Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian used a request for a Black Tiger Whip to convince Xue Lingjun that he was a eunuch, while Xue Shengkang recovered from surgery and warned his sister to guard Great Yong against succession conflicts. The chapter ended with the deposed Long Yelin still imprisoned in Xuanwei Palace, where Yin Zheng brought him food.

• Hu Xiaotian asked Xue Lingjun to find a Black Tiger Whip, claiming it might restore a eunuch’s manhood, and privately admitted he had made up the request to reinforce his disguise.
• Jian Ping confirmed to Xue Lingjun that Hu Xiaotian was a genuine eunuch, and Xue Lingjun considered whether to proceed with her own surgery.
• Shi Kuan summoned Xue Lingjun to the Diligent Governance Hall after Xue Shengkang awoke and asked to speak with her privately.
• Xue Shengkang told Xue Lingjun to keep his illness secret, described the political upheaval in Great Kang, and warned her to prevent Dao Hong and Dao Ming from turning against each other.
• Xue Shengkang defended the marriage alliance and urged Xue Lingjun to learn from Great Kang’s downfall, while Long Yelin paced in captivity until Yin Zheng brought him food.

Ji Feihua questioned Long Yelin and heard Zhang Dequan reveal Quan Dean’s palace network and a plot to restore the Retired Emperor. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian cared for the recovering Xue Shengkang, who asked what reward he wanted.

• Long Yelin begged Ji Feihua for another chance, but Ji Feihua demanded information about Quan Dean and said he planned to send him to Spirit Firmament Palace.
• Ji Feihua learned from Long Yelin that the Retired Emperor knew where the Imperial Seal was, then ordered Yin Zheng to withhold food if Long Yelin disobeyed.
• Zhang Dequan told Ji Feihua that Quan Dean had planted Hu Xiaotian in the palace as a false eunuch and had threatened Hu Buwei and his wife.
• Zhang Dequan revealed that Lin Wan and Baobao were helping Hong Beimo, searching for a secret passage to Misty Mountain, and gave Ji Feihua a roster of Quan Dean’s agents.
• Hu Xiaotian checked Xue Shengkang’s healing wound, helped him sit up, and heard the emperor ask what reward he wanted.

Hu Xiaotian returned to Qichen Palace after meeting Xue Shengkang, who offered him a position and promised to help his parents. Xi Yan agreed to marry Xue Daoming if Hu Xiaotian killed Wanyan Chixiong before the wedding, and Empress Dowager Jiang then arrived at Qichen Palace in person.

• Xue Shengkang offered Hu Xiaotian the post of head of the Imperial Medical Academy, but Hu Xiaotian said he planned to return to the Kang Capital after the wedding.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to Qichen Palace, where Zhou Mo and Xiong Tianba greeted him and Xi Yan demanded to know what he had been hiding.
• Hu Xiaotian told Xi Yan that Xue Shengkang approved of her marriage to Xue Daoming and would preside over the wedding.
• Xi Yan threatened to kill Xue Daoming but agreed to marry him if Hu Xiaotian killed Wanyan Chixiong before the wedding.
• Empress Dowager Jiang arrived at Qichen Palace with a hundred Golden Scale Guards, and Huo Shengnan and Hu Xiaotian went out to welcome her.

Empress Dowager Jiang welcomed Princess Anping to Qichen Palace and arranged for her to be examined before her marriage into the Xue Family. After the examination confirmed her suitability, Xi Yan appeared as Xiyue and received the Empress Dowager’s warm welcome and wedding garments.

• Empress Dowager Jiang arrived at Qichen Palace, welcomed Huo Shengnan and Hu Xiaotian, and called Hu Xiaotian her son because he was sworn brothers with Xue Shengjing.
• Empress Dowager Jiang sent Huang Ying and another palace midwife to examine Princess Anping while she shared tea with Hu Xiaotian and spoke of missing her children.
• Huo Shengnan returned with the midwives, who told Empress Dowager Jiang they were satisfied with the examination.
• Xi Yan arrived disguised as Xiyue, greeted Empress Dowager Jiang, and received her welcome as the Xue Family’s future granddaughter-in-law.
• Empress Dowager Jiang told Xiyue that she and the Empress had arranged wedding outfits for her to try on.

