Recaps

After Ji Cheng got Yu Qian’s case closed, Yu Qian returned to a quiet routine and broke through to the eighth grade of the Qi-Blood Realm. A mysterious girl appeared in his room, and his attempt to strike her left him injured while she remained unharmed.

• Ji Cheng was summoned by Minister Gongsun, and Yu Qian learned that his case was closed and that he should leave it alone.
• Yu Qian resumed his peaceful routine at home and work, focusing on cultivation until his qi-blood power reached the peak of Ninth Grade.
• Yu Qian used the Bull Demon's origin power to break through to the eighth grade of the Qi-Blood Realm.
• A young girl appeared in Yu Qian's room and asked whether he had just broken through in his human cultivation.
• Yu Qian punched the girl with Fierce Fist, hurt his own hand, and began coughing blood while she stood unharmed.
• Yu Qian claimed that spitting blood was a sign of respect for guests in his hometown.

Yu Qian met Yu Xiaowan, a powerful demon from the Cang River Aquatic Tribe who was searching for the Azure Mandarin Fish, and persuaded her to become his friend. When a Demon-Capturing Hall inspector arrived in pursuit, Yu Xiaowan hid in his water vat, and Yu Qian denied seeing anything strange.

• Yu Qian and Yu Xiaowan spat blood and water together, then she explained that she had sensed one of her kind nearby.
• Yu Xiaowan smelled the Azure Mandarin Fish on Yu Qian, and he told her the fish had escaped after a Demon-Capturing Hall spellcaster pursued it.
• Yu Xiaowan said she was from the Cang River Aquatic Tribe, and Yu Qian convinced her to become his friend.
• Yu Xiaowan sensed someone approaching, warned Yu Qian to keep quiet, and hid in the water vat as an inspector from the Demon-Capturing Hall arrived.
• The inspector questioned Yu Qian, who claimed he had seen nothing strange.

Yu Qian befriended Yu Xiaowan after Lu Caifeng searched his courtyard for a demon, then spent the night practicing and reached Eighth Grade cultivation. The next morning, Du Hui arrived at the Court of Judicial Review to recruit cultivators for a mission and was impressed by Yu Qian's rapid breakthrough.

• Lu Caifeng searched Yu Qian's courtyard with the Star Compass for a demon, found nothing unusual, and told him to report anything suspicious to the Demon-Capturing Hall.
• Yu Xiaowan returned, accepted Yu Qian as her friend, and said she had come to Tai'an City to have fun; Yu Qian warned her to avoid trouble and swindlers.
• Yu Xiaowan left after teasing Yu Qian about being too weak to report her, and Yu Qian spent the night studying his new cultivation and bandaging his injured fingers.
• Yu Qian went to the Court of Judicial Review, where Sun Shoucheng mistook his hand injury for damage caused by hasty Fierce Fist practice.
• Du Hui arrived to select two cultivators of Eighth Grade or above for a mission, and Ji Cheng discovered that Yu Qian had reached Eighth Grade overnight.
• Du Hui learned Yu Qian had joined the Court of Judicial Review just over five days earlier with no cultivation and praised him as a good lad.

Yu Qian refused Du Hui’s offer to transfer to the Ding Division’s central office and joined a Court of Judicial Review case assignment instead. After teams were formed and their crane talismans confiscated, Yu Qian, Shi Da, and Wu Cheng arrived at impoverished Mud Ward in Southeast City.

• Yu Qian declined Du Hui’s offer to join the Ding Division’s central office, choosing to stay with the Dingyou Office.
• Yu Qian told Shi Da that his training consisted of lifting stones, running, and practicing the Sun Scroll, leaving Shi Da disheartened by Yu Qian’s rapid progress.
• Du Hui gathered officers from four offices and brought them to a briefing, where a Jia Division official assigned them to assist with a case and collected their crane talismans.
• Yu Qian and Shi Da were assigned to Jia Division officer Wu Cheng, and the three left with the other teams in separate carriages.
• Wu Cheng drove Yu Qian and Shi Da to Mud Ward in Southeast City, where Yu Qian stepped down into a scene of poverty.

Yu Qian, Wu Cheng, and Shi Da raided a White Lotus Cult hideout, where Wu Cheng encountered a powerful beast-transformed fighter and Yu Qian killed a hidden attacker. The battle continued around them, with Yu Qian’s golden mist revealing its strong detection ability.

