Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping followed Qiqi’s hoofprints through a storm until they were cornered by seven masked warriors at the edge of a valley. With the attackers closing in, Hu Xiaotian leaped into the valley with Princess Anping.

• Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping pursued Qiqi through the downpour, but Princess Anping’s horse broke its leg while crossing a ditch.
• Hu Xiaotian carried Princess Anping on his gray horse, and they followed Qiqi’s tracks beyond the Royal Racecourse and into a valley.
• Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping lost the hoofprints at the edge of a deeper valley, where they suspected Qiqi had fallen.
• Seven masked warriors arrived, drew their blades, and cornered Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping at the cliff’s edge.
• Hu Xiaotian spotted a pine tree below and leaped into the valley with Princess Anping as the warriors prepared to attack.

Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping fled down a cliffside pine, where a bronze-masked warrior pursued them with mechanical wings and weapons. Hu Xiaotian and the warrior fell together into the valley, and the warrior caught himself against the cliff while Hu Xiaotian’s fate remained unknown.

• Hu Xiaotian caught Princess Anping as they landed on a pine tree below the cliff, and the bronze-masked warrior used metal wings to descend after them.
• Hu Xiaotian shielded Princess Anping and bluffed that he had Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles to keep the warrior at bay.
• Hu Xiaotian tricked the warrior into retreating, then attacked; they grappled and fell from the tree together.
• Princess Anping watched Hu Xiaotian fall and leaped from the cliff after him.
• The bronze-masked warrior opened his wings but could not glide with Hu Xiaotian pinning him, then freed himself and caught the opposite cliff with iron claws, damaging one wing.

Hu Xiaotian rescued Princess Anping from the river after they fled their pursuers, and the two took shelter in a cave. As they ventured out beneath a moonlit sky, Princess Anping challenged him to match a couplet.

• Hu Xiaotian pulled Princess Anping from the river and carried her to a cave to hide from their pursuers.
• Princess Anping stayed close to Hu Xiaotian as they searched the riverbank, gathered sour hawthorns, and waited for the rain to stop.
• Princess Anping fell asleep against Hu Xiaotian, then woke after dark and spoke with him about his return to save his family.
• Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping followed fireflies outside as the clouds parted and the full moon appeared.
• Princess Anping told Hu Xiaotian she had a couplet for him to try.

Hu Xiaotian and Long Xiyue escaped the valley after surviving an ambush, and their closeness grew as he carried her to safety. Back at the racecourse, Fan Zongxi warned Hu Xiaotian to keep the attackers’ identities secret, and Hu Xiaotian was reunited with his gray horse.

• Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping exchanged couplets, and she revealed that her full name was Long Xiyue.
• As they walked through the moonlit valley, Long Xiyue reflected that she wanted to stay there because Hu Xiaotian was with her.
• Fan Zongxi found Long Xiyue and Hu Xiaotian, and Hu Xiaotian carried her up the cliff on his back.
• Qiqi scolded Hu Xiaotian for taking her aunt into the valley, while Long Xiyue explained what had happened.
• Hu Xiaotian told Fan Zongxi about the masked attackers and their Bronze-Masked leader with metal wings, and Fan warned him not to spread the news.
• At the Red Mountain Racecourse, Hu Xiaotian reunited with his gray horse, and Fan Zongxi offered to give it to him.

Hu Xiaotian told Quan Dean about the attack at Red Mountain Racecourse and questioned Fan Zongxi’s role in it. Quan Dean warned him against trusting Fan and criticized Ji Feihua, while Hu Xiaotian probed Quan Dean’s motives and past connection to Ji.

• Fan Zongxi told Hu Xiaotian that the attackers might have belonged to the Heavenly Secrets Bureau and said he would report the incident to Commander Ji Feihua.
• Hu Xiaotian rode Fan Zongxi’s gray horse to Jadeite Hall, arranged for Cao Qianshan to board it, and met Quan Dean at the Four Seasons Dry Goods Shop.
• Hu Xiaotian recounted the racecourse attack to Quan Dean and described the attacker’s mechanical wings.
• Quan Dean questioned Fan Zongxi’s account and warned Hu Xiaotian that Fan’s closeness to Ji Feihua made him untrustworthy.
• Hu Xiaotian criticized Ji Feihua’s treatment of Eunuch Liu and asked Quan Dean whether he had raised Ji to power.

Hu Xiaotian reported to Quan Dean about the underground passages and received ten days to map them, while Quan Dean warned him not to harm Qiqi. Later, Liu Yuzhang brought Hu Xiaotian into the medicine storehouse and directed him to retrieve something from a specific compartment.

