Chapter Summaries

Duan Rong infiltrated Grand Harmony Tower and incapacitated its staff and spies, but discovered that Qin Ya had triggered an alarm before he passed out. He killed the warning carrier pigeon and found a note declaring the outpost exposed, then summoned Zhu Cheng and his men to return with him.

• Duan Rong slipped into Grand Harmony Tower’s underground space by cutting a hole through its alarm-rigged iron door and drugged the guard inside.
• Duan Rong filled the underground room with medicinal powder, knocked out the workers, and destroyed Qin Ya’s Dantian when he attacked.
• Qin Ya triggered a hidden mechanism that released a carrier pigeon, but Duan Rong killed it with his Frost Pattern Phosphorous Crystal Saber before it could escape.
• Duan Rong found a message on the pigeon reading “Grand Harmony Tower has been exposed!” and realized the outpost was central to Ge Rusong’s spy network.
• Duan Rong drugged the tower’s sleeping employees, then returned to Zhu Cheng and ordered him to bring his men to Grand Harmony Tower.

Duan Rong led a nighttime raid on Grand Harmony Tower, captured everyone inside, and discovered a trove of compromising records on Divine Cloud Manor’s officials. He took the officials’ files back to Zhu Cheng’s residence, where Zhu Cheng was interrogating the prisoners in the Dark Room.

• Duan Rong and Zhu Cheng’s men entered Grand Harmony Tower, subdued its occupants, and carried them away in sacks.
• Duan Rong arranged for Privy Council soldiers to guard the tower and protect its underground passageways.
• Duan Rong examined the Records of Officials' Conduct and found evidence that Ge Rusong had used Li Shensi’s secrets to make him switch sides.
• Duan Rong emptied the officials’ files into a chest, devoured the artifact spirits in the underground space, and carried the records away.
• Duan Rong reached the Dark Room and heard the prisoners screaming as Zhu Cheng interrogated them.

Duan Rong and Zhu Peng secretly captured people connected to Grand Harmony Tower, using their interrogations to expose more names and addresses. As dawn came, they went to investigate Grand Harmony Tower, whose normally busy doors remained shut and silent.

• Duan Rong gave Zhu Cheng a chest to hide and learned that Qin Ya had died by poison during interrogation, while four other captives had provided names of suspected associates.
• Duan Rong chose to pursue a contact for an Office of Transmission liaison point in Stone Clothes Alley, where he subdued the man, recovered a Sect Cloud Document and the Office of Transmission seal, and left the man's wife unconscious.
• Duan Rong and Zhu Peng repeatedly carried captured suspects to Zhu Cheng for interrogation, while Zhu Cheng's men arrested others and the list of targets grew.
• Near dawn, Duan Rong ordered a carriage so they could continue their arrests discreetly after daylight.
• Shop hands gathered outside Grand Harmony Tower, but no one inside answered their knocks, despite the building usually preparing for business at that hour.

Duan Rong’s sweep of Grand Harmony Tower and its hidden network exposed Ge Rusong’s contingencies, while an examination found that Li Shensi had not been poisoned. The chapter ended with Chen Yu reporting that Grand Harmony Tower had fallen, prompting Ge Rusong to erupt in anger.

• A hidden master tending a wonton stall noticed the warning pigeon cage at Grand Harmony Tower was empty and hurried away after realizing the operation had been exposed.
• Duan Rong found the residence he was investigating empty and returned to the Dark Room, where he learned that other teams had also come up empty.
• Duan Rong told Zhu Cheng to send for breakfast, while the hidden master returned to the stall to help his wife serve customers.
• Sun Fujiā, Lü Zhongtang, Ge Rusong, Zheng Yi, and Xu Qie discussed the finding that Li Shensi had not been poisoned, and Xu Qie reminded them that Duan Rong had uncovered the First Filthy Blood Case.
• Chen Yu reported that Grand Harmony Tower had fallen, and Ge Rusong rose in fury.

After learning that Duan Rong had destroyed Grand Harmony Tower and the Court of Judicial Review’s intelligence strongholds, Ge Rusong and Lü Zhongtang decided to have Pei Du and Jiang Zhe kill him. Meanwhile, Duan Rong prepared to receive several officials at Grand Harmony Tower, which Zhu Peng surrounded with Heavy Armored Iron Cavalry.

• Chen Yu reported that Grand Harmony Tower had fallen without sending an alarm and that nearly everyone inside had been lost.
• Ge Rusong suspected Duan Rong had destroyed the intelligence strongholds and argued that he had to be eliminated.
• Lü Zhongtang agreed and arranged for Jiang Zhe and Pei Du to target Duan Rong.
• Duan Rong told Zhu Peng to mobilize two units of Heavy Armored Iron Cavalry and asked Zhu Cheng to invite Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, Zhu Zhengfu, and Ge Hengtai to tea.
• Duan Rong opened Grand Harmony Tower, ordered its guards to hold their positions, and waited while Zhu Peng surrounded the building with the cavalry.
• Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, Zhu Zhengfu, and Ge Hengtai arrived in Green Sedans and looked uneasily at the troops around Grand Harmony Tower.

Duan Rong summoned Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, Zhu Zhengfu, and Ge Hengtai to Grand Harmony Tower, where he exposed the officials’ secrets and revealed the Office of Transmission’s vast intelligence operation. After Ge Hengtai tried to destroy evidence, Duan Rong killed him and arranged reports to the sect, leaving Wang Maochun in charge of guarding the records.

