Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong examined two men who had died suddenly, first at the Mortuary and then in the courtyard. Their inspection revealed that the deaths involved poison, and Qin Yutong found a tiny needle mark beneath each victim’s armpit.

• Hu Xiaotian visited the Mortuary with Qin Yutong after learning that Coroner Li Guangsheng had found nothing unusual in the bodies.
• Zhu Yannian and Fan Tong led Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong to the bodies, then carried them into a bright, ventilated part of the courtyard for examination.
• Hu Xiaotian opened one victim’s abdomen and inspected the stomach while Qin Yutong examined the bodies without showing fear.
• Qin Yutong tested the liver with a silver needle and identified poisoning, then determined that the food in the stomach was not poisonous.
• Qin Yutong inspected the victims and discovered a tiny needle mark beneath each man’s armpit.

Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong investigated the poisoned corpses, then discussed his medical instruments and her past. After arranging surveillance and invitations for his charity auction, Hu Xiaotian waited for Murong Feiyan and cooked her dinner; the chapter ended with him teasing her about recovering after childbirth.

• Hu Xiaotian stitched the corpse closed and told Zhu Yannian to bury the bodies without revealing the autopsy, while explaining to Qin Yutong that the men had been poisoned.
• Hu Xiaotian showed Qin Yutong his surgical instruments, concealed their source, and listened as she identified the Heavenly Crafts Workshop's mark.
• Qin Yutong removed her veil and told Hu Xiaotian that enemies had scarred her face when they slaughtered her family; she said she wished to learn medicine and ease suffering.
• Liu Kuohai reported that Hu Jinniu had gone to North Fort Town to visit an old woman and two children, and Hu Xiaotian ordered continued surveillance and invitations sent for the charity auction.
• Hu Xiaotian cooked dinner and waited for Murong Feiyan, then served her chicken soup and joked that he would make it for her after childbirth someday.

Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan discussed Le Yao’s past and Wan Tingguang’s suspicious death, with Murong agreeing not to pursue the matter further for now. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian’s Charity Auction banquet began with officials and merchants staying away, leaving him facing a near-empty event.

• Murong Feiyan told Hu Xiaotian that she had examined Wan Tingguang’s corpse, found signs suggesting poisoning, and collected hair and nails for testing.
• Murong Feiyan revealed Le Yao’s father had died in prison after Yang Daoquan arrested him, and that Wan Boping had acquired the Le Family’s property; she left the collected evidence with Hu Xiaotian.
• Song Shaofu and Hu Xiaotian prepared the Charity Auction at the Wild Goose Tower, but Xu Qinglian, most officials, and nearly all the invited merchants failed to attend.
• Guo Shouguang arrived to gloat over the sparse turnout, while Hu Xiaotian welcomed him and claimed he had not invited Xu Qinglian.
• As the banquet remained nearly empty, Hu Xiaotian considered inviting ordinary people from the street to fill the twelve prepared tables.

Hu Xiaotian’s charity auction drew increasingly powerful guests, including Zhang Ziqian, who revealed his ties to Li Tianheng and openly showed support for Hu. The chapter ended with the arrival of the Prince of Zhou, Long Yefang, whose unexpected appearance stunned everyone.

• Teng Zidan arrived with her father, Teng Tianqi, chief of Blackstone Stockade, and Hu Xiaotian welcomed them to the auction.
• Xiao Tianmu arrived with his men and told Hu Xiaotian that Zhou Batian was leading a planned robbery to aid the poor.
• Zhang Ziqian arrived in his official capacity, and Hu Xiaotian recognized him as the fisherman who had tested him after he first reached Azure Cloud.
• Zhang Ziqian called Hu Xiaotian “Brother Hu,” making Guo Shouguang realize that Hu had powerful connections.
• A herald announced that Long Yefang, the Prince of Zhou, had arrived, leaving the guests stunned.

The Prince of Zhou attended Hu Xiaotian’s Charity Auction, drawing merchants and county officials to Wild Goose Tower. Just as Hu Xiaotian began hosting the gathering, Xiangqin arrived to collect the thousand-tael debt he owed her.