Empress Dowager Jiang approved of Xi Yan and delivered wedding gifts, while Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan traded jokes that turned into a martial spar. Hu Xiaotian kissed Xi Yan’s poisoned lips and left with badly swollen lips, still unable to speak clearly.

• Empress Dowager Jiang tested Xi Yan’s manners, approved of her bearing, and left eight chests of wedding gifts for her.
• Empress Dowager Jiang and Huo Shengnan discussed the Prince of Yan’s motives and Hu Xiaotian’s abilities.
• Hu Xiaotian brought Xi Yan the wedding gown and phoenix crown, and the two joked before suddenly sparring.
• Hu Xiaotian cornered Xi Yan, but when she taunted him, he kissed her poisoned black lips.
• Xi Yan refused to give Hu Xiaotian an antidote, and he went to meet Yang Xuan with his lips swollen like sausages.

Hu Xiaotian recovered from Xi Yan’s poisoning and weighed Zhou Mo’s proposal to eliminate her, but chose to seek an alliance instead. Xi Yan offered to help save Hu Xiaotian’s family in exchange for killing Wanyan Chixiong, while Hu rejected the Li Family’s claim on him and the chapter ended with their disagreement over his hostility toward them.

• Hu Xiaotian returned with swollen lips after Xi Yan poisoned him, and Zhou Mo learned that his symptoms were already fading.
• Hu Xiaotian refused Zhou Mo’s suggestion to make Xi Yan disappear, deciding that cooperation with her was more practical despite the danger she posed.
• Xi Yan summoned Hu Xiaotian and told him that Ji Feihua had overthrown Long Yelin and that Long Tingsheng now governed Great Kang.
• Xi Yan offered to help rescue Hu Xiaotian’s parents and move his family to Western Sichuan if he killed Wanyan Chixiong.
• Hu Xiaotian rejected Xi Yan’s appeal to his betrothal to Li Wuyou and said the Hu Family had severed ties with the Li Family.
• Xi Yan objected to Hu Xiaotian’s contempt for Li Wuyou, and he accused Li Honghan of trying to have him killed.

Hu Xiaotian rejected Xi Yan’s schemes, then was lured from Qichen Palace by a false summons from the emperor. Suspecting Bai Desheng meant him harm, Hu Xiaotian feigned a stomachache and ran toward a nearby river.

• Hu Xiaotian told Xi Yan he would no longer help her plans and would leave Yong Capital on her wedding day, while Xi Yan claimed the Five Immortals Cult could protect his family.
• Zhou Mo and Xiong Tianba went out to search for Liang Yinghao, who had failed to return by nightfall.
• Bai Desheng arrived at Qichen Palace and said the emperor had summoned Hu Xiaotian to the palace.
• On the carriage ride, Hu Xiaotian noticed Bai Desheng’s claims about the emperor’s appetite and their route were suspicious.
• Hu Xiaotian pretended to suffer a stomachache, got the carriage stopped near a river, and ran toward the bank.

Hu Xiaotian defeated three impostors who lured him away from Qichen Palace, but Bai Desheng killed himself before revealing who sent them. Suspecting the palace was the real target, Hu Xiaotian rode back as Xi Yan learned that most of her protectors were absent.

• Bai Desheng tried to stab Hu Xiaotian, who evaded the attack and killed both of his attendants.
• Hu Xiaotian stopped Bai Desheng from firing a poisoned crossbow, but Bai Desheng took poison and died before naming his employer.
• Hu Xiaotian discovered that the three supposed eunuchs were impostors and realized their mission had been to draw him away from Qichen Palace.
• Fearing Xi Yan was in danger, Hu Xiaotian mounted Bai Desheng's horse and galloped toward Qichen Palace.
• Xi Yan learned that Huo Shengnan, Hu Xiaotian, and Zhou Mo were away, leaving Yang Xuan in charge of the hundred soldiers guarding Qichen Palace.

