Chapter Summaries

Zhu He ordered Duan Rong to secretly eliminate Li Shensi, the newly appointed Secretary of the Department, and prevent the killing from fueling public unrest. Duan Rong accepted the mission and arrived in Divine Cloud Manor disguised as a merchant, where he began preparing for the dangerous task.

• Zhu He told the Council Hall that Li Shensi had been recruited by Lü Zhongtang and Ge Rusong and would have to be eliminated without stirring public opinion.
• Zhu He assigned the mission to Duan Rong, who tried to pass it to Wu Shidao but was forced to accept and sent to Divine Cloud Manor alone.
• Zhu He noticed Duan Rong had reached the fourth level of the Essence Qi Realm and told him to leave at once, prompting Duan Rong to suspect danger awaited him.
• Duan Rong entered Divine Cloud Manor disguised as a merchant and checked into Cloud Arriving Inn, while the records inspector who had accompanied him blended into the crowd.
• After eating and resting at the inn, Duan Rong left and headed for a nearby teahouse.

Duan Rong monitored conversations in teahouses across Divine Cloud Manor to understand local public opinion before carrying out Zhu He's orders to eliminate Li Shensi. After identifying Li Shensi and secretly searching his residence, Duan Rong left without acting, still considering how to prevent the assassination from triggering political turmoil.

• Duan Rong spent three days monitoring conversations at a secluded teahouse, then moved to Grand Harmony Tower to hear the views of officials and nobles.
• Duan Rong learned that senior civil officials held court every three days and set out before dawn to observe Li Shensi on a court day.
• Duan Rong identified Li Shensi in his sedan chair and confirmed that the Secretary of the Department had reached the True Qi Realm Fourth Level.
• Duan Rong decided against killing Li Shensi in the street because the assassination could inflame public opinion and provoke political turmoil.
• Duan Rong secretly searched Li Shensi's residence but found no secrets, then left as the sky began to brighten.

Duan Rong completed six days of monitoring public opinion in Divine Cloud Manor and then secretly entered Zhu Peng’s residence to ask for help reaching Zhu Zhengfu. After sharing a meal and writing a poem for Qin Xueyin, he sent Zhu Peng to find Zhu Zhengfu while he waited.

• Duan Rong checked out of Cloud Arriving Inn and spent six days studying public opinion in three teahouses across Divine Cloud Manor.
• Duan Rong sneaked into Zhu Peng’s residence on Chang Le Street, knocked out two Guards, and interrupted Zhu Peng’s revelry.
• Duan Rong revealed his identity to Zhu Peng and told him to dispose of the unconscious Guards and the Maiden before they talked.
• Zhu Peng arranged for his concubine to look after the Maiden, revived the Guards, and ordered them to guard the Covered Corridor.
• Duan Rong asked Zhu Peng to arrange a meeting with Zhu Zhengfu and wrote a poem for Qin Xueyin to deliver later.
• Zhu Peng rode to Zhu Zhengfu’s manor while Duan Rong stayed behind and waited.

Duan Rong secretly met with Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng to obtain information on Li Shensi and settled into a separate residence on the Zhu estate. The chapter ended with Zhu Peng leaving in frustration after Zhu Zhengfu warned him to keep the meeting secret.

• Zhu Peng escorted Duan Rong through a guarded side gate to meet Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng, who greeted Duan Rong with formal deference.
• Duan Rong requested detailed records of Li Shensi and his possible movements over the past half month, and Zhu Cheng promised to finish the itinerary by morning.
• Zhu Zhengfu brought Duan Rong to a prepared separate residence and introduced Chou Luan, his True Qi Realm personal guard.
• Zhu Zhengfu returned to the meeting room and ordered Zhu Peng to keep Duan Rong's visit and their conversation secret.
• Zhu Peng bristled at Zhu Zhengfu's doubts about his judgment, then rode home, frustrated that the meeting had interrupted his plans for the night.

Duan Rong rejected Zhu Zhengfu’s attempt to provide him with a woman, Ru Yi, and began reviewing records while she served him. Zhu Cheng arrived with further documents, but Duan Rong’s probing questions exposed gaps in his research, leaving Zhu Cheng to investigate and return with answers.