• Long Yefang revealed that Qiqi had asked him to support Hu Xiaotian, then joined Hu Xiaotian and Zhang Ziqian at the banquet.
• Merchants and officials hurried to Wild Goose Tower after hearing that the Prince of Zhou was there, but Liu Kuohai stopped Xu Qinglian and Liu Baoju at the entrance.
• Xiangqin arrived with several beautiful women and announced that she had come to collect Hu Xiaotian’s debt.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized Xiangqin from Huan Cai Pavilion and remembered the IOU he had written for a thousand taels to help Liang Dazhuang escape, then hurried out to meet her.

Hu Xiaotian welcomed Xi Yan, his creditor, and a gathering of powerful guests to the Wild Goose Tower for the Charity Auction. After Xu Qinglian and Liu Baoju offended the Prince of Zhou with their form of address, Hu Xiaotian opened the event and thanked the prominent guests and Shopkeeper Song.

• Hu Xiaotian recognized Xi Yan as the creditor holding his IOU and promised Xiangqin he would repay the debt, but Xiangqin caught him before he could leave.
• Xu Qinglian and Liu Baoju knelt before the Prince of Zhou and called themselves his subjects, prompting Long Yefang to react coldly while Zhang Ziqian ignored their pleas for help.
• Hu Xiaotian began the Charity Auction and introduced the Prince of Zhou, Zhang Ziqian, and Chief Teng and the Black Miao guests.
• Hu Xiaotian thanked Shopkeeper Song for sponsoring the charity dinner, and Song Shaofu accepted the praise before the assembled guests.

Hu Xiaotian hosted a charity auction to raise money to rebuild Azure Cloud Bridge while shifting blame for the proposed household levy onto Xu Qinglian. The bidding escalated over a rare Yan Muliang painting, and the chapter ended with Xu Qinglian challenging Wan Boping’s five-hundred-tael bid.

• Hu Xiaotian blamed Xu Qinglian for proposing a five-tael levy per household and explained that the auction proceeds would fund the bridge repairs.
• A merchant opened the bidding on Shopkeeper Song’s Blue-and-White Porcelain Vase, and Zhang Ziqian bid twenty taels before Xiangqin raised the price to fifty for her young lady.
• Xiangqin’s young lady won the vase for fifty taels, and Hu Xiaotian presented Xiao Tianmu’s landscape by Yan Muliang as the next lot.
• Long Yefang and Zhang Ziqian examined the painting and recognized it as a genuine, exceptionally rare work by Yan Muliang.
• Hu Xiaotian set the painting’s starting price at five hundred taels, Wan Boping bid that amount, and Xu Qinglian countered with five hundred and fifty taels.

Teng Tianqi won Yan Muliang’s landscape painting, while Long Yefang made a lavish bid for Hu Xiaotian’s IOU at the charity auction. Xi Yan tore up the IOU and left, leaving Long Yefang standing awkwardly before the crowd.

• Xu Qinglian offered five hundred and fifty taels for the landscape painting, but Teng Tianqi outbid him and won it for eight hundred taels.
• Long Yefang bought Zhang Ziqian’s impromptu calligraphy for a thousand taels, inspiring others to donate.
• Xiangqin presented Hu Xiaotian’s IOU for auction, and Hu Xiaotian bid a thousand taels to reclaim it.
• Long Yefang bid two thousand taels for the IOU after Xi Yan revealed it was worth only ten taels.
• Xi Yan accepted Long Yefang’s offer, tore up the IOU, and left; Long Yefang restrained his guards as he stood frozen.

Hu Xiaotian drew Xi Yan into a private room, stirring gossip among the charity auction guests before revealing that they had made a lifelike portrait together. The portrait amazed the hall, and the Prince of Zhou praised both the painting and Xi Yan.

• Hu Xiaotian fined Xi Yan fifty copper coins for littering, and she warned him not to forget his debt to her.
• Long Yefang urged Xi Yan to stay for the charity auction, while Hu Xiaotian invited her upstairs to cooperate on his unique donation.
• Xi Yan and Hu Xiaotian entered a private room as the guests speculated about what they were doing, then emerged with Xi Yan blushing and pleased.
• Hu Xiaotian presented a lifelike charcoal portrait of Xi Yan, astonishing Zhang Ziqian and the auction guests.
• Long Yefang realized Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan had only drawn a portrait and praised the painting and its subject.

