Chapter Summaries

Yu Qian returned to the Court of Judicial Review, became an official officer, and received a martial-technique allowance. He chose Fierce Fist and used his golden-mist ability to study its difficult qi-blood circulation method.

• Yu Qian explained how he killed the bull and burned its corpse, and Sun Shoucheng accepted his account as coincidence.
• The four returned to Longyou County, and the next day Wang Zhen told the injured Sun Shoucheng to recover at the Healing Hall.
• Wang Zhen gave Yu Qian a black Flying Eagle Uniform, officially making him an officer of the Dingyou Office.
• Ji Cheng sent Guo Yi and Yu Qian to pursue Kong Xing of the Green Garment Gang, while Wang Zhen learned that the four had been nominated for two hundred merit points each.
• Yu Qian visited the Martial Skills Hall, browsed its unusual physical techniques, and exchanged his points for Fierce Fist.
• Yu Qian struggled to understand Fierce Fist's qi-blood method, then opened the book in his mind and saw golden mist cover his eyes.

Yu Qian learned optimized versions of Fierce Fist and Thirty Blades, then went with Guo Yi and Shi Da to confront the Green Garment Gang over the attempt on his life. Hall Master Wang Kaitian claimed Kong Xing had killed himself, and Guo Yi began examining the corpse.

• Yu Qian exchanged merit points for Fierce Fist and Thirty Blades and used his Spirit Talisman to learn optimized versions of both techniques.
• Yan Sheng, Wu Wancai, and Wang Zhen teased Yu Qian for choosing combat techniques, while Guo Yi recruited him and Shi Da to visit the Green Garment Gang.
• Yu Qian drove Guo Yi and Shi Da to the gang’s branch hall in One Origin Ward, where they met Hall Master Wang Kaitian.
• Wang Kaitian said Kong Xing had taken his own life the previous night and presented his corpse and a final letter.
• Guo Yi confirmed the body was Kong Xing and began cutting open the corpse to investigate the cause of death.

Yu Qian investigated Kong Xing’s death and accepted the Green Garment Gang’s dubious confession, deciding that staying alive mattered more than pursuing the people behind the case. He left with compensation and resolved to keep a low profile while he grew stronger.

• Guo Yi confirmed that Kong Xing had severed his own heart meridians, and Yu Qian read a suicide note blaming the killing on a land-grabbing scheme.
• Yu Qian questioned Wang Kaitian about the suspicious note and timing, but accepted the Green Garment Gang’s account and declared the case closed.
• Yu Qian demanded three thousand taels for medicine, secured another thousand taels for Guo Yi and Shi Da, and asked Wang Kaitian to protect him.
• After leaving, Shi Da challenged the case’s implausible explanation, and Yu Qian said he would stop investigating to avoid provoking powerful people and protect himself.

Yu Qian returned to the Court of Judicial Review hoping to avoid drawing attention, but Ji Cheng took over the murder case and led the office to confront the Green Garment Gang. With the Imperial Guard securing the gang’s hall, Ji Cheng kicked Wang Kaitian through a stone sculpture, leaving Yu Qian stunned by his strength.

• Yu Qian told Shi Da and Guo Yi he planned to stay in Seven Li Lane and raise the price if anyone wanted his deed.
• Ji Cheng rejected Yu Qian’s cautious handling of the case, assigned it to the Dingyou Office, and ordered the Imperial Guard to support an investigation at the Green Garment Gang’s hall.
• Wu Wancai received confirmation that Commandant Li and an Imperial Guard unit would secure the hall, and Ji Cheng led the office to One Origin Ward.
• Yu Qian and the others arrived to find the Imperial Guard surrounding the hall, where Wang Kaitian and the gang’s guards cowered.
• Ji Cheng kicked Wang Kaitian into a stone saber-toothed tiger sculpture, shattering it and killing several guards with flying debris.

Ji Cheng forced the Green Garment Gang to answer for the assassination attempt on Yu Qian, but the gang’s powerful connections complicated the case. He executed Wang Kaitian and declared the matter closed, then ordered Yu Qian not to investigate it privately.

• Ji Cheng interrogated Wang Kaitian at the Green Garment Gang’s ruined gates while Sun Shoucheng accused the gang of conspiring against the Court of Judicial Review.
• Wu Wancai revealed that the Green Garment Gang had influential backers, including Prince Zhao’s Residence, and relayed Minister Gongsun’s warning against killing gang members without clear evidence.
• Gang Leader Meng Qiu arrived with a representative of Prince Zhao’s Residence, who guaranteed the gang’s innocence.
• Ji Cheng accepted Prince Zhao’s Residence’s guarantee, then beheaded Wang Kaitian and declared the case closed for now.
• Yu Qian formally announced that Kong Xing had been executed and Wang Kaitian punished by association, and Meng Qiu promised the gang would obey the law.
• Ji Cheng told Yu Qian the matter was over and forbade him from pursuing it privately, leaving Yu Qian wondering how Ji Cheng dared to act so ruthlessly.

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.