Chapter Summaries

After reaching Xiezhou, Hu Xiaotian prepared to return to Azure Cloud while Qin Yutong left for Capital City and gave him a Human-Skin Mask for protection. At the welcoming banquet, Long Yefang and his companions walked into an ambush, leaving the prince surrounded by armed men and archers.

• The Prince of Zhou and the Shajia Delegation reached Xiezhou, where Yang Daoquan welcomed them and escorted them into the city.
• Qin Yutong told Hu Xiaotian she had been ordered to return to Capital City, gave him a Human-Skin Mask, and parted ways with him.
• Hu Xiaotian told Long Yefang he planned to return to Azure Cloud the next morning, while Long Yefang said he wanted to visit the Huan Cai Pavilion.
• Long Yefang and Hu Xiaotian found the banquet hall empty, then armed men and archers emerged and surrounded them.

Li Honghan’s forces seized the Prince of Zhou in Xiezhou, revealing that the Li Family had rebelled, while Hu Xiaotian tried to conceal his alarm and find a way to escape. Under guard, Hu Xiaotian prepared for Li Honghan to take him to meet Li Tianheng, leaving him worried about his family and the upheaval in Great Kang.

• Li Honghan arrived with four warriors and confronted the Prince of Zhou’s guards, confirming Hu Xiaotian’s suspicion that Yang Daoquan had helped arrange the rebellion.
• Li Honghan killed one guard who attacked him and then killed another after the man surrendered, before ordering his men to take the Prince of Zhou away.
• The Prince of Zhou accused Hu Xiaotian of plotting with Li Honghan, but Li Honghan told him he would have to cooperate if he wanted to live.
• Li Honghan spoke with Hu Xiaotian and said his father wanted to meet him, then invited him to a banquet at the Moon-Gathering Tower.
• Hu Xiaotian changed clothes, gathered his important possessions, concealed Qin Yutong’s human-skin mask, and returned under the watch of Li Honghan’s men.

Hu Xiaotian joined Li Honghan and Huo Ge for a private dinner and learned that their marriage alliances were tied to Li Tianheng’s rebellion. After Li Honghan explained the upheaval in the capital, Hu Xiaotian cautiously avoided taking sides, leaving his loyalty and his family’s safety unresolved.

• Li Honghan escorted Hu Xiaotian to the Moon-Gathering Tower, where they met Huo Ge, Hu Xiaotian’s sworn brother and Li Honghan’s ally.
• Li Honghan revealed that Huo Ge was engaged to his second younger sister and Hu Xiaotian to his fifth younger sister.
• Li Honghan told Hu Xiaotian that Emperor Long Xuan'en had abdicated in favor of Long Yelin, who had ordered the former Crown Prince Long Yeqing to die.
• Li Honghan and Huo Ge denounced Long Yelin’s succession and sought Hu Xiaotian’s support.
• Hu Xiaotian said that the identity of the emperor mattered less than whether ordinary people could live well, without openly supporting either side.

Hu Xiaotian realized the Li Family had allied with Shajia and was using him as a political hostage, while Hu Buwei and Xu Fengyi worried over the danger he faced in Western Sichuan. The chapter left Hu Buwei sending Hu Tianxiong to attempt a rescue as Xu Fengyi prepared to go herself.

• Hu Xiaotian inferred that the Five Immortals Cult had helped protect Huo Ge's delegation and reconsidered Xi Yan's warnings and Qin Yutong's departure.
• Li Honghan reassured Hu Xiaotian that Hu Buwei had been warned about the upheaval, but Hu Xiaotian suspected he was lying about the Li Family's plans.
• Hu Buwei and Xu Fengyi argued over his decision to send their son to Western Sichuan and feared Li Tianheng would endanger him after rebelling.
• Hu Buwei interpreted Li Tianheng's couplet as a hidden declaration of his ambition to rule Western Sichuan, though the chapter noted Hu Xiaotian had composed it without such intent.
• Xu Fengyi declared she would travel to Western Sichuan to retrieve Hu Xiaotian, and Hu Buwei told her he had already sent Hu Tianxiong to attempt a rescue.

Hu Buwei and Xu Fengyi learned that Hu Xiaotian was safe and had found the Iron Deed of Redemption, though Hu Buwei feared it could not save him from the new emperor. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian remained under guard in the Imperial Palace and weighed how to escape before Li Honghan could use him against his father.

• Liang Dazhuang returned to the Minister's Residence with Hu Xiaotian's letter and reported that Xiaotian was safe and thriving in Azure Cloud.
• Hu Buwei examined the Iron Deed of Redemption rubbing Hu Xiaotian had sent, then burned it and warned Xu Fengyi that it might not protect their family from the new emperor.
• Hu Xiaotian pretended to be drunk while drinking with Li Honghan, but Li ordered guards to keep watch over him at the palace.
• After Hu Xiaotian was put to bed, Li Honghan told the guards not to leave his side, while Hu Xiaotian considered his escape options and took out the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles.

