Chapter Summaries

Yang Qing accepted Duan Ziqian’s Military Tally but suspected the emperor was testing him and drawing him into a dangerous scheme. He sent Jiang Zhizhou to investigate Western Chu, then survived an ambush by attackers demanding the tally and concluded the seal was no ordinary object.

• Yang Qing studied the Military Tally and discussed with Jiang Zhizhou whether Duan Ziqian was testing him or using him in a larger plan.
• Yang Qing ordered Jiang Zhizhou to investigate Western Chu and warned him to avoid a fight and withdraw if necessary.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er that he had sent Jiang Zhizhou away partly to spare him from seeing Duan Ziqian kill his friend.
• Bu Er detected an ambush, fought off attackers who demanded the Military Tally, and escaped with Yang Qing after the carriage was destroyed.
• At a secluded courtyard, Yang Qing concluded that Duan Ziqian had set a clever trap and that the Military Tally was no ordinary seal.

Yang Qing and Bu Er hid in the Quiet Retreat and discovered that Western Hu men from Yijiang had secretly allied with the Yan Prefecture County Magistrate over Fan City's iron mine. After the magistrate handed them an unknown object, one of the men doubled back and killed him, leaving the palace's secret unresolved.

• Bu Er led Yang Qing to hide in the neglected Quiet Retreat outside Fan City.
• Yang Qing and Bu Er recognized the visitors as Western Hu men from Yijiang and saw the Yan Prefecture County Magistrate meet them.
• The Yijiang men said they had helped flood the iron mine, while the magistrate demanded control of Fan City and the temporary palace in return for their agreement.
• The magistrate handed an unknown object to the Yijiang men, who left after telling him to wait for news.
• One Yijiang man returned, struck the magistrate in the chest with an iron caltrop, and escaped as the magistrate died.

Yang Qing and Bu Er recovered a key and the County Magistrate of Fan City's belongings while evading Western Hu intruders, hoping the objects would lead them to what he had guarded. The intruders destroyed the palace with gunpowder, leaving Yang Qing to hope the belongings still held a clue.

• Bu Er found an old key in the County Magistrate of Fan City's clenched hand, and Yang Qing decided not to search the palace immediately.
• Masked Western Hu intruders returned, stripped the magistrate's corpse, and dissolved it with powder before searching the palace.
• Bu Er lured the intruders away from Yang Qing, then returned with him to the palace and gathered the magistrate's pouch, copper coins, and cigarette holder.
• Yang Qing and Bu Er made a shelter near the palace and planned to search again, but an explosion destroyed the palace.
• Bu Er carried Yang Qing away from the blast as Yang Qing wondered whether the recovered belongings could still provide a clue.

Yang Qing and Bu Er returned to Fan City after the destruction of the Late Emperor’s temporary palace, despite Bu Er’s fears that Prince Ding’s men were waiting for them. Duan Hongxing learned of their return and ordered his agents to investigate the palace’s destruction while keeping an eye on the pair and helping them when needed.

• Prefectural Soldiers found a vast crater where the Late Emperor’s temporary palace had stood and fled down the mountain, after which Yang Qing and Bu Er emerged from hiding.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er to return with him to Fan City, where they checked into their former inn as darkness fell.
• Bu Er reported that many of the hidden agents at the inn were gone, though Yang Qing believed Prince Ding still had men stationed there.
• Duan Hongxing learned that Yang Qing and Bu Er had returned, while the Fan City magistrate remained missing.
• Duan Hongxing ordered the innkeeper to take thirty lashes and find whoever had destroyed the temporary palace.
• Duan Hongxing told the innkeeper to monitor Yang Qing and Bu Er and quietly make things easier for them when necessary.

Yang Qing and Bu Er suspected that someone had deliberately leaked information to the Northern Hawk, then waited at the unusually empty Fan City inn for Jiang Zhizhou to return. Jiang Zhizhou reported that Suotu had gone back to the capital, Dai Sheng was missing, and he could not enter Yan Pass, leaving the situation there uncertain.

• Yang Qing suspected that someone had intentionally passed secret information to the Northern Hawk, and Bu Er understood that the source was likely one of a few people they knew.
• Yang Qing and Bu Er found the inn unusually empty, ate the food served to them, and met Prince Ding, Duan Hongxing, who urged Yang Qing to choose an easier path.
• Yang Qing asked Bu Er to order another meal when Jiang Zhizhou arrived, and Jiang ate before reporting the results of his journey.
• Jiang Zhizhou told Yang Qing that Suotu had returned to the capital, Dai Sheng's whereabouts were unknown, and he had been unable to enter Yan Pass.
• Jiang Zhizhou concealed that he had already lost several men inside Yan Pass while investigating the matter.

