruits receive official uniforms and identical sabers, giving them—for perhaps the first time—recognized identities as government soldiers. Despite possible ulterior motives, they are visibly excited and proud of their new status.
• Wild Daoist orders the group to follow Prince Dai, who departs the residence in an ox cart. Bo Yan, Zheng Huai, and Pang Si position themselves near the cart, while the rest trail behind in loosely divided groups.
• A spy stationed near Prince Dai’s Residence observes the departure and rushes to report to Prince Qi.
• Prince Qi initially assumes that Prince Dai’s earlier withdrawal may have resulted from a serious illness, but learns that Prince Dai is active and traveling with numerous soldiers.
• The spy then reveals that Princess Dai has been visited by physicians and given medicines associated with pregnancy. The news shocks Prince Qi, who realizes that Princess Dai may be pregnant.

Character Developments

• Wild Daoist and Jian Qu: Become more cautious and suspicious of the recruits after noticing their unnatural unity, recognizing that they may have been trained or planted as infiltrators.
• Bo Yan, Zheng Huai, and Pang Si: Stand out as young, capable, and presentable martial artists. Their decision to guard the sides of Prince Dai’s cart may suggest initiative, loyalty, or a deliberate attempt to gain proximity to him.
• Prince Dai (Su Ziji): Remains calm and detached, resting silently in the cart while his new soldiers are tested and political developments unfold around him.
• Prince Qi: Shifts from hopeful speculation about Prince Dai’s illness to anger and alarm upon learning of Princess Dai’s possible pregnancy. His reaction exposes his jealousy and anxiety about the succession.
• The new soldiers: Experience a dramatic change in social status as they trade the marginal identity of martial wanderers for official uniforms, weapons, and residence membership. However, their possible loyalties remain uncertain.
• The spy: Fears Prince Qi’s temper but fulfills his duty by reporting both Prince Dai’s departure and the pregnancy-related information.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: The recruits’ unnaturally unified speech raises doubts about whether they are genuine followers or trained infiltrators.
• Transformation through official status: The uniforms and sabers symbolize the recruits’ movement from outsiders to recognized members of the state.
• Political surveillance and intrigue: Prince Qi’s agents monitor Prince Dai closely, demonstrating the atmosphere of rivalry among the princes.
• Succession and patriarchy: A prince’s eligibility for the throne depends heavily on producing sons. Prince Dai’s lack of sons is viewed as his principal political weakness.
• Jealousy and insecurity: Prince Qi resents Prince Dai’s abilities and reputation, and the possible pregnancy threatens to remove one of the few disadvantages Prince Dai possesses.

Character Interactions

• Wild Daoist and Jian Qu silently share their concern over the recruits’ suspiciously coordinated pledge.
• Jian Qu instructs the recruits on receiving uniforms and weapons, establishing their new military role.
• The recruits follow Prince Dai’s cart, with Bo Yan, Zheng Huai, and Pang Si taking prominent positions around it.
• Prince Qi interrogates the returning spy, first doubting his report and then reacting violently to the revelation of Princess Dai’s pregnancy.
• The news changes the political stakes: if Princess Dai gives birth to a son, Prince Dai may become a much stronger contender for the throne.

Chapter Summary: “Cognitive Barrier”