Hu Xiaotian feigned a plague to drive away his guards and summon Zhou Wenju, then told him that the Li Family had rebelled and the Prince of Zhou was under house arrest. Zhou Wenju believed him and condemned Li Tianheng, leaving Hu Xiaotian with a potential ally inside Xiezhou.

• Hu Xiaotian used laxatives and rat droppings to make his illness look like plague, frightening the physician and Li Honghan into keeping their distance.
• The physician named Zhou Wenju as Xiezhou's most skilled doctor, and he was summoned to treat Hu Xiaotian.
• Zhou Wenju examined Hu Xiaotian and diagnosed ordinary diarrhea rather than plague.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Zhou Wenju about the rumors and learned that he would leave Western Sichuan if the Li Family had rebelled.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed that the Li Family had declared independence and imprisoned the Prince of Zhou, and Zhou Wenju believed his account and denounced Li Tianheng.

Hu Xiaotian and Zhou Wenju tried to escape the Heavenly Prefecture Palace after Li Honghan left, fearing that the guards would burn it down if Hu’s suspected plague was confirmed. Zhou Wenju offered to disguise himself as Hu Xiaotian, but Hu worried the plan would cost him his life.

• Hu Xiaotian urged Zhou Wenju to help him escape and expose the Li family’s rebellion to the court.
• Zhou Wenju told Li Honghan that Hu might have the plague and should remain under observation, warning that the palace would need to be sealed if the diagnosis was confirmed.
• Li Honghan departed early with the Shajia Delegation, ordered Yan Zhou to burn the palace if Hu had the plague, and warned him to keep Hu’s illness secret.
• Zhou Wenju reported that troops had tightened security in Xiezhou City and proposed claiming Hu was dying so he could take him away to be cremated.
• Zhou Wenju discovered that guards had brought firewood and oil into the palace, then offered to disguise himself as Hu and help him escape.
• Hu Xiaotian refused to let Zhou Wenju risk his life and asked what would happen to him if the palace was burned after Hu escaped.

Zhou Wenju helped Hu Xiaotian escape the Heavenly Prefecture Palace by trading clothes with him and pretending to remain in bed. Hu Xiaotian fled into Xiezhou City, but Yan Zhou tracked him down, and their confrontation ended with Yan Zhou charging him after being struck by the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles.

• Zhou Wenju told Hu Xiaotian to escape and offered to take his place, and Hu Xiaotian kowtowed to him before they exchanged robes.
• Hu Xiaotian left the palace disguised as Zhou Wenju, passed the guards, and abandoned the braying donkey when it threatened to draw attention.
• Hu Xiaotian got lost in Xiezhou City while searching for the abandoned oil mill Zhou Wenju had recommended.
• Yan Zhou followed Hu Xiaotian into a dark alley, recognized him, and demanded that he remove his face covering.
• Hu Xiaotian fired the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles at Yan Zhou, but Yan Zhou survived the volley and thrust his saber toward Hu Xiaotian's chest.

Hu Xiaotian killed Yan Zhou and escaped the soldiers hunting him by hiding in the well at Zhou Ruiyuan’s old residence, where he was wounded by an arrow. He climbed out at dawn in the rain, but Xiezhou was likely to be even more tightly guarded, forcing him to keep moving.

• Hu Xiaotian used the Iron Deed of Redemption to survive Yan Zhou’s saber strike, then stabbed Yan Zhou through the heart and confirmed he was dead.
• Hu Xiaotian fled to Zhou Ruiyuan’s old residence in Yujin Lane and slept in its West Wing.
• After soldiers launched a search for Hu Xiaotian, he hid underwater in the courtyard well and breathed through a bamboo tube.
• Two soldiers shot arrows into the well, and one wounded Hu Xiaotian in the left shoulder before they left.
• Hu Xiaotian treated his wound with Golden Wound-Healing Medicine and climbed out of the well at dawn.
• Hu Xiaotian realized he could not stay in the Zhou residence because the killing of Yan Zhou would tighten security across Xiezhou.

Hu Xiaotian escaped Xiezhou City in disguise with the Iron Deed of Redemption, then began traveling toward the Kang Capital to save his family. After spending the night in an abandoned temple, he rushed to protect his horse from a venomous snake.

• Hu Xiaotian used Qin Yutong’s Human-Skin Mask and hid the Iron Deed of Redemption and his short blade in a night-soil cart.
• Hu Xiaotian saw the captured Zhou Wenju pass by and vowed to repay him, then fooled the guards at Xiezhou City’s western gate and escaped.
• Hu Xiaotian recovered the deed and blade from the cart, bought a horse and supplies, and chose the route toward the Kang Capital.
• Hu Xiaotian reflected on his duty to save the Hu Family and thanked Qin Yutong for the mask that had helped him escape.
• Hu Xiaotian heard his horse stirring at the abandoned temple and struck a green snake with a burning stick before it could attack.