Xi Yan exposed Gu Sanniang’s attempt to poison her, killed her, and disguised herself to investigate the palace intruders. After Peng Yijiang recognized her and tried to kill her, Xi Yan survived his attack and fought back, but his Bloodthirsty Sky Bats closed in on her.

• Xi Yan revealed that she had recognized the poison in the tea and killed Gu Sanniang with a white snake.
• Xi Yan took Gu Sanniang’s Human-Skin Mask and clothes, disguised herself as Cai Lan, and encountered Yang Xuan, Li Yishui, and Peng Yijiang.
• Peng Yijiang recognized Xi Yan and shot poisoned needles into her back, believing he had killed her.
• Xi Yan blinded Peng Yijiang with a concealed poisoned needle and escaped his Bloodthirsty Sky Bats by filling the corridor with smoke.
• Xi Yan entered the courtyard and sent two green streaks toward the Bloodthirsty Sky Bats as they attacked her.

Hu Xiaotian returned to Qichen Palace, exposed Yang Xuan as a traitor, and fought his way through her soldiers with Hidden Edge’s sword qi. After crippling Yang Xuan, he turned toward the Inner Court to rescue Xi Yan, where the battle was still raging.

• Xi Yan used her silver flute to summon a swarm of bats against the Bloodthirsty Sky Bats, while Li Yishui’s Big Black Snake swallowed her white snake and Peng Yijiang covered himself in Poison Armor.
• Yang Xuan ordered the palace gates guarded, but Hu Xiaotian arrived and demanded to know where Xi Yan was.
• Yang Xuan attacked Hu Xiaotian from behind and, with the female soldiers, drove him toward his courtyard.
• Hu Xiaotian retrieved Hidden Edge and unleashed sword qi, killing six female soldiers with one strike.
• Hu Xiaotian severed both of Yang Xuan’s thighs with sword qi, then headed toward the Inner Court to help Xi Yan.

Xi Yan fought Li Yishui and Peng Yijiang with her venomous creatures, blue flames, and red cloak, while Hu Xiaotian arrived to help her. The chapter ended with Xi Yan encased in green phosphorus fire as Peng Yijiang’s insects swarmed toward her.

• Xi Yan’s white snake killed Li Yishui’s great black snake, and her venomous insects overwhelmed the insects he sent along his whip.
• Li Yishui and Peng Yijiang combined their attacks against Xi Yan, who used her red cloak to block his Blackwater Arrows and burn his Bloodthirsty Sky Bats.
• Peng Yijiang struck Xi Yan through her cloak, but Hu Xiaotian arrived and blocked Li Yishui’s spear attack with Hidden Edge.
• Li Yishui fired Blackwater Arrows at Hu Xiaotian, who deflected them with his great sword.
• Peng Yijiang sent a swarm of venomous insects at Xi Yan, who wrapped herself in her cloak and green phosphorus fire as they charged into the flames.

Xi Yan and Hu Xiaotian defeated Peng Yijiang and Li Yishui in the courtyard, though Hu Xiaotian was struck by the Blackwater Arrows and Xi Yan was wounded. After Xi Yan revealed her true face and collapsed, Hu Xiaotian carried her to safety and promised to protect her.

• Xi Yan trapped Peng Yijiang with steel needles, and her crows devoured the insects released from his shattered armor.
• Hu Xiaotian pierced Peng Yijiang’s Dantian with External Sword Qi, and the golden and white snakes bit his neck.
• Li Yishui struck Hu Xiaotian with Blackwater Arrows, but Xi Yan choked Li Yishui with a whip until Xiong Tianba killed him with his hammer.
• Xi Yan found a bottle that made Hu Xiaotian retch, and his face showed no injury from the black water.
• Xi Yan spat blood and collapsed, so Hu Xiaotian removed her mask, carried her to her room, and kissed her forehead before promising to protect her.