• Wu Cheng led Yu Qian and Shi Da to a concealed White Lotus Cult hideout and assigned them to assault, flank, and guard the area.
• Wu Cheng and Shi Da charged into the courtyard while Yu Qian watched from a nearby roof.
• A ten-foot-tall wolf-like beast-transformed fighter burst through a wall and drove Wu Cheng into a difficult fight.
• A nearly invisible, red-furred monster ambushed Yu Qian, who used golden mist to spot it and evade its attacks.
• Yu Qian wounded the monster with his saber, then killed it with his Thirty Blades technique.

Yu Qian, Shi Da, and Wu Cheng defeated the Werewolf and captured the surviving White Lotus Cult member, but Yu Qian struck Wu Cheng for using him as bait. The three returned to the Court of Judicial Review with their captives and corpses, where other teams had already arrived.

• The Werewolf attacked Yu Qian, and Shi Da took its punch head-on to save him.
• Wu Cheng wounded the Werewolf with a flurry of sword strikes, then used a Lesser Returning-Heaven Pill to keep the defeated man alive.
• Yu Qian punched Wu Cheng for using him as bait, then dragged the surviving White Lotus Cult member from the courtyard with Shi Da.
• Yu Qian gave Shi Da his Returning-Heaven Pill, had his own wounds treated, and loaded the captives and corpses onto a carriage.
• Yu Qian, Shi Da, and Wu Cheng reached the Court of Judicial Review, where a dozen or so other carriages were already in the square.

Yu Qian and Shi Da returned to the Dingyou Office after helping wipe out a White Lotus Cult hideout, then went to the Healing Hall to treat their injuries. Yu Qian was called into Physician Liu Yan’s room and lay down for an examination.

• Yu Qian and Shi Da unloaded the bodies from the mission and returned to the office, where Yu Qian said they had wiped out a White Lotus Cult hideout.
• Yan Sheng speculated that the White Lotus Cult’s activity might be connected to the Ghost Festival and the emperor’s banquet for the hundred ghosts.
• Ji Cheng told his subordinates to stay out of other divisions’ business, and Wu Wancai gave Yu Qian and Shi Da a slip for treatment.
• Yu Qian and Shi Da arrived at the crowded Healing Hall and waited for their numbers to be called.
• Physician Liu Yan’s mood improved when she saw Yu Qian, and she invited him to lie down for a thorough examination.

Liu Yan treated Yu Qian’s wounds and gave him valuable healing Pills before he told her how Wu Cheng had used him as bait during the mission. The chapter left Wu Cheng entering Liu Yan’s room for treatment while she appeared to have taken Yu Qian’s side.

• Liu Yan used her talisman arts to heal Yu Qian’s poisoned belly and thigh wounds, then treated his fractured fingers.
• Liu Yan gave Yu Qian several bottles of high-quality Pills and told him to come to her for more medicine if needed.
• After hearing a knock, Liu Yan stepped outside to deal with an impatient attendant, then returned and invited Yu Qian to share his troubles.
• Yu Qian described the mission and emphasized how Wu Cheng had used a colleague as bait, prompting Liu Yan to condemn Wu Cheng.
• Liu Yan called Wu Cheng in for treatment, and he entered while watching Yu Qian leave.

Yu Qian learned from Shi Da how Qi Refiners and martial cultivators followed different paths, then dressed up to explore the city on his day off. The chapter ended when a self-proclaimed Greenwood Protector invited Yu Qian to join the Sun Moon Divine Cult.

• Yu Qian told Shi Da that Liu Yan had treated him for a long time because he had made her his older sister, and he gave Shi Da pills Liu Yan had supplied.
• Shi Da explained that Qi Refiners cultivated Yin Meridians and used the power of heaven and earth, while martial cultivators cultivated Yang Meridians; he advised Yu Qian to focus on martial cultivation.
• Yu Qian returned to the Dingyou Office with Shi Da, went home, and rested before their day off.
• Yu Qian dressed in fine clothes and went out hoping to explore the city and perhaps encounter a powerful young woman.
• A furtive young man claiming to be the Greenwood Protector of the Sun Moon Divine Cult invited Yu Qian to join, and Yu Qian called over a constable.

Yu Qian sought out Yu Xiaowan, hoping to win her over and gain another powerful ally. She welcomed him into her home, where he was amazed by her elaborate underwater courtyard.