• Duan Rong found Ru Yi waiting beneath his quilt, refused to sleep with her, and let her sleep on the floor while he asked her name.
• Ru Yi cared for Duan Rong the next morning, and he told her to bring two portions of food so they could eat together.
• Duan Rong learned that Chou Luan drank constantly after accidentally killing his beloved wife while drunk, and explained that drinking helped him forget.
• Zhu Cheng arrived with additional records and told Duan Rong that changes in several places had delayed his report.
• Duan Rong questioned Zhu Cheng about the records, exposing several unanswered issues, so Zhu Cheng promised to investigate them and return.

Duan Rong investigated a nighttime intruder at Zhu Zhengfu’s residence, then secretly left Divine Cloud Manor to activate the Dew-Drinking Cicada. Its blood dew unleashed the Law of Power, reducing everything within ten zhang to fine powder while leaving Duan Rong unharmed.

• Duan Rong discovered that a masked intruder who had fought Chou Luan was the waiter from Grand Harmony Tower, and he identified the abandoned Mo Dao as a Court of Judicial Review weapon.
• Zhu Zhengfu took the Mo Dao to Zhu Cheng for investigation and ordered more soldiers to guard the residence, while Duan Rong praised Chou Luan’s defense.
• Duan Rong suspected Zhu He had deliberately arranged for him to be exposed, drugged Ru Yi into sleep, and slipped past the guards to leave Divine Cloud Manor.
• Duan Rong traveled into the wilderness and used his thoughts to make the Dew-Drinking Cicada cry and release a drop of blood dew.
• The blood dew vanished, and the Law of Power reduced everything within ten zhang to powder while protecting Duan Rong, who realized the force’s terrifying nature.

Duan Rong used a Dew-Drinking Cicada to test whether Zhu He truly meant to protect him and decided to continue playing his part in Zhu He's scheme. After identifying the upcoming Autumn Hunt Heaven Worship as a possible opportunity to kill Li Shensi, he asked Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng for details about the ceremony.

• Gu Daoling sensed a burst of Law of Power east of Divine Cloud Manor and found evidence that someone had used a Dew-Drinking Cicada, then suspected a sect elder had given the treasure to a secular junior.
• Duan Rong returned to the annex and concluded that the Dew-Drinking Cicada had proved Zhu He intended to protect him, so he resolved to follow Zhu He's plan.
• Duan Rong considered the Autumn Hunt Heaven Worship and realized Li Shensi would attend, prompting him to form a possible method for carrying out the assassination.
• Ru Yi noticed fresh grass on Duan Rong's shoes, and Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng visited him the next morning to report that the Mo Dao left at the annex was evidence from the Court of Judicial Review.
• Duan Rong suspected a clerk tied to Lü Zhongtang and Ge Rusong had supplied the saber, set that matter aside, and asked Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng to explain the Autumn Hunt Heaven Worship.

Duan Rong learned that Li Shensi would attend the Autumn Hunt and obtained a drawing identifying his assigned horse at the Privy Council stable. On the night before the ceremony, Duan Rong slipped away and entered the Privy Council grounds to reach the stable.

• Zhu Zhengfu explained that the Autumn Hunt was separate from the Heaven Worship ceremony and that Li Shensi was likely to participate.
• Zhu Cheng said Li Shensi would attend because his family had generations of hunters, and Duan Rong began planning to act during the hunt.
• Duan Rong ordered Zhu Cheng to find out which horse Li Shensi would ride, and Zhu Peng later brought him a drawing marking the horse and stable surroundings.
• After pretending to sleep, Duan Rong left the residence at Zi Hour and entered the Privy Council grounds to approach the stable.

Duan Rong sabotaged Li Shensi’s stirrup and struck him with a half-finished Divine Soul Thorn during the Autumn Hunt, making his fall appear to explain his collapse. Li Shensi survived but remained weak as Chen Shanmeng examined the damaged stirrup and prepared to continue to the Heaven Altar.