After the attack on Qichen Palace, Hu Xiaotian explained the assassins’ infiltration to Huo Shengnan and helped shift responsibility for Princess Anping’s danger onto Great Yong. The Eldest Princess, Xue Lingjun, ordered Shi Kuan to investigate, then privately called Hu Xiaotian aside beneath a pagoda tree.

• Xi Yan refused the Origin-Returning Pills Qin Yutong had given Hu Xiaotian, and Hu Xiaotian returned to find Yang Xuan missing, with only her severed legs left behind.
• Huo Shengnan ordered a citywide search for Yang Xuan and eight missing female soldiers, then questioned Hu Xiaotian about the attack.
• Hu Xiaotian told Huo Shengnan that Yang Xuan had tried to kill him and that disguised assassins had infiltrated Qichen Palace and attacked Princess Anping.
• The Eldest Princess, Xue Lingjun, arrived with Shi Kuan and ordered him to investigate the attack and prevent another incident before the wedding.
• Xue Lingjun asked Hu Xiaotian to accompany her outside, then stopped beneath an ancient pagoda tree to speak with him privately.

After an assassination attempt at Qichen Palace, Hu Xiaotian faced scrutiny from Shi Kuan and Huo Shengnan as they investigated the dead attackers and questioned his account. The chapter left Hu Xiaotian alone with Xi Yan, whose connection to the attack had become increasingly suspicious.

• Xue Lingjun told Hu Xiaotian that the emperor wanted to see him and promised to fetch him herself the next evening.
• Shi Kuan identified three of the dead attackers as disciples of the Mottled Sect and suspected venomous creatures had killed two of them.
• Hu Xiaotian gave Shi Kuan an ambiguous account of how the assassins had died, while Huo Shengnan questioned whether he had killed them all himself.
• Shi Kuan sent Golden Scale Guards to investigate the waterway and question witnesses, while Huo Shengnan began suspecting Xi Yan.
• Hu Xiaotian arranged security around Xi Yan, warned Zhou Mo to keep their stories straight, and went to her room.
• Xi Yan reproached Hu Xiaotian for leaving her alone while she was weak and unwell.

After an attack left Xi Yan severely injured, Hu Xiaotian worried that palace investigators and the Mottled Sect would target them, while they debated who had ordered the assault. Xi Yan said she would listen to Hu Xiaotian about abandoning her assassination plan, but the chapter ended with him admitting he did not want anything to happen to her.

• Hu Xiaotian told Xi Yan that palace investigators had arrived and that Shi Kuan had identified the dead assassins as members of the Mottled Sect.
• Xi Yan coughed up blood and explained that Peng Yijiang's blow had damaged the meridians around her heart, leaving her unable to use her true qi recklessly.
• Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan suspected Great Yong's imperial family or a prince involved in the succession struggle had ordered the attack.
• Xi Yan teased Hu Xiaotian with her white snake and said she would explain herself to Huo Shengnan while he investigated who had directed the Mottled Sect poison masters.
• Xi Yan told Hu Xiaotian she would abandon her plan to assassinate Xue Daoming if he wanted her to, and he concluded that giving it up was the practical choice.
• Hu Xiaotian told Xi Yan he did not want anything to happen to her.

Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan concealed her plan by making her appear to have been poisoned after the Mottled Sect assassins attacked Qichen Palace. Liu Changsheng examined Xi Yan and confirmed that multiple poisons were spreading rapidly, leaving her condition apparently critical.

• Xi Yan told Hu Xiaotian she might marry Xue Daoming in five days, and he said he would respect her choice before she asked to see Huo Shengnan alone.
• Shi Kuan identified the dead assassins as disciples of the Mottled Sect and questioned Hu Xiaotian about his abilities and possible motives.
• A soldier reported that Xi Yan was coughing blood, and Huo Shengnan said she had snake and insect bite marks and was probably poisoned.
• Hu Xiaotian summoned Liu Changsheng and his son, while Shi Kuan sent for an imperial physician.
• Liu Changsheng examined Xi Yan, prescribed Nine-Turn Blood-Cleansing Pills, and said several poisons were spreading rapidly through her body.