At the charity auction, Long Yefang paid two thousand taels of gold for Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan’s painting, then stayed at Wan Boping’s residence. After escorting the prince, Hu Xiaotian reflected on Xi Yan’s background and on his separation from Le Yao.

• Long Yefang offered one thousand taels of gold for Hu Xiaotian’s painting, and Xi Yan insisted on keeping her half.
• Long Yefang paid another thousand taels of gold for Xi Yan’s half, and Hu Xiaotian led the crowd in cheering for the prince.
• Hu Xiaotian arranged for Long Yefang to stay at Wan Boping’s residence, while Xi Yan left without saying goodbye to the prince.
• Xu An whispered news to Xu Qinglian, whose face turned pale with shock.
• Long Yefang asked how Hu Xiaotian knew Xi Yan and became disappointed when Hu Xiaotian said they had met at Huan Cai Pavilion.
• Hu Xiaotian stayed at the Wan Residence and remembered Le Yao as he stood alone beneath the moon.

Hu Xiaotian encountered Xi Yan on a rooftop, where she toyed with him, warned him to stay away from Qin Yutong, and threatened to kill him before vanishing into the night. He was left wondering why she had targeted him and how strong she really was.

• Hu Xiaotian felt unseen gusts in the courtyard, then discovered Xi Yan on the roof after she pelted him with jujubes.
• Hu Xiaotian climbed toward Xi Yan, and she pulled him onto the roof before kicking him across it and catching him by the collar.
• Hu Xiaotian flirted with Xi Yan, who refused his offer to repay her silver and insisted that she would decide when the debt was settled.
• Xi Yan warned Hu Xiaotian to avoid Qin Yutong and threatened him if he ever helped Qin Yutong harm her.
• Xi Yan said she had come to kill Hu Xiaotian, then sprang away into the night before he could stop her.

Hu Xiaotian learned from An Dequan that Qiqi was the daughter of the deposed crown prince, Long Yelin. The revelation left him fearing that helping her could draw him and his father into court intrigue.

• Hu Xiaotian returned to his room and found An Dequan waiting there, who used internal force to release Hu Xiaotian’s blocked voice.
• An Dequan showed Hu Xiaotian his metal prosthetic leg and said he had come because Hu Xiaotian had helped Qiqi.
• Hu Xiaotian claimed he had lost the Coiled Dragon Jade Pendant, and An Dequan accepted that it had been Hu Xiaotian’s to keep.
• An Dequan explained that Zhou Ruiyuan had once been a powerful court official, had been stripped of office after defending the deposed crown prince, and had broken Hu Xiaotian’s childhood betrothal.
• An Dequan revealed that Qiqi was the daughter of the deposed crown prince, Long Yelin, and Hu Xiaotian realized the danger of having helped her.

An Dequan warned Hu Xiaotian about political dangers, revealed Xi Yan’s connection to the Five Immortals Cult, and tasked him with protecting the Prince of Zhou and the Shajia delegation. Meanwhile, Azure Cloud officials discovered that a thief had robbed their homes and tried to conceal their losses; Guo Shouguang began to suspect the affair was suspicious.

• An Dequan gave Hu Xiaotian a Blackwood Token and warned him that Xi Yan belonged to the Five Immortals Cult.
• An Dequan told Hu Xiaotian that the Prince of Zhou had come to welcome a Shajia delegation, and Hu Xiaotian reported that Azure Cloud Bridge had been deliberately destroyed and an ambush might await travelers at Eternal Relief Bridge.
• An Dequan ordered Hu Xiaotian to ensure the Prince of Zhou’s safety and gave him a Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles cylinder before disappearing.
• Xu Qinglian and other Azure Cloud officials gathered after their homes were burgled, but Xu Qinglian ordered them to investigate secretly and avoid alarming the town.
• Madam Xu exposed that her jewelry and luminous pearl had been stolen, prompting Xu Qinglian to slap her and threaten to divorce her.
• Guo Shouguang, feeling less distressed after learning that other officials had suffered greater losses, said the thefts seemed suspicious.