• Hu Xiaotian told Quan Dean that he had explored one underground passage, which ended in water, and asked about Hong Beimo, martial arts, and lightness skills.
• Quan Dean ordered Hu Xiaotian to uncover the underground passages beneath the Palace Gardens Bureau and draw a detailed map, granting him ten days.
• The emperor sent Rong Baoxing to visit the injured Liu Yuzhang, who later summoned Hu Xiaotian and had him push his wheelchair to the medicine storehouse.
• Liu Yuzhang gave Hu Xiaotian the key and password to open the medicine storehouse, then told him to retrieve an item from a specified compartment on the third floor.

Hu Xiaotian helped Liu Yuzhang trick Rong Baoxing into taking an ordinary tiger penis instead of the rare Black Tiger Whip, which Liu later entrusted to Hu. Liu planned to retire and find Hu a new position, while Hu returned the precious item to the storeroom and focused on mapping the secret passage and keeping his other secrets hidden.

• Hu Xiaotian found the Black Tiger Whip in the medicinal storeroom, and he and Liu Yuzhang replaced it with an ordinary tiger penis for Rong Baoxing.
• Liu Yuzhang gave Hu Xiaotian the Black Tiger Whip, explaining that it was rumored to restore a eunuch's manhood, and Hu accepted it gratefully.
• Liu Yuzhang said he planned to retire after his injury healed and warned Hu Xiaotian to keep court rumors about Long Yelin and Ji Feihua to himself.
• Hu Xiaotian returned the Black Tiger Whip to the medicinal storeroom and considered his urgent task of mapping the secret passage within ten days.
• Hu Xiaotian worried that Wang Decai would cause trouble over his missing brother, while Baobao continued visiting to seek his help finding the underground passage.

Hu Xiaotian revealed the Wine Cellar’s secret passage to Baobao, and they explored one of its branches together. They found and disposed of a dead eunuch from the Library Pavilion, then continued deeper into the tunnel.

• Shi Xuedong watched Baobao enter the Wine Cellar with Hu Xiaotian and guarded the door while they were inside.
• Hu Xiaotian showed Baobao the hidden passage and explained that he had found it after her attack.
• Hu Xiaotian and Baobao reached a fork and chose the right-hand passage to explore.
• Baobao and Hu Xiaotian got awkwardly wedged together in the narrow tunnel as they tried to switch places.
• Hu Xiaotian found a rotting eunuch’s corpse bearing a Library Pavilion token and dissolved it with Bone-Dissolving Water.
• Baobao apologized for accusing Hu Xiaotian of farting, and they continued through the widening passage.

Hu Xiaotian and Baobao explored a shaft that opened onto the Library Pavilion, then returned without uncovering its secrets. Later, Empress Jian summoned Hu Xiaotian to Xinning Palace, where he encountered Wang Decai and was called in to meet her.

• Baobao and Hu Xiaotian climbed the shaft and overheard Eunuch Li and Commander Liu discussing the Great Kang Annals and a copy of the Heart Sutra kept by the Retired Emperor.
• Baobao found no passage from the shaft into the Library Pavilion, and Hu Xiaotian decided they should leave and investigate the remaining route another time.
• Hu Xiaotian updated Wang Desheng's map and reasoned that the middle passage had likely led Wang Desheng to the underground Wine Cellar.
• Zhao Jinxi summoned Hu Xiaotian to Xinning Palace, and Hu Xiaotian sent Shi Xuedong to alert the Little Princess before he went.
• Hu Xiaotian met Wang Decai at Xinning Palace and traded barbed remarks with him until palace maid Yunxiang came to bring Hu Xiaotian inside.

Hu Xiaotian faced Empress Jian’s accusations and nearly suffered punishment, but Qiqi intervened and took him away. Empress Jian then recognized Wang Decai’s attempt to use her against Hu Xiaotian and rebuked him.

• Hu Xiaotian appeared before Empress Jian, who accused him of insulting her and criticizing her parenting of Qiqi.
• Hu Xiaotian denied the accusations and challenged Empress Jian to establish the truth before punishing him.
• Wang Decai kicked Hu Xiaotian, who pretended to be gravely injured until Qiqi arrived and demanded that everyone leave him alone.
• Qiqi confronted Empress Jian, who ordered Zhao Jinxi to take Hu Xiaotian back; Hu Xiaotian got up and thanked her before Qiqi led him away.
• Empress Jian accused Wang Decai of using her to settle a personal grudge, then left him kneeling.

Hu Xiaotian agreed to help Qiqi plan Wang Decai’s murder, then explored the last underground passage and emerged in a well near Long Xiyue’s residence. He overheard Long Xiyue and Zijuan discussing her possible marriage just as Empress Jian arrived.