• Duan Rong knocked out two grooms, secretly perforated the joints of Li Shensi’s stirrup, and escaped without being noticed.
• Officials traveled to Limitless Mountain, completed the mountain-worship rites, and entered the hunting ground.
• Chen Shanmeng shot an elk, while Li Shensi hunted several large beasts and boasted that he would claim first place.
• Duan Rong waited in the trees until Li Shensi pursued a rhinoceros, then sent a half-finished Divine Soul Thorn through his brow as the sabotaged stirrup broke.
• Li Shensi fell from his horse and collapsed in pain, prompting his soldiers to summon Chen Shanmeng, Ge Hengtai, and Jiang Zhuoyun.
• Chen Shanmeng examined the broken stirrup, found tiny holes in it, and agreed to let the weakened Li Shensi rest before they went to the Heaven Altar.

Chen Shanmeng suspected that Li Shensi’s fall during the hunt was part of a political assassination, but chose not to investigate further. During the Heaven Worship ceremony, a gray rhinoceros appeared on the altar, Li Shensi tore at himself and leapt from the cliff, and the rhinoceros charged into the crowd before plunging into the abyss.

• Chen Shanmeng found tiny holes in Li Shensi’s broken stirrup and suspected a True Qi or Essence Qi expert had attacked him with a Divine Soul Technique.
• Duan Rong stopped the fleeing rhinoceros, drugged it, and carried it into the Dense Forest.
• At the Heaven Altar, Chen Shanmeng told Wang Maochun that Li Shensi had fallen from his horse and was too unwell to endure the ceremony.
• A black shadow struck the Incense Burner, and the gray rhinoceros appeared on the altar as two points of light entered its skull and Li Shensi’s brow.
• Li Shensi tore his robe and skin, shouted for himself to die, and leapt from the cliff.
• The rhinoceros charged into the crowd, causing deaths and injuries, then leapt from the cliff into the abyss.

Duan Rong concealed his role in Li Shensi’s death, disposed of the rhinoceros, and left officials to argue over the strange incident and its political implications. The Heaven Worship ceremony ended amid deaths and public panic, while Ge Hengtai’s soldiers began searching the forest.

• Duan Rong caught the falling rhinoceros, erased his footprints, and left Li Shensi to die in the Divine Soul Illusion.
• Chen Shanmeng proposed that he, Ge Hengtai, and Zhu Zhengfu provisionally investigate Li Shensi’s death, while Wang Maochun and Jiang Zhuoyun returned to finish the ceremony.
• Duan Rong dissolved the rhinoceros carcass with medicinal powder, crushed its horn, and scattered the remains.
• Wang Maochun and Jiang Zhuoyun found the crowd fleeing and victims trampled, then hastily completed the Heaven Worship ceremony and arranged for troops to protect the Manor Lord’s Office.
• The old coroner found Li Shensi’s detached eyeball, Chen Shanmeng questioned Zhu Zhengfu, and Ge Hengtai sent soldiers to search the forest.

Ge Hengtai searched the Dense Forest for evidence that Li Shensi’s death had been engineered, while soldiers spread a tale that Li had angered the Rhino Great Immortal. Duan Rong returned to Divine Cloud Manor, where Ru Yi passed a secret message through Fat Xu, who left the residence with it.

• Ge Hengtai failed to find the gray rhinoceros and concluded that someone had staged Li Shensi’s death to influence public opinion.
• Xiao Shengzi persuaded Mu Sen and the soldiers to abandon their search and hide rather than risk encountering the Rhino Great Immortal.
• Duan Rong watched Jiang Zhuoyun enter Divine Cloud Manor, then crossed the city wall and evaded the mobilized Heavy Armored Iron Cavalry.
• Duan Rong returned to Zhu Zhengfu’s residence, eased Chou Luan’s coughing with acupoint taps, and asked Ru Yi for food.
• Ru Yi wrote a message in the kitchen and slipped it into Fat Xu’s clothing after he sent Xiao Guo away.
• Fat Xu copied Ru Yi’s message onto fresh paper, put it in a bamboo tube, and left the residence at night.

Duan Rong gave Ru Yi a prescription for Chou Luan and comforted her about her painful past. After Zhu Zhengfu reported Li Shensi’s death and the public response, Duan Rong learned that local gentry planned to build a temple for the Rhino Great Immortal, confirming that talk had shifted from political intrigue to supernatural explanations.