Hu Xiaotian faced Xi Yan after she tracked him down and reclaimed her Silver Flute, then tried to talk his way out of her threats by professing love and reminding her that he had once saved her. Xi Yan remained ready to kill him, but Hu Xiaotian claimed a hidden expert at the Wan Residence had ordered him to kill her.

• Hu Xiaotian fought off a swarm of bats and recognized Xi Yan on the roof, though he tried to conceal his identity.
• Xi Yan confronted Hu Xiaotian, took back her Silver Flute, and threatened to kill him with her snake or curved blade.
• Hu Xiaotian professed love for Xi Yan and claimed his past mistreatment had been meant to protect her.
• When Xi Yan raised her blade, Hu Xiaotian stopped her by saying he had once blocked a hidden expert who intended to kill her at the Wan Residence.
• Hu Xiaotian claimed the expert had given him something that could kill Xi Yan with a movement of his finger.

Hu Xiaotian bluffed Xi Yan with a supposedly deadly weapon, escaped her by stripping and hiding from bats, then continued toward the Kang Capital after she stole his clothes and money. In Heqing Town, he tried to sell his dagger for travel funds, but Brother Mao Three and his thugs cornered him and demanded to inspect it.

• Hu Xiaotian threatened Xi Yan with the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, but she called his bluff and advanced on him.
• Hu Xiaotian stripped to shame Xi Yan into leaving, then fled from a swarm of bats and hid in a foul pond until they dispersed.
• Hu Xiaotian found that Xi Yan had taken his clothes and travel money, so he wrapped himself in a prayer banner and walked onward with the Iron Deed of Redemption.
• After three days, Hu Xiaotian stole dry clothes in a village and reached Heqing Town, where he tried to sell his dagger to afford a horse.
• Brother Mao Three and his thugs surrounded Hu Xiaotian and demanded to see the dagger, while Hu Xiaotian insisted they pay a hundred taels first.

Hu Xiaotian escaped Mao San’s gang, rescued Gao Yuan, and secured a carriage and money to continue his journey. After helping Gao Yuan bury his father, Hu Xiaotian accepted him as a companion, while news along the road revealed the new emperor’s rise and the coming conflict over the Western Sichuan rebellion.

• Hu Xiaotian fought off Mao San by striking him in the groin, then hid beneath a mat beside a dead man while Mao San’s gang searched for him.
• When Mao San kicked the dead man and attacked Gao Yuan, Hu Xiaotian stabbed Mao San and forced the gang to provide a carriage and their trousers.
• Hu Xiaotian and Gao Yuan left town with the body, and Hu Xiaotian robbed Mao San of silver and a gold-mounted jade pendant before letting him go.
• Hu Xiaotian helped Gao Yuan bury his father, offered him silver to seek relatives, and agreed to let him join the journey when Gao Yuan had nowhere else to go.
• As Hu Xiaotian and Gao Yuan traveled toward the Kang Capital, Hu Xiaotian heard that Long Yelin had succeeded to the throne, Long Xuan'en had become the Retired Emperor, and Long Yeqing had been condemned as a usurper.

Hu Buwei was arrested on charges of corruption and plotting rebellion, while his son Hu Xiaotian returned to the capital too late to stop it. Hu Xiaotian hid from the authorities and began looking for someone influential who could help defend his parents.

• Hu Buwei worried that Li Tianheng had taken Hu Xiaotian hostage and feared his family would be destroyed as the court prepared to attack the Rebel Army.
• Soldiers surrounded the Minister's Residence, and Hu Buwei ordered his household not to resist.
• Ji Feihua delivered an imperial decree accusing Hu Buwei of corruption and plotting rebellion with Li Tianheng, and ordering his arrest and the confiscation of his family's property.
• Hu Buwei and Xu Fengyi were taken to the Ministry of Justice after Hu Buwei admitted that the family's Iron Deed of Redemption had been stolen.
• Hu Xiaotian watched in disguise as his parents were taken away, then withdrew with Gao Yuan and considered seeking help from Xu Zhengying.

Xu Zhengying tried to use Hu Buwei’s downfall to protect himself and gain favor with Zhou Ruiyuan, but Hu Xiaotian drew him into a private meeting. The chapter ended with Hu Xiaotian, disguised as a middle-aged man, forcing Xu Zhengying into a carriage at knifepoint.