• Qiqi summoned Hu Xiaotian to the Palace of Gathered Elegance and proposed that he transfer to her service.
• Qiqi threatened to kill Wang Decai, and Hu Xiaotian agreed to devise a plan with her within three days.
• Hu Xiaotian explored the remaining underground passage and climbed out through a well.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized Long Xiyue’s voice as she discussed marriage rumors with Zijuan.
• An announcement revealed that Empress Jian had arrived at Long Xiyue’s residence.

Empress Jian told Long Xiyue that Emperor Long Yelin had agreed to marry her to Great Yong’s seventh prince, Xue Chuanming, to secure peace between the nations. Long Xiyue accepted the decision despite her heartbreak, while Hu Xiaotian listened from inside a well and watched her approach in tears.

• Hu Xiaotian hid in the well and listened as Empress Jian dismissed her attendants to speak privately with Long Xiyue.
• Empress Jian described the marriage proposal from Xue Chuanming and explained that the alliance would help Great Kang avoid conflict with Great Yong.
• Long Xiyue agreed to follow the emperor’s wishes, though she felt devastated by the forced marriage.
• Empress Jian left to report Long Xiyue’s answer to Long Yelin, and Long Xiyue remained alone in the garden.
• Long Xiyue approached the well and wept, her tears falling onto Hu Xiaotian as he worried about her.

Hu Xiaotian rescued Long Xiyue from the well and returned to the Palace Gardens Bureau, where he learned that Wang Decai had beaten Xiao Dengzi. He then gave Quan Dean a map of the secret passages and revealed that one led to the Library Pavilion, leaving Quan Dean interested in what was stored there.

• Hu Xiaotian caught Long Xiyue when she fell into the well, helped her climb out, and returned to the secret passage after she promised to keep his presence secret.
• Long Xiyue sent Zijuan away and watched Hu Xiaotian descend back into the well.
• Shi Xuedong and Xiao Zhuozi told Hu Xiaotian that Wang Decai had beaten Xiao Dengzi and broken his arm over an alleged insult.
• Hu Xiaotian decided to consider joining forces with Qiqi to deal with Wang Decai, but first went to meet Quan Dean with his map.
• Hu Xiaotian told Quan Dean that a secret passage led to the Library Pavilion and that he had overheard Eunuch Li and a commander surnamed Li discussing the Great Kang Annals and the Heart Sutra.

Hu Xiaotian told Quan Dean about the missing Heart Sutra, palace intrigues, and Wang Decai, while Quan Dean warned him not to involve the Little Princess in a scheme against Wang Decai. After testing Hu Xiaotian’s martial arts, Quan Dean demonstrated the Golden Spider Eight Steps and offered to teach it to him.

• Hu Xiaotian told Quan Dean that the Heart Sutra had vanished from the Library Pavilion, and Quan Dean asked him to investigate whether the secret passage reached its seventh floor.
• Hu Xiaotian complained that the Little Princess wanted to transfer him to the Palace of Gathered Elegance and explained that Wang Decai and Empress Jian were targeting him.
• Quan Dean warned Hu Xiaotian not to involve the Little Princess in any plan against Wang Decai, then tested Hu Xiaotian’s Dark Nether Yin Wind Claw and breathing technique.
• Quan Dean surprised Hu Xiaotian by attacking his throat and said their relationship was one of mutual exploitation.
• Quan Dean demonstrated the Golden Spider Eight Steps by climbing and leaping through a ginkgo tree, leaving Hu Xiaotian impressed by his skill.
• Quan Dean offered to teach Hu Xiaotian the Golden Spider Eight Steps.

Hu Xiaotian learned the Golden Spider Eight Steps, visited his gray horse, and rode to meet Murong Feiyan, where he unexpectedly reunited with Zhou Mo. Zhou Mo explained the upheaval in Western Sichuan and how he had come to Capital City searching for Hu Xiaotian.

• Hu Xiaotian mastered the Golden Spider Eight Steps and was tasked by Quan Dean with investigating the secret passage.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Jadeite Hall, found his gray horse healthy and obedient, and rode it at extraordinary speed to Murong Feiyan’s home.
• Hu Xiaotian entered Murong Feiyan’s locked courtyard using the Golden Spider Eight Steps and was confronted by Zhou Mo.
• Zhou Mo reunited with Hu Xiaotian and recounted how Li Tianheng seized control of Western Sichuan, allied with Shajia and Southern Yue, and violently suppressed opposition.
• Zhou Mo explained that Yan Kui had accepted amnesty and that he and his brothers had traveled to Capital City to find Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian reunited with Zhou Mo and received a blood-written message from his father before being summoned by Ji Feihua. The chapter ended as Hu Xiaotian entered Ji Feihua’s room and found him waiting.