After discovering that officials’ homes had been robbed while they attended the Charity Auction, Xu Qinglian and Liu Baoju suspected a coordinated plot and considered Hu Xiaotian a suspect. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian accepted the Prince of Zhou’s request to deliver a love letter to Xi Yan, but found only Xiangqin at the Good Fortune Inn.

• Guo Shouguang told Liu Baoju and Xu Qinglian that several officials had been robbed on the same night while they were away, and Xu Qinglian rejected Liu Baoju’s plan to search Hu Xiaotian’s home openly.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Long Yefang at the Wan Residence, where Long Yefang asked him to arrange a meeting with Xi Yan and gave him a letter to deliver.
• Hu Xiaotian left without breakfast, read Long Yefang’s unsealed love poem, and decided to deliver it to Xi Yan at the Good Fortune Inn.
• Hu Xiaotian met Murong Feiyan on the way and told her to go home and make him noodles while he finished the prince’s errand.
• Hu Xiaotian reached the Good Fortune Inn, found Xi Yan absent, and told Xiangqin that he had come to see Xi Yan.

Hu Xiaotian delivered the Prince of Zhou’s letter to Xi Yan, then dealt with Xu Qinglian’s efforts to enlist his help entertaining the prince and learned that the Mortuary’s proprietor had died. Back at his lodgings, he received a visit from Zhang Ziqian, whose friendly explanations left Hu Xiaotian suspecting he had come to gather intelligence.

• Xiangqin rejected the Prince of Zhou’s request to meet Xi Yan and insulted the letter’s supposed author, Young Master Maple Grove.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to the Wan Residence and told the Prince of Zhou that Xi Yan would not meet him.
• Xu An brought Hu Xiaotian to Xu Qinglian, who asked him to help entertain the Prince of Zhou; they also discussed the Charity Auction’s funds for repairing Azure Cloud Bridge.
• Hu Xiaotian encountered Li Guangsheng and the grieving Fan Tong, who reported that Mortuary proprietor Zhu Yannian had died suddenly the previous night.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to his empty lodgings and found Murong Feiyan absent, then welcomed Prefect Zhang Ziqian, who praised their friendship while Hu Xiaotian suspected he was gathering intelligence for Li Tianheng.

Hu Xiaotian revealed his identity to Zhang Ziqian and used their meeting to conceal his relationship with Xi Yan while refusing to return to the Western Prefecture. He then warned Zhang Ziqian that the Heavenly Wolf Mountain bandits might attack the Shajia Delegation and proposed cutting off their suspected informants, ending with a call to kill them before they could coordinate.

• Hu Xiaotian admitted to Zhang Ziqian that he was the son of the Minister of Revenue and explained that his father had sent him to Azure Cloud to learn through experience.
• Zhang Ziqian probed Hu Xiaotian about his ties to Xi Yan and advised him to keep a respectful distance from people who could damage his standing.
• Hu Xiaotian declined Zhang Ziqian’s invitation to return to the Western Prefecture, citing his duties in Azure Cloud.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhang Ziqian that the Prince of Zhou had come to receive the Shajia Delegation and that Heavenly Wolf Mountain bandits might ambush it.
• Hu Xiaotian suggested that officials were leaking information to the bandits and proposed cutting off their communications, ending with the order to kill suspected informants rather than let any escape.

Hu Xiaotian received Zhang Ziqian’s authority and assistance to investigate suspected officials, but Long Yefang’s attempt to arrest Xi Yan and the Five Immortals Cult members failed after they fled. Qin Yutong then brought poison-test results and questioned Hu Xiaotian about the cult, as he prepared to show her evidence connected to Wan Tingguang.

• Zhang Ziqian gave Hu Xiaotian the Commander-in-Chief’s command token and left Liang Qing and Xu Heng to assist him while he traveled to Western Prefecture.
• Long Yefang urged Hu Xiaotian to arrest Xi Yan and the suspected Five Immortals Cult members, then ordered Xu Qinglian to lead the arrest.
• Xu Qinglian reported that Xi Yan and her companions had escaped, so he arrested innkeeper Su Guangju instead, and Long Yefang left in a foul mood.
• Qin Yutong told Hu Xiaotian that both assassins had died from Five Extremes Yin Fiend Powder, a poison made by the Five Immortals Cult.
• Hu Xiaotian told Qin Yutong about Zhu Yannian’s death and the cult’s presence in Azure Cloud, then fetched Wan Tingguang’s hair and nails for her to examine.

Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong discussed Yan Boguang’s recovery and the danger of rumors, while Hu Xiaotian later joined Zhou Batian and Xiao Tianmu in deciding how to use the wealth stolen from corrupt officials. After revealing his identity as the Minister of Revenue’s son, Hu Xiaotian reaffirmed his friendship with Zhou Batian and Xiao Tianmu as they considered the Shajia delegation’s arrival.

• Qin Yutong told Hu Xiaotian that Yan Boguang could walk, and Hu warned her that saving Yan Kui’s son could expose her to accusations of colluding with Heavenly Wolf Mountain’s bandits.
• Hu Xiaotian, Zhou Batian, and Xiao Tianmu counted the valuables they had stolen from seven Azure Cloud officials, totaling about thirteen thousand taels apart from Xu Qinglian’s losses.
• Zhou Batian proposed returning the stolen wealth to ordinary people, while Xiao Tianmu warned that the corrupt officials might simply fleece them again.
• Jia Dewang reported that the Shajia delegation had arrived, and Xiao Tianmu suspected its visit explained why Long Yefang had come to Azure Cloud.
• Xiao Tianmu inferred that Hu Xiaotian was the Minister of Revenue’s son, and Hu confirmed his identity to him and Zhou Batian.
• Hu Xiaotian said he considered Zhou Batian and Xiao Tianmu friends and promised to help clear Zhou Batian’s name, and both men clasped his hands in trust.

Xiao Tianmu, Zhou Mo, and Hu Xiaotian became sworn brothers and discussed the Shajia delegation’s planned marriage alliance with Great Kang. They suspected the Horse Bandits intended to attack the delegation and resolved to prevent a crisis that could lead to war, while Zhou Mo vowed revenge on Yan Kui.

• Xiao Tianmu proposed that he, Zhou Batian, and Hu Xiaotian become sworn brothers, and they sealed their oath with blood wine.
• Zhou Batian revealed his real name, Zhou Mo, and the three pledged to share fortune and hardship as brothers.
• Hu Xiaotian raised the Shajia delegation, and Xiao Tianmu explained that it was traveling to the Kang Capital to arrange a marriage alliance.
• Zhou Mo explained Shajia’s conflict with the Southern Yue Kingdom and said Sang Muzha’s twelfth prince, Huo Ge, was coming to seek a bride.
• Hu Xiaotian, Xiao Tianmu, and Zhou Mo suspected the Horse Bandits might attack the delegation after Azure Cloud Bridge was destroyed, risking war between Shajia and Great Kang.
• Zhou Mo vowed to cut off Yan Kui’s head to avenge the hundred brothers killed at Heavenly Wolf Mountain.

Hu Xiaotian planned to protect the Prince of Zhou and the Shajia delegation by blocking the Horse Bandits of Heavenly Wolf Mountain, while promising Zhou Mo a later chance to pursue revenge. After the delegation reached Azure Cloud, Hu Xiaotian confronted the county officials over their failure to arrest the Five Immortals Cult rebels and ordered Xu Qinglian arrested.

• Hu Xiaotian warned Xiao Tianmu and Zhou Mo that conflict between Shajia and Great Kang would harm the people, then laid out plans to block the bandits’ routes and close the waterways.
• Hu Xiaotian persuaded Zhou Mo to put national security ahead of revenge and suggested capturing Yan Boguang to draw out Yan Kui and the Horse Bandits.
• The Prince of Zhou lodged the Shajia delegation at the Wan Residence and barred Xu Qinglian and the other local officials from entering.
• The Azure Cloud officials asked Hu Xiaotian to discover why the Prince of Zhou had excluded them, while rumors of Hu Xiaotian’s powerful family connections made them deferential.
• Hu Xiaotian reminded the officials that they had failed to arrest the Five Immortals Cult rebels, then ordered Liang Qing and Xu Heng to arrest Xu Qinglian.