• Xu Zhengying prepared a list of Hu Buwei’s crimes, hoping to clear his own name while the Hu Family faced trial.
• Gao Yuan delivered Xu Zhengying a coded note and arranged a meeting at the Misty Waters Pavilion on behalf of Hu Xiaotian.
• Xu Zhengying sent servants to watch the pavilion and went there, but Hu Xiaotian did not appear at the appointed time.
• Xu Zhengying left the pavilion and was confronted by Hu Xiaotian in disguise, who held a blade to his back and ordered him into a carriage.
• Xu Zhengying told Xu Fu and his servants to wait while he went with the disguised Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian forced Xu Zhengying to reveal the danger facing his imprisoned parents, then chose to seek help at the Chengen Residence using An Dequan’s token. He left Gao Yuan behind with a message for Murong Feiyan and headed toward the residence, hoping to find An Dequan and Qiqi before his family was condemned.

• Hu Xiaotian threatened Xu Zhengying in a carriage and learned that Hu Buwei and his wife were being held at the Ministry of Justice, while the Iron Deed of Redemption might not save them.
• Xu Zhengying recognized that Hu Xiaotian’s Blackwood Command Token might be connected to the Chengen Residence, and Hu Xiaotian knocked him unconscious and abandoned him on a secluded street.
• Hu Xiaotian told Gao Yuan his identity and plans, gave him his remaining silver, and asked him to pass his short blade and a message to Murong Feiyan.
• Hu Xiaotian left the inn carrying the Iron Deed of Redemption and token, and set out for the Chengen Residence to find An Dequan and Qiqi.

Hu Xiaotian searched for Quan Dean at the Chengen Residence, then gathered news about political upheaval in the capital. At Swallowcloud Tower, he learned Zhan Peng was heading to Western Sichuan to look for him.

• Hu Xiaotian visited the Chengen Residence with the Blackwood Command Token and learned Quan Dean had gone to the palace.
• Hu Xiaotian left the residence cautiously, avoided returning to his inn, and went to Swallowcloud Tower to hear the latest news.
• Hu Xiaotian overheard patrons discussing Zhou Ruiyuan's appointment and the arrests of seven high-ranking officials.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized Yuan Shiqing and Zhan Peng at a neighboring table, though they did not recognize him in disguise.
• Yuan Shiqing warned Zhan Peng that Western Sichuan was dangerous, and Hu Xiaotian realized Zhan Peng was going there to search for him.

Hu Xiaotian reunited with Zhan Peng in disguise and refused to flee Great Kang, choosing to face the danger threatening his family. After their farewell toast, he returned to the Chengen Residence, where he learned An Dequan had come back and was waiting for him.

• Zhan Peng told Yuan Shiqing he would help Hu Xiaotian because he owed him for saving his father and aiding him.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed his identity to Zhan Peng by the Small Merchant River and heard that the Hu Family faced grave charges of colluding with rebels.
• Zhan Peng urged Hu Xiaotian to escape to Great Yong, but Hu Xiaotian refused to abandon his parents and family.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Zhan Peng to bury him with his parents if the Hu Family died, and Zhan Peng swore he would give them a proper burial.
• Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng shared a farewell toast, then Hu Xiaotian returned to the Chengen Residence and learned An Dequan was waiting for him.

Hu Xiaotian met An Dequan at the Chengen Residence and pleaded for help clearing the Hu Family’s name. An Dequan revealed that Long Yelin’s hatred of Hu Buwei ran deep and promised only that he would try to preserve Hu Xiaotian’s life.

• Hu Xiaotian removed his mask, presented An Dequan with the Blackwood Command Token, and asked him to save his life.
• An Dequan showed Hu Xiaotian the room where Long Yeqing had hanged himself and the blood-written map and names Long Yelin had left behind.
• Hu Xiaotian found Hu Buwei’s name among Long Yelin’s enemies and realized the emperor had long hated his father.
• An Dequan explained that the Little Princess had asked him to pass Hu Xiaotian the token and protect him, but not his family.
• Hu Xiaotian argued that history, rather than An Dequan, should judge his father, while An Dequan said he could try to save Hu Xiaotian but could not protect Hu Buwei from Long Yelin.

Hu Xiaotian agreed to enter the palace as a eunuch in exchange for An Dequan’s help saving his family, but An Dequan ordered him castrated immediately and had him carried toward the Cleansing Chamber. An archer attacked their procession, and Quan Dean revealed his formidable martial arts as the chapter ended with the fight underway.

• An Dequan offered to help save the Hu Family if Hu Xiaotian entered the palace as a eunuch, and Hu Xiaotian reluctantly agreed.
• An Dequan ordered four eunuchs to seize Hu Xiaotian and take him to the Cleansing Chamber despite his attempts to delay the castration.
• The eunuchs restrained Hu Xiaotian and carried him through Cloudlock Alley while An Dequan revealed that his surname was Quan, not An.
• An unseen archer shot at Quan Dean, who deflected the arrows and hurled a stone drum at the attacker’s hiding place.
• The archer emerged and fired seven arrows in succession, but Quan Dean swept them away with his sleeve.