• Duan Rong wrote a prescription for Chou Luan and told Ru Yi to get seven doses and mix the medicine into his wine.
• Duan Rong praised Ru Yi’s calligraphy and tried to comfort her about the abuse she had endured at the courtyard.
• Zhu Zhengfu arrived before dawn and reported that Li Shensi was dead and that he, Chen Shanmeng, and Ge Hengtai had begun a preliminary investigation.
• Zhu Zhengfu said Wang Maochun had calmed relatives of the dead and injured by promising compensation and blaming strange creatures for the disaster.
• Zhu Zhengfu reported that local gentry and wealthy households planned to build a temple for the Rhino Great Immortal near the Mountain God Temple.
• Duan Rong realized that public attention had turned toward the Rhino Great Immortal and away from the political struggle surrounding Li Shensi’s death.

Duan Rong carefully let Zhu Zhengfu send an unaltered secret letter to Zhu He, while Ge Rusong and other Taiyi Sect elders investigated Li Shensi’s death and accused Duan Rong of murder. Lü Zhongtang and the elders planned to bring the case before the Hall of Elders and use an alchemist to make their accusation irrefutable.

• Duan Rong refused to inspect Zhu Zhengfu’s secret letter so Zhu He would not suspect him of controlling the Zhu Family’s worldly forces.
• After Zhu Zhengfu sent his letter, Ge Rusong received Ge Hengtai’s report about Li Shensi’s death and discussed it with Lü Zhongtang, Xu Qie, Zheng Yi, and Sun Fujiā.
• Ge Rusong revealed intelligence linking Duan Rong to Li Shensi’s death, including his absence on the night of the murder and a possible connection to poison through Shang Xiangyu.
• The elders reasoned that Duan Rong might have used poison from the Gloomy Dark Forest, though the coroner had found no signs of poisoning.
• Ge Rusong proposed accusing Duan Rong in the Hall of Elders and bringing an alchemist to identify the poison, and Lü Zhongtang approved the plan.

Duan Rong treated Chou Luan, taught Ru Yi the Eight Principles of Yong, and learned that Grand Harmony Tower might be a spy outpost. As the Rhino Great Immortal’s temple began construction and Duan Rong prepared to report his completed task, Lu Geng arrived to oversee Li Shensi’s death case.

• Ru Yi poured medicine prescribed by Duan Rong into Chou Luan’s wine, and Chou Luan thanked Duan Rong before drinking it.
• Duan Rong taught Ru Yi the Eight Principles of Yong, and her calligraphy improved quickly.
• Zhu Zhengfu reported that a storyteller at Grand Harmony Tower had denounced the Rhino Great Immortal and been beaten by the crowd, leading Duan Rong to suspect the teahouse was a spy outpost.
• The Rhino Great Immortal’s temple began construction in the South Suburbs, and Duan Rong decided his public-sentiment task was complete.
• Lu Geng arrived at Divine Cloud Manor, and Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng went to meet him after learning that he and other sect officials would oversee Li Shensi’s death case.

Lu Geng arrived in Divine Cloud Manor and privately warned Duan Rong that the sect would investigate Li Shensi’s death while tasking him with rooting out spies. He also revealed that Ru Yi was likely Ge Rusong’s informant and delivered Zhu He’s sealed letter, leaving Duan Rong to face the order and its implications.

• Lu Geng arrived at the posthouse, met Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng, and went to Zhu Zhengfu’s manor to find Duan Rong.
• Lu Geng privately asked Duan Rong whether the poison used against Li Shensi could be detected, and Duan Rong claimed it had evaporated completely.
• Lu Geng told Duan Rong that he, Yang Yi, and Jiang Zhe would preside over Li Shensi’s case and that Ge Rusong had accused Duan Rong of the killing.
• Lu Geng warned Duan Rong that Ru Yi was likely reporting his movements to Ge Rusong, and Duan Rong realized she had been planted as an informant.
• Lu Geng relayed Zhu He’s order for Duan Rong to uproot the spies while leaving the informant untouched for now.
• Lu Geng handed Duan Rong a wax-sealed secret letter from Zhu He.