• Zhou Mo and Hu Xiaotian reunited at Murong Feiyan’s residence, and Gao Yuan arrived to tell them Murong Feiyan had been summoned to the Divine Strategy Office.
• Hu Xiaotian declined to go with Zhou Mo to the Jinghong Inn because he had to return to the palace, and he entrusted Little Gray to Gao Yuan.
• Gao Yuan gave Hu Xiaotian a blood-written message from his father and warned him not to visit his family because the court was watching them.
• Li Yan brought Hu Xiaotian to the Directorate of Internal Affairs on Ji Feihua’s behalf after confirming Liu Yuzhang was away.
• Hu Xiaotian entered Ji Feihua’s room, where Ji Feihua dismissed the young eunuch who had been grinding ink.

Ji Feihua tried to recruit Hu Xiaotian and assigned him to watch the Palace Gardens Bureau and investigate Liu Yuzhang, Quan Dean, and a strange incident in the Wine Cellar. Hu Xiaotian agreed while concealing his own connection to the evidence, and Ji Feihua offered to protect him from Empress Jian’s favored eunuch.

• Ji Feihua finished an imposing painting and questioned Hu Xiaotian about whether he feared or respected him.
• Ji Feihua tested Hu Xiaotian’s loyalty by asking whether Liu Yuzhang or he treated him better, then invited him to work for him.
• Ji Feihua told Hu Xiaotian to watch the Palace Gardens Bureau and uncover the secrets Liu Yuzhang and Quan Dean shared.
• Ji Feihua showed Hu Xiaotian a Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle and ordered him to investigate what had happened in the Wine Cellar; Hu Xiaotian claimed he had seen the Little Princess use such needles.
• Ji Feihua asked about the missing Wang Desheng and promised to back Hu Xiaotian if he did his work well, despite Wang’s ties to Empress Jian.

Hu Xiaotian warned Baobao to stop visiting the Wine Cellar after Ji Feihua revealed his suspicion, but Qiqi caught them together and threatened Baobao before Princess Anping arrived. Long Xiyue then asked Hu Xiaotian whether the cellar connected to the Purple Orchid Palace, while Qiqi searched it for evidence and noticed a strange smell.

• Liu Yuzhang told Hu Xiaotian that he planned to resign before Quan Dean and Ji Feihua’s conflict brought danger to the palace.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Baobao that Ji Feihua suspected him and told her to stop visiting the Wine Cellar, though he promised to investigate the secret passage.
• Qiqi found Hu Xiaotian and Baobao in the cellar, questioned Baobao, and suggested presenting her to the emperor before Long Xiyue arrived and let her leave.
• Long Xiyue asked Hu Xiaotian whether the Wine Cellar connected to the Purple Orchid Palace, and he silently confirmed it.
• Qiqi searched the cellar for evidence and pointed out a strange smell.

After Hu Xiaotian’s identity as a false eunuch was exposed, Long Xiyue and Qiqi agreed to protect his secret, though Qiqi remained wary of him. Hu Xiaotian arranged to meet Long Xiyue privately, then Liu Yuzhang asked him to return three borrowed books to Eunuch Li at the Library Pavilion.

• Hu Xiaotian offered Long Xiyue his dagger, but she chose to protect him and demanded that Qiqi keep his secret.
• Qiqi agreed not to expose Hu Xiaotian, while warning Long Xiyue to be careful of his scheming.
• Hu Xiaotian treated his wounds with Long Xiyue’s help, and the three left the Wine Cellar after changing and tidying it.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Long Xiyue to meet him beside the old well tomorrow night at the second watch.
• Liu Yuzhang asked Hu Xiaotian to take three volumes of Grand View of Poetry to Eunuch Li at the Library Pavilion.

Hu Xiaotian returned books to Eunuch Li and gained permission to enter the Library Pavilion, where he borrowed a volume of the Great Kang Annals while quietly scouting the building. His wounds were healing quickly, but his martial arts practice remained uneven, and he suspected his intact body kept him from mastering some eunuch techniques.

• Hu Xiaotian brought the Grand View of Poetry and a jar of fifty-year-old Jade Hall Spring to Eunuch Li at the Library Pavilion.
• Eunuch Li caught the falling wine jar with swift martial arts skill, then invited Hu Xiaotian to borrow books whenever he wished.
• Fan Zongxi arrived to visit his uncle, and Eunuch Li asked Yuan Fu to help Hu Xiaotian choose books.
• Hu Xiaotian borrowed one volume of the Great Kang Annals and discreetly surveyed the third floor for the spot near the hole he had previously used to peer inside.
• Hu Xiaotian reflected that his wounds had healed rapidly, his Dark Nether Yin Wind Claw and Golden Spider Eight Steps were improving, but he still could not gather qi or master the Yin-Lifting Yang-Shrinking technique.