Yang Qing received a fragment from Guard Suotu confirming a grim message and learned that Suotu’s men at Yan Pass had all died. He resolved to return home and confronted Duan Hongxing, arguing that his life could help prevent war between Northern Liang and Western Chu.

• Jiang Zhizhou showed Yang Qing a burned cloth fragment signed with Guard Suotu’s assumed title, bearing the words that there was still hope ahead.
• Yang Qing learned that every man Guard Suotu left at Yan Pass was dead, then ordered Bu Er to find Dai Sheng and Suotu and care for their families.
• Yang Qing declared that it was time to return home in glory, despite Bu Er’s protests.
• Duan Hongxing summoned Yang Qing to discuss his earlier proposal, and Yang Qing argued that he was needed to mediate between Northern Liang and Western Chu.
• Yang Qing warned Duan Hongxing that if he died in Northern Liang, his sovereign would start a great war, and asked whether that was what the prince wanted.

Yang Qing enlisted Duan Hongxing’s help to act in Northern Liang, then summoned Divine Doctor Xue to remove the mask he had worn for over a decade. The chapter ended with Yang Qing lying down as the medicine began softening the mask, preparing to reveal his true face.

• Duan Hongxing gave Yang Qing a Command Token and promised him freedom if he resolved the matter at hand.
• Yang Qing ordered Bu Er to summon Divine Doctor Xue, despite Bu Er’s concern.
• Yang Qing told Divine Doctor Xue he wanted to remove his mask and live openly before his remaining months were over.
• Divine Doctor Xue examined Yang Qing’s pulse and found his health had improved.
• Divine Doctor Xue applied a medicinal solution to Yang Qing’s face and said they needed to wait an hour for it to soften the mask.

Divine Doctor Xue removed Yang Qing’s false face, revealing the scarred features Jiang Zhizhou remembered and moving Bu Er to tears. As Western Hu visitors arrived at the inn, Yang Qing put on a silver half-mask and set out to investigate their connection to the Imperial Palace affair, while they searched anxiously for an unknown object.

• Divine Doctor Xue removed Yang Qing’s disguise, revealing a long scar across the left side of his face.
• Jiang Zhizhou recognized Yang Qing, and Bu Er tearfully addressed him as “Young master.”
• When Western Hu visitors arrived, Yang Qing sent Bu Er to watch them and put a silver half-mask over his damaged face.
• Yang Qing warned the innkeeper not to interfere with his actions and told Jiang Zhizhou that the visitors might hold clues to the Imperial Palace affair.
• Yang Qing examined the dead Fan City County Magistrate’s personal seal, pipe mouthpiece, and copper coins, wondering what they could reveal.
• The Western Hu visitors worried that they had to find an unknown object before they could safely leave Fan City.

Yang Qing followed County Magistrate Chai’s mistress’s clue to White Cloud Taoist Temple, hoping to uncover what Chai had hidden and why the people of Yijiang had sought it for years. He arrived with Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou to find the temple gates unexpectedly open and a young Taoist inviting them inside.

• The Western Hu people searched County Magistrate Chai’s mistress’s home but found no clue, while a mysterious gust entered their inn room after they left.
• Yang Qing visited the frightened mistress, who accepted Chai’s copper coins and pipe mouthpiece and told him Chai often went to White Cloud Taoist Temple.
• Yang Qing decided to visit the temple with Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou before the Western Hu people could get there first.
• Jiang Zhizhou told Yang Qing that White Cloud Taoist Temple was built after the Grand Ancestor fell gravely ill and began seeking the Dao.
• Yang Qing, Bu Er, and Jiang Zhizhou found the temple’s normally closed central gate standing open, and a young Taoist said his master had invited them inside.

Yang Qing questioned Daoist Qingyun about County Magistrate Chai’s death and the secret linking them, but Qingyun refused to reveal anything. Yang Qing decided to use the copper coin Chai left behind to draw the people from Yijiang toward White Cloud Taoist Temple and force the hidden matter into the open.

• Daoist Qingyun received Yang Qing, Bu Er, and Jiang Zhizhou at White Cloud Taoist Temple but denied that he could help them.
• Yang Qing told Qingyun that people from Yijiang were searching for clues about County Magistrate Chai’s death and warned that they might endanger the temple.
• After leaving, Yang Qing said they needed to protect Qingyun, though he believed Qingyun would keep his secret unless pressured.
• Bu Er suggested making Qingyun take the initiative by increasing the pressure from the people of Yijiang, and Yang Qing agreed to use that lead.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er to leave one of County Magistrate Chai’s copper coins outside the County Office in Fan City.

Deputy County Magistrate Sun tried to get rid of a copper coin connected to the Former Dynasty, but the trouble surrounding it led him into a confrontation at the White Cloud Taoist Temple. Daoist Qingyun recognized Hu Qian, who demanded the coin and Sun, while suspecting that someone else was manipulating events.