• Yu Qian had a Sun Moon Divine Cult protector arrested, then decided to visit Yu Xiaowan on Clearwater Street.
• Yu Qian asked a Watchtower soldier to identify Yu Xiaowan's home and found her at Courtyard 136.
• Yu Xiaowan recognized Yu Qian after he reminded her of their previous meeting and greeted him by spewing water.
• Yu Xiaowan invited Yu Qian into her courtyard, where he marveled at the coral, fish, and floating spheres of water.
• Yu Xiaowan told Yu Qian that the underwater displays were real and invited him to touch them.

Yu Qian visited Yu Xiaowan, enjoyed her hospitality, and persuaded her to go out with him while she concealed her true form. He took her shopping and bought her a pouch, privately resolving to win her trust and affection.

• Yu Xiaowan welcomed Yu Qian with Ice Jade Dew and told him she had stayed inside to avoid revealing her identity to humans.
• Yu Qian confirmed that Yu Xiaowan's Sacred Relic could conceal her true form, then accepted two thousand taels from her to cover their outing.
• Yu Xiaowan agreed to let Yu Qian plan their spending and eagerly left her courtyard with him.
• Yu Qian took Yu Xiaowan to a stall and bought her a pale green pouch embroidered with a black carp.
• Yu Xiaowan admired the pouch and asked what she should put in it, while Yu Qian privately celebrated his plan to win her over.

Yu Qian took Yu Xiaowan to a lively, affordable Market Ward, where she bought far more candied hawthorn than they could eat and shared it with a crowd of children. He watched her kindness and privately decided it made her easier to fool, then led her to Clear Pavilion Restaurant for lunch.

• Yu Qian exchanged money for small silver pieces, filled Yu Xiaowan's purse, and took her from Clearwater Street to the Market Ward.
• Yu Xiaowan tried to pay three taels for a skewer of candied hawthorn, then bought all the vendor's remaining skewers for two taels after Yu Qian explained the price.
• Yu Xiaowan carried the candied hawthorn through the street and gave it all to the children who followed her.
• Yu Qian admired Yu Xiaowan's kindness and privately thought she would be easy to fool.
• Yu Qian led Yu Xiaowan to Clear Pavilion Restaurant, where a waiter took them up to the third floor.

Yu Qian learned that Yu Xiaowan was connected to the merfolk and befriended her, then intervened when Zhang Yuan harassed a songstress. He forced Zhang Yuan to apologize and drove him away.

• Yu Xiaowan told Yu Qian that she was descended from the merfolk and could change back to her aquatic form.
• Yu Qian said he accepted demons and asked Yu Xiaowan to introduce him to bad demons in the Cang River.
• Yu Qian and Yu Xiaowan ate together while he answered her questions about Tai'an City.
• Yu Qian learned that Zhang Yuan was harassing a songstress and discovered that Zhang Yuan was the son of a Ministry of Rites bureau director.
• Yu Qian used his Court of Judicial Review token to confront Zhang Yuan, struck down his servants, and forced him to apologize to Miss Lin.

Yu Qian protected a singer from Zhang Yuan and spent the day with Yu Xiaowan, who later lured Zhang Yuan and his servants into an alley. The next morning, Yu Qian learned that Minister Gongsun wanted to see him and headed to the Ding Division headquarters.

• Yu Qian drove Zhang Yuan away from the singer surnamed Lin and warned her to seek help from Shi Da if she ran into trouble.
• Yu Xiaowan gave Yu Qian a Three-Color Shell, and the two spent the rest of the day enjoying themselves together.
• Yu Qian gave Yu Xiaowan a Talisman Paper Crane before they parted for the night.
• Yu Xiaowan lured Zhang Yuan and his two servants into a dark alley, where their screams rang out before she emerged and went home.
• Wang Zhen told Yu Qian that he had received five hundred merit points and that Minister Gongsun wanted to meet him.
• Yu Qian left the Dingyou Office and went to the Ding Division headquarters to see Minister Gongsun.

Yu Qian met Minister Gongsun Yan, who questioned his rapid cultivation and martial skill before testing his Fierce Fist herself. After effortlessly blocking his attack and restoring him with a pill, she praised his talent, leaving Yu Qian impressed by her strength.