Duan Rong investigated Zhu He's cryptic order to hunt spies and confirmed that Ru Yi was one of them. He resolved to destroy Ge Rusong's spy network, while Ru Yi stayed at the residence and Chou Luan watched her.

• Duan Rong read Zhu He's secret letter, found only the character "Go," and destroyed the paper after failing to uncover any hidden message.
• Duan Rong tested Ru Yi by leaving a candle burning and a window open, then used his Divine Sense Scan to confirm she was a spy.
• Duan Rong considered Zhu He's order to uproot the spy network, the danger of confronting Ge Rusong, and the protection of the Dew-Drinking Cicada.
• Duan Rong committed to wiping out Ge Rusong's spy network and headed to a teahouse to hear the latest street gossip.
• Ru Yi tried to leave the residence, but Chou Luan stopped her by repeating Duan Rong's instruction to stay put.

Jiang Zhe arrived at the Court of Judicial Review with Liu Shushan and Apothecary Guo to take part in the inquiry into Li Shensi’s death. Jiang Zhe and Ge Hengtai accused Duan Rong of involvement, but Yang Yi ordered Apothecary Guo to examine the corpse first, leaving the case unresolved.

• Jiang Zhe arrived at the Court of Judicial Review and took the central seat as the three presiding officials and Liu Shushan gathered in the Great Hall.
• Chen Shanmeng reported that his investigation had found no cause of death, while Ge Hengtai claimed Li Shensi had been poisoned with a toxin from the Gloomy Dark Forest.
• Ge Hengtai suggested Duan Rong was connected to the death, and Jiang Zhe demanded that the Court bring Duan Rong in for questioning.
• Lu Geng objected and insisted that the corpse be tested for poison before Duan Rong was questioned.
• Yang Yi asked Apothecary Guo how long the test would take, then ordered Ge Hengtai to lead them to Li Shensi’s body in the Ice Cellar.
• After the others left, Lin Yuan helped Chen Shanmeng up, and the two discussed how he had avoided taking sides in the conflict.

Pharmacist Guo examined Li Shensi’s remains in the Court of Judicial Review’s Ice Cellar and determined that he had not been poisoned, disrupting Jiang Zhe’s plan to blame Duan Rong. Duan Rong then recruited Zhu Peng and Zhu Cheng to capture a spy within Divine Cloud Manor, and Zhu Cheng confronted Clerk Hu, known as Pockmarked Face.

• Pharmacist Guo tested the rotten remains in the Ice Cellar and concluded that Li Shensi had not been poisoned.
• Jiang Zhe questioned whether the remains were really Li Shensi’s, while Ge Hengtai insisted they were and Jiang struggled to understand the failed poisoning theory.
• Duan Rong met Zhu Peng at the Cooling Room, summoned Zhu Cheng, and said they would capture a spy within Divine Cloud Manor.
• Duan Rong connected the spy hunt to the poisoned craftsmen and Zhou Wei’s murder, then told Zhu Peng and Zhu Cheng they would work with him for several days.
• Zhu Cheng visited Clerk Hu in his room, accused him of lurking at the Court of Judicial Review, and struck at his Dantian.

Duan Rong captured Wei Ru, the hidden leader of the Court of Judicial Review's spy outpost, and uncovered several more spies inside the court. He led Zhu Cheng and his subordinates on a night raid against Grand Harmony Tower, where he silently incapacitated its two expert guards.

• Duan Rong stopped Wei Ru from escaping, destroyed his Dantian, and revealed that he knew Wei Ru had killed Court Inspector Zhou Wei.
• Duan Rong ordered Zhu Cheng to secretly interrogate Wei Ru, while Zhu Peng helped smuggle him out in a chest; Duan Rong then captured a fat man who had come to warn Wei Ru.
• Zhu Cheng's interrogation revealed six more spies in the Court of Judicial Review, including one in the dungeon and one near Zhu Cheng.
• Duan Rong gathered Zhu Cheng and more than twenty subordinates at midnight and led them toward Grand Harmony Tower, telling them to wait while he entered alone.
• Duan Rong slipped into Grand Harmony Tower and incapacitated its two guards, an old man in the attic and Zhao Yi, the waiter who had previously investigated Zhu Zhengfu's residence.