• Deputy County Magistrate Sun received Yang Qing's copper coin at the County Office and secretly left the city with it.
• Deputy County Magistrate Sun entered the White Cloud Taoist Temple as two groups crowded inside after him.
• Hu Qian confronted Daoist Qingyun, called him by his secular name Du Ziyun, and demanded the coin and Deputy County Magistrate Sun.
• Deputy County Magistrate Sun hid behind a pillar and feared that the coin was tied to secrets of the Former Dynasty.
• Daoist Qingyun blocked Hu Qian's followers from searching the temple and warned Hu Qian about stirring up the buried affair.
• Hu Qian dismissed the warning, claiming that wealth and glory made the risk worthwhile.

Hu Qian attacked Taoist Qingyun at White Cloud Taoist Temple to demand information, then left after dusting Qingyun’s robe with an unknown powder. Deputy County Magistrate Sun handed Qingyun a Copper Coin linked to a Former Dynasty treasure map and stayed at the temple, where an unexpected visitor appeared in Qingyun’s room that evening.

• Hu Qian confronted Taoist Qingyun and attacked him after Qingyun refused to hand over information.
• Hu Qian threw white powder onto Taoist Qingyun’s robe, warned that Qingyun could no longer conceal the information, and left after glancing toward Deputy County Magistrate Sun.
• Taoist Qingyun questioned Deputy County Magistrate Sun about County Magistrate Chai and accepted the Copper Coin Chai had left with him.
• Deputy County Magistrate Sun explained that the Copper Coin was a token for retrieving the treasure map, and Taoist Qingyun told him to stay at the temple for a few days.
• Taoist Qingyun inspected the powder on his robe but could not identify it, then found an unknown person in his room that evening.

Jiang Zhizhou discovered that Hu Qian had covered Daoist Qingyun with insect eggs from Yijiang, then learned that Daoist Qingyun had once served the Late Emperor and knew of the Former Dynasty’s Treasure. Daoist Qingyun revealed that a copper coin held a treasure map, leaving Jiang Zhizhou curious about how it worked.

• Jiang Zhizhou burned Daoist Qingyun’s outer robe and exposed Nightwake insect eggs hidden on his clothes.
• Jiang Zhizhou used a flame to find and remove the eggs, while Daoist Qingyun realized Hu Qian had attacked him with them.
• Daoist Qingyun agreed to tell Jiang Zhizhou what he knew about the Former Dynasty’s Treasure and explained his past connection to Hu Qian and their master, the Late Emperor.
• Jiang Zhizhou inferred that Hu Qian had approached Deputy County Magistrate Sun because Sun possessed a hidden object.
• Daoist Qingyun showed Jiang Zhizhou the copper coin and revealed that it contained a treasure map.

Jiang Zhizhou learned how the copper coin could reveal the hidden Dragon Vein and reported Daoist Qingyun’s knowledge to Yang Qing, who planned to use the treasure rumors to divert Duan Ziqian’s attention. Duan Ziqian welcomed the prospect of the Former Dynasty’s Treasure, but Duan Hongxing warned that the Dragon Vein was unstable.

• Daoist Qingyun told Jiang Zhizhou that the copper coin revealed its secret when placed in clear water, but refused to involve himself further in worldly affairs.
• Jiang Zhizhou returned to the inn and told Yang Qing what Daoist Qingyun had revealed about the Dragon Vein and the coin.
• Yang Qing decided to use the treasure rumors to draw Duan Ziqian’s attention away from Western Chu.
• Duan Ziqian heard of the Former Dynasty’s Treasure and asked Duan Hongxing where it might be hidden.
• Duan Hongxing warned Duan Ziqian that the Dragon Vein was unstable.

Duan Hongxing warned Duan Ziqian that Yijiang was infiltrating Northern Liang and seeking its Dragon Vein, urging him to investigate. Duan Ziqian agreed that Jiang Zhizhou was suited to the task despite their estrangement.

• Duan Hongxing told Duan Ziqian that Yijiang had grown ambitious amid Northern Liang's unrest and was coveting the Dragon Vein and its treasure.
• Duan Hongxing revealed that Yijiang had secretly sent people into Northern Liang, and that the Fan City Iron Mine flood had exposed their hidden forces.
• Duan Hongxing connected County Magistrate Chai's disappearance to Yijiang and warned that its people would continue pursuing the Dragon Vein.
• Duan Hongxing recommended that Duan Ziqian send someone trustworthy to investigate the Dragon Vein and named Jiang Zhizhou as a suitable candidate.
• Duan Hongxing explained that the old Marquis of Anguo had sworn an oath of loyalty before the Grand Ancestor's portrait, and Duan Ziqian accepted Jiang Zhizhou for the undertaking.