• Yu Qian went to the Ding Division headquarters and met Minister Gongsun Yan in her office.
• Gongsun Yan questioned Yu Qian about his background, rapid rise to Eighth Grade cultivation, and martial arts ability.
• Gongsun Yan ordered Yu Qian to strike her with Fierce Fist, and he attacked with his full strength.
• Gongsun Yan blocked the punch without moving and drained Yu Qian's Blood-and-Qi Power until he was exhausted and slightly injured.
• Gongsun Yan gave Yu Qian a pill that restored his strength and praised his talent with Fierce Fist.

Yu Qian declined Gongsun Yan’s offers to join headquarters and move next door, then visited the Martial Skills Hall to choose new cultivation manuals. He left with the Moon Scroll and Five-Element Escape Art, but found them incomprehensible without his cheat.

• Gongsun Yan invited Yu Qian to headquarters for personal instruction and offered him an empty courtyard beside her home, but Yu Qian refused both offers.
• Gongsun Yan learned from a Spirit Butterfly that Yu Qian’s identity and martial cultivation checked out, and added him to the Court’s list of people deserving special attention.
• Yu Qian went to the Martial Skills Hall and spent two hundred merit points on a Moon Scroll.
• Yu Qian chose the Five-Element Escape Art for its escape and concealment abilities and spent four hundred merit points on it.
• Yu Qian tried to study both manuals without any origin left for his cheat, then left the hall with his head spinning.

Yu Qian and Shi Da were assigned to watch over a hunt organized by the Fifth Prince at Returning North Mountain. As the young highborn hunters arrived, Yu Qian relaxed at his lookout and privately wondered whether the gathering might lead to more than hunting.

• Yu Qian declined the minister’s invitation to headquarters and returned to the Dingyou Office.
• Ji Cheng assigned Yu Qian and Shi Da to provide security at the Fifth Prince’s hunt outside South City.
• Yu Qian and Shi Da traveled to Returning North Mountain with officers from the Court of Judicial Review and coordinated with the Imperial Guard and palace guards.
• Yu Qian and Shi Da took up a lookout above the gathering ground, where Yu Qian lounged while Shi Da watched their surroundings.
• More than twenty young men and women arrived in hunting gear, and Yu Qian regretted not bringing his spyglass.

Yu Qian was assigned to guard Princess Wen'an, Li Nianxiang, during the hunt. After Li Jian told him to protect her, Yu Qian followed her into the woods and tried to avoid clearing the way until she ordered him to do so.

• Li Jian explained the hunt and proposed assigning Court of Judicial Review officers to guard the women.
• Princess Wen'an chose Yu Qian as her guard, and Li Jian told him to keep her safe.
• Yu Qian followed Li Nianxiang into the woods while leaving her to cut through the brambles herself.
• Li Nianxiang ordered Yu Qian to clear the path, and he quickly drew his saber and obeyed.

Li Nianxiang went hunting with Yu Qian, who taught her to use a bow and helped her practice while praising her shots. The chapter left Li Nianxiang continuing to hunt as Yu Qian roasted her quarry.

• Li Nianxiang asked Yu Qian to lead her through the woods in search of game.
• Yu Qian admitted he could not shoot, then quickly mastered the bow and arrow with his cultivation.
• Yu Qian killed a wild goat and falsely congratulated Li Nianxiang on taking the first quarry.
• Yu Qian caught rabbits and pheasants, tied them up as targets, and helped Li Nianxiang practice until she hit a rabbit.
• Yu Qian prepared the rabbit over a fire and praised Li Nianxiang each time she took another quarry.

Yu Qian tried to draw closer to Li Nianxiang while helping her hunt in Returning North Mountain, but she kept him at a distance and tested his strength. As Li Nianxiang prepared to compete with another young hunter by the river, a black-clad figure emerged from the water and knocked the man unconscious.

• Yu Qian served Li Nianxiang roasted hare, but she rebuked him when he casually asked her name and ordered him to split a tree; he broke it with one palm.
• Li Nianxiang practiced archery and hunted several animals as Yu Qian carried the carcasses behind her.
• A young hunter shot a stag Li Nianxiang had been aiming at, then offered to accompany her; she continued walking, and he followed.
• At the river, the young hunter proposed a contest with Li Nianxiang, and she agreed.
• A black-clad figure sprang from the river, seized the young hunter, knocked him unconscious, and threw him to the ground.