Princess Anping remained poisoned despite Liu Changsheng’s treatment, so Hu Xiaotian sought a Dark Nether Ice Toad from Xue Shengjing. Xue Shengjing claimed it had been stolen, and afterward ordered Ma Qingyun to investigate the assassination attempt and its possible political motive.

• Liu Changsheng and Xu Baichuan agreed that Princess Anping’s unknown poison required treatment and that a Dark Nether Ice Toad could help remove it.
• Huo Shengnan volunteered to channel her internal power through Princess Anping during a medicinal bath, while Hu Xiaotian went to seek the toad from Xue Shengjing.
• Xue Shengjing told Hu Xiaotian that the Dark Nether Ice Toad had been stolen a month earlier and gave him a bottle of Hundred-Grass Rejuvenation Pills instead.
• Hu Xiaotian noticed Tie Zheng’s surprise at the alleged theft but left without challenging Xue Shengjing.
• Xue Shengjing ordered Ma Qingyun to investigate the attack and reasoned that the Worthy Consort and her son were unlikely to have arranged it.

Worthy Consort Dong learned that Princess Anping had been poisoned and badly injured in an attack at Qichen Palace, and feared that others would suspect her. At Qichen Palace, Huo Shengnan confronted Hu Xiaotian over evidence that Princess Anping had fought before she was found, but their argument ended when Huo nearly fainted.

• Xue Shengjing told Ma Qingyun that Princess Anping’s marriage alliance mattered less than the storm surrounding her and ordered him to investigate the attack at Qichen Palace.
• Worthy Consort Dong heard that Princess Anping was gravely poisoned, rejected Fang Lianhai’s claim that the news benefited her, and decided to visit Qichen Palace.
• Hu Xiaotian returned without the stolen Dark Nether Ice Toad, and Xu Baichuan and Liu Changsheng said the many poisons had already invaded Princess Anping’s organs.
• After treating Xi Yan, Huo Shengnan questioned Hu Xiaotian about Princess Anping’s martial arts and injuries, then challenged his account using mud on the princess’s shoes.
• Hu Xiaotian accused Huo Shengnan of failing to protect Qichen Palace, and Huo nearly fainted from exhaustion and anger before he caught her.

Hu Xiaotian discovered that Xi Yan had hidden her shoes and learned she planned to use her apparent death to escape the investigation. When the Worthy Consort visited, Xi Yan pretended to mistake her for her mother, and the chapter ended with the Worthy Consort comforting her as she claimed she could no longer see.

• Hu Xiaotian questioned Xi Yan about her shoes, and she said Huo Shengnan had examined her meridians while treating her.
• Xi Yan asked about the Dark Nether Ice Toad, and Hu Xiaotian told her Xue Shengjing had only given him Hundred-Grass Rejuvenation Pills.
• Xi Yan hinted that her death could free others from trouble and said she had her own way of handling the situation.
• The Worthy Consort arrived and insisted on visiting Xi Yan, while Hu Xiaotian warned that the princess should not receive too many visitors.
• The Worthy Consort comforted Xi Yan, who pretended to mistake her for her mother and said she could no longer see.

Xi Yan convinced the court that Princess Anping was dying, while Hu Xiaotian feigned grief and beat Fang Lianhai after he mocked him. Worthy Consort Dong visited her brother Dong Bingkun to discuss the danger of the princess’s death implicating their family.

• Xu Baichuan and Liu Changsheng declared that Princess Anping’s poison was beyond treatment and urged preparations for her funeral.
• Hu Xiaotian secretly celebrated the apparent resolution of his mission while publicly acting devastated, and Huo Shengnan believed his grief was genuine.
• Fang Lianhai mocked Hu Xiaotian, who slapped and kicked him before claiming he was defending Princess Anping.
• Worthy Consort Dong rebuked Fang Lianhai for causing a public scene and took him to the Minister’s Residence to consult Dong Bingkun.
• Worthy Consort Dong told Dong Bingkun that Princess Anping was poisoned and might die by the next day, warning that the emperor could suspect their family.