Duan Ziqian summoned Jiang Zhizhou to discuss the threat Yijiang posed to Northern Liang’s Dragon Vein. He secretly ordered Jiang Zhizhou to investigate its whereabouts at North Qi Mountain, and Jiang accepted the mission.

• Duan Ziqian told Duan Hongxing he would treat Jiang Zhizhou well if Jiang sincerely submitted, then sent his thumb ring to summon him.
• Jiang Zhizhou recognized the ring, discussed Duan Ziqian’s likely motives with Yang Qing, and agreed to travel to the Imperial City while Yang stayed in Fan City.
• Before leaving, Jiang Zhizhou instructed Bu Er to manage matters carefully and gave him a bamboo tube to use if his life was in danger.
• At the Flying Pavilion, Duan Ziqian told Jiang Zhizhou that Yijiang threatened Northern Liang’s Dragon Vein and that the investigation had to remain secret.
• Duan Ziqian ordered Jiang Zhizhou to travel secretly to North Qi Mountain and investigate the Dragon Vein’s whereabouts, and Jiang accepted.

Jiang Zhizhou accepted Emperor Duan Ziqian’s assignment to investigate the Former Dynasty’s treasure, intending to use it to pursue his own plans with Yang Qing. In Fan City, Yang Qing recognized signs that skilled Western Chu agents had come prepared, and he began to suspect their apparent failure to notice him was a delaying tactic.

• Jiang Zhizhou told Yang Qing that Duan Ziqian had assigned him to investigate the Former Dynasty’s treasure, and the two discussed using the task for their own purposes.
• Yang Qing saw people from Western Chu in Fan City and became troubled by their presence far from their homeland.
• Bu Er noticed Yang Qing’s poor sleep and urged him to protect his health, prompting Yang Qing to explain that he had encountered people from his past.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er that the strangers wore distinctive Western Chu items and appeared skilled and prepared for their mission.
• Yang Qing concluded that the Western Chu agents may have been buying time by pretending not to notice him, and Bu Er worried that the emperor was plotting against Yang Qing.

Yang Qing decided to accompany Jiang Zhizhou to seek the Dragon Vein, believing the journey and news of his apparent death would finally ease his sovereign’s worries. They traveled north toward Blooming City, where they suspected the Dragon Vein originated, while several groups followed their carriage.

• Yang Qing told Bu Er that he would see his chosen path through and summoned Jiang Zhizhou to discuss his plan.
• Yang Qing said he would accompany Jiang Zhizhou to examine the imperial house’s foundation, and Jiang Zhizhou agreed on the condition that Yang Qing tell him his intentions beforehand.
• Several days later, Yang Qing, Jiang Zhizhou, and Bu Er left Fan City and headed north toward Blooming City.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou discussed Blooming City’s history and its connection to the Grand Ancestor’s victory, concluding that the Dragon Vein might originate there.
• Bu Er reported that several groups had been following and fighting over their carriage, but Yang Qing told him to let them follow.
• The travelers reached the outskirts of Blooming City.

Yang Qing and his companions arrived in Blooming City and learned that the Peerless Gentleman was choosing the queen of flowers, a local custom involving a flower rather than a woman. They left without seeing him, while Yang Qing suspected the wealthy, mysterious man might soon seek them out.

• Bu Er drove Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou into Blooming City, where a crowd blocked their carriage outside a restaurant.
• A local man told Bu Er that the Peerless Gentleman chose an actual flower as the queen of flowers and drew crowds by distributing gifts throughout the city.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou waited at a nearby restaurant and listened as its waiter shared stories about the Peerless Gentleman's wealth and habits.
• After the selection ended, the three men failed to see the Peerless Gentleman leave and quietly departed.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er there was no need to seek the Peerless Gentleman out because he might already be looking for a reason to visit them.

Yang Qing recognized the Dragon Pattern on lanterns in Blooming City and connected it to a mysterious figure from his childhood, possibly the Peerless Gentleman. He and Jiang Zhizhou turned their attention back to investigating the incomplete Dragon Vein map, while agreeing to leave once the matter was settled.

• Yang Qing recalled seeing the unusual mark on a lantern in his youth and told Jiang Zhizhou that the Peerless Gentleman resembled an old acquaintance.
• Yang Qing identified the lantern design as the legendary Dragon Pattern and wondered whether its return was tied to a major event or Northern Liang's Dragon Vein.
• Bu Er reported that the Peerless Gentleman had vanished from Blooming City, and Yang Qing told him to prioritize their real business.
• Jiang Zhizhou said the terrain map on County Magistrate Chai's copper coins was incomplete, but its clear beginning could guide their investigation.
• Yang Qing doubted that Duan Ziqian's interest in the Dragon Vein would make him abandon other ambitions, and he agreed with Jiang Zhizhou that they would leave after resolving the matter.