Yu Qian discovered that the White Lotus Cult had infiltrated the hunting grounds to kidnap the participants and kill officers of the Court of Judicial Review. After defeating and interrogating one attacker, he sounded an emergency alarm and returned to protect Li Nianxiang, who woke believing his story about fighting off other villains.

• Yu Qian spotted dozens of black-clad figures underwater, fled to hide, and activated his token to call for backup.
• When one attacker chased him, Yu Qian ambushed and defeated the man, then learned the group belonged to the White Lotus Cult and had orders to kidnap the hunt participants and kill anyone from the Court of Judicial Review.
• Yu Qian killed the attacker and launched an urgent lotus-shaped firework signal for the Court of Judicial Review.
• Yu Qian smeared blood on himself and dirtied his clothes before waking Li Nianxiang and telling her the White Lotus Cult had planned the attack.
• Li Nianxiang questioned Yu Qian about running away, but after seeing his bloodied and disheveled appearance, she apologized.

Yu Qian and Li Nianxiang were captured by a woman in black during the attack on Returning North Mountain. The Court of Judicial Review regrouped and began searching for the missing hostages, while Yu Qian awoke bound in a carriage that stopped at a cave.

• Yu Qian disguised himself in a bandit's robe and carried Li Nianxiang downhill, but a woman in black knocked them both unconscious and took them away.
• The White Lotus Cult attackers abducted more than a dozen people before retreating from Returning North Mountain.
• Cinnabar Sea Realm experts from the Court of Judicial Review arrived, and Li Jian ordered a search for Princess Wen'an.
• Xun Ansheng learned that fourteen people, including Yu Qian, were missing and left to report the abductions to the Court.
• Yu Qian woke bound and hooded beside Li Nianxiang, and the carriage carrying them stopped outside a cave.

Yu Qian freed himself and Li Nianxiang, then decided to escape the mountain prison alone and bring help. His attempt to pick the iron door’s lock failed, and Li Nianxiang reacted with shock to something she witnessed.

• Yu Qian slipped out of his bindings, freed Li Nianxiang, and assessed the prison cell and their chances of escape.
• Yu Qian told Li Nianxiang he planned to leave her behind while he escaped and brought help; she agreed to stay and pretend to be unconscious.
• Yu Qian made a lockpick from Li Nianxiang’s gold hairpin and tried to reach the lock through the bars.
• Yu Qian found he could not reach the keyhole, and Li Nianxiang suddenly trembled in shock at what happened next.

Yu Qian escaped his cell after breaking and resetting his arm, but the black-clad woman caught him and revealed herself as Li Nianxiang. She chose Yu Qian as her agent and offered to help him rise through the Court of Judicial Review, leaving him ready to demand an explanation.

• Yu Qian broke his left forearm to reach the cell lock, then reset and bound it before leaving Li Nianxiang behind.
• Yu Qian escaped through the cave but was intercepted by the black-clad woman near the entrance.
• The woman identified Yu Qian as a Court of Judicial Review officer and vanished before returning with the unconscious Li Nianxiang.
• The black-clad woman transferred herself into Li Nianxiang's body and demonstrated her strength by seizing Yu Qian by the neck.
• Li Nianxiang told Yu Qian he had been chosen and offered to act as his direct contact, helping him rise through the Court of Judicial Review in exchange for carrying out her requests.
• Yu Qian accepted the partnership but insisted on learning the whole story, and Li Nianxiang invited him to ask questions.

Yu Qian learned that Li Nianxiang was a symbiotic being who had chosen him to infiltrate the Court of Judicial Review, then accepted her spirit gu and tested their partnership by slapping her twice. Li Nianxiang threatened to kill him if he tried again, and Yu Qian asked whether she had noticed him as soon as he reached Returning North Mountain.

• Li Nianxiang explained that she shared Li Nianxiang's body through symbiosis and confirmed that her kidnapping scheme aimed to enter Tai'an City.
• Li Nianxiang said she had selected Yu Qian for his low standing, clean background, martial talent, and personal qualities, and confirmed that the cave encounter had tested him.
• Li Nianxiang implanted a spirit gu in Yu Qian's dantian and warned him not to betray their arrangement.
• Yu Qian slapped Li Nianxiang, was kicked away, and then slapped her again with a distraction before being kicked away once more.
• Li Nianxiang warned Yu Qian that another attack would get him killed, and Yu Qian asked whether she had noticed him upon his arrival at Returning North Mountain.