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads that Princess Dai is pregnant shortly after Prince Dai receives his title. This is viewed as a major political advantage for Prince Dai, especially if the child is a healthy son and his legitimate eldest child.
• Prince Qi realizes that the pregnancy may eliminate Prince Dai’s greatest political weakness: his lack of heirs. He fears that Confucian legitimists, neutral officials, and Prince Dai’s existing supporters will all become more favorable toward him.
• Though furious, Prince Qi restrains himself from abusing his subordinates after remembering how Wen Xunpeng’s mistreatment damaged his reputation. He orders a messenger to investigate the pregnancy rumors properly rather than acting on incomplete information.
• While traveling through Jiagu Ward, Su Ziji reflects on the mysterious discovery of Bu Hui in his dream. He also observes that three of his new Residence Guards—Bo Yan, Zheng Huai, and Pang Si—are spies.
• Su plans to exploit the spies by assigning them useful tasks, rewarding or promoting them when appropriate, and eventually sending overly trusted or disobedient spies on dangerous missions.
• After learning that the cart has passed near Prince Shu’s residence, Su suddenly understands how Bu Hui’s secret may have been exposed. He identifies his previous mistake as a “Cognitive Barrier”: he had overcomplicated the situation and failed to recognize the obvious.
• Su concludes that the medical examinations and pregnancy-preserving medicines connected to Bu Hui would have revealed her pregnancy. Rival factions likely used this information to infer that she had already “Entered the Dao.”
• He predicts that enemies may infiltrate the residence under the pretext of examining Bu Hui, most likely through a physician. Su intends to investigate the doctors involved and everyone connected to them once he returns home.
• Exhausted from his coma and prolonged dreaming, Su falls asleep in the cart. When the group arrives at a Daoist temple outside the city, Bo Yan briefly considers assassinating him but immediately recognizes that doing so would bring certain death.
• Su awakens at the temple, where a Daoist priest receives the group and goes inside to announce their arrival.

Character Developments

• Prince Qi: Reveals a more politically perceptive and restrained side. Although angry and threatened by Prince Dai’s pregnancy, he understands the power of legitimacy and chooses investigation over impulsive punishment.
• Su Ziji: Demonstrates strategic thinking, psychological manipulation, and growing self-awareness. He recognizes that his overthinking prevented him from seeing the obvious cause of Bu Hui’s exposure and begins forming a plan to counter enemy infiltration.
• Bu Hui/Ye Buhui: Remains absent from the chapter, but her pregnancy and suspected Daoist advancement become central political and security concerns.
• Bo Yan: Is confirmed internally as a spy, yet he hesitates when imagining an assassination attempt, showing fear of the consequences and perhaps uncertainty about acting against Su.
• Zheng Huai and Pang Si: Are also identified by Su as spies, though he plans to use them rather than immediately eliminate them.

Significant Themes

• Political legitimacy and succession: Marriage, pregnancy, and legitimate heirs can dramatically reshape factional power and public support.
• The danger of overthinking: Su’s realization that he suffered from a “Cognitive Barrier” emphasizes how preconceived assumptions can obscure simple explanations.
• Spies as tools: Su treats infiltrators pragmatically, using their need to earn trust to turn them into useful assets.
• Restraint and reputation: Prince Qi understands that uncontrolled anger and mistreatment of subordinates can weaken political authority.
• Secrecy versus visibility: Attempts to protect Bu Hui paradoxically created clues through doctors and medicine, showing how difficult it is to conceal important matters.
• Constant danger: Even routine travel involves possible assassination, surveillance, and political schemes.

Character Interactions

• Prince Qi threatens and kicks the messenger who brings him only unconfirmed rumors, but ultimately orders him to investigate rather than punishing him further.
• Su questions Zheng Huai about their location and uses the answer to identify where they are in relation to Prince Shu’s residence.
• Su silently evaluates his three suspected spies and plans how to manipulate their ambitions and loyalty.
• Bo Yan addresses the apparently sleeping Su upon reaching the destination, suppressing his fleeting thought of killing him.
• The chapter ends with Su arriving at the Daoist temple and being received by an awaiting priest.

Liu Zhan welcomed Prince Dai Su Ziji to the Yin Temple Sect after Shi Lingxiu divined that the prince was healthy. Su Ziji admired a painting of the nine Dragon Sons and questioned why none of them resembled dragons.

• Shi Lingxiu divined that Prince Dai had no illness, and Liu Zhan decided to strengthen the sect’s relationship with him.
• Liu Zhan arranged refreshments for Su Ziji’s more than thirty new household guards and went to greet the prince.
• Liu Zhan welcomed Su Ziji, who was accompanied by Bo Yan, and the Daoists served tea to the visitors and guards.
• Su Ziji identified the Dragon Sons Picture as Wu Boyu’s work and recounted the painter’s unsuccessful bid to attract the Prince of Qi’s support.
• Su Ziji asked Liu Zhan why none of the nine dragon offspring in the painting looked like dragons.