• Zhu Cheng escorted Wang Maochun and the others into Grand Harmony Tower, where Duan Rong invited them to drink tea and examine documents.
• Ge Hengtai tried to destroy his incriminating booklet, so Duan Rong killed him with a thrown celadon cup.
• Duan Rong showed Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and Zhu Zhengfu the underground intelligence archive and explained its links to the Office of Transmission.
• Duan Rong ordered Zhu Cheng to prepare a report for the sect, with Chen Shanmeng and Wang Maochun reviewing it, and instructed Chen to report Ge Hengtai’s death.
• Duan Rong gave the three surviving officials booklets about their own misdeeds and entrusted Wang Maochun with guarding Grand Harmony Tower’s records.

Duan Rong managed the fallout from the Grand Harmony Tower affair and discovered that Ru Yi had been abducted, with a message demanding he come to a forest beyond the South Suburbs. He realized Zhu He’s one-word instruction, “Go,” meant he was expected to enter the trap, leaving him wondering why his master had arranged it.

• Duan Rong ordered Zhu Zhengfu to send a confidential report to Zhu He and spread the news that Ge Rusong had planned the Grand Harmony Tower affair.
• Duan Rong had Zhu Cheng prepare an official account of the affair and directed him to obtain Chen Shanmeng’s seal and Wang Maochun’s review so it could be issued promptly.
• Duan Rong monitored talk in a teahouse and heard word of Grand Harmony Tower’s ties to the sect’s Office of Transmission spreading among the public.
• Duan Rong visited Zhu Zhengfu, questioned him about Li Shensi’s case and other matters, and learned that the sect’s pharmacists found no poison in Li Shensi’s body.
• Duan Rong found Chou Luan unconscious outside the separate courtyard and discovered a box containing Ru Yi’s severed fingers and a note demanding he come to a forest beyond the South Suburbs before dawn.
• Duan Rong connected Zhu He’s warning not to investigate his own side with the letter’s instruction to “Go,” and realized Zhu He expected him to enter the trap.

Duan Rong went to the Dense Forest to rescue Ru Yi, where Pei Du and Jiang Zhe ambushed him and revealed they had also seized Zhu Xiaoqi and Yang Zhen. As Pei Du prepared to kill Duan Rong, Zhu He emerged from the forest and challenged him.

• Duan Rong left Chou Luan behind to guard the courtyard and went alone to meet Ru Yi's captors.
• Pei Du and Jiang Zhe used Ru Yi as bait and threatened to seize Zhu Xiaoqi and Yang Zhen to force Duan Rong to submit.
• Duan Rong recognized Pei Du and Jiang Zhe, then fought Jiang Zhe while waiting for Zhu He's planned intervention.
• Duan Rong blocked Pei Du's attack with Intent Saber Light, astonishing Pei Du and leaving himself badly shaken.
• Pei Du prepared another attack, but Zhu He appeared and asked who had said they wanted to kill Duan Rong.

Duan Rong survived Pei Du and Jiang Zhe’s attack after Zhu He brought Yang Sixuan to witness it, and Yang Sixuan arrested the two men. Ru Yi died after revealing her coercion, while Zhu He pointed Duan Rong toward a lead that could help find her brother; Zhu He then vanished, leaving Duan Rong to resume his affairs in Divine Cloud Manor.

• Zhu He and Yang Sixuan emerged and confronted Pei Du and Jiang Zhe, and Yang Sixuan restrained both men to take them to the Judgment and Rectification Department.
• Duan Rong tried to stop Yang Sixuan, but Zhu He urged him to proceed and then told Duan Rong that Wu Shidao had gone to intercept the men sent to seize Zhu Xiaoqi and Yang Zhen.
• Duan Rong rescued the poisoned Ru Yi and gave her a pill that briefly revived her before she died, confessing that Ge Rusong had forced her to spy by holding her brother captive.
• Duan Rong found Ru Yi’s paper bearing the character for “eternal” and a small character for “distant,” and Zhu He explained that following the cook Zhu Zhengfu had poached could lead to her brother.
• Duan Rong realized Zhu He had a deep intelligence network in Divine Cloud Manor, accepted his master’s orders, and watched Zhu He disappear before returning to his own affairs.

Duan Rong confronted Zhu Zhengfu about Ru Yi and uncovered that Fat Xu had relayed her messages for Ge Rusong. After finding Fat Xu had returned to the Zhu Residence, Duan Rong ambushed him and demanded to know how he passed the messages along.

• Zhu He reflected on Duan Rong’s success in dismantling Grand Harmony Tower and planned to ensure Ge Rusong’s informants learned that Pei Du and Jiang Zhe had been taken to the Judgment and Rectification Department.
• Duan Rong buried Ru Yi beside the camp and marked her grave with a tombstone bearing the name Yan Yueru.
• Duan Rong visited Zhu Zhengfu during the night and revealed that Ru Yi had been Ge Rusong’s informant, with Fat Xu passing her messages through the residence.
• Duan Rong found Fat Xu’s room locked and learned from Zhu Zhengfu that Fat Xu often spent nights at the pleasure quarters.
• Fat Xu returned to the residence at dawn, and Duan Rong seized him in his room and demanded to know how he had transmitted Ru Yi’s messages.

Duan Rong tortured Fat Xu into revealing that a martial-artist beggar served as a secret contact, then waited at the teahouse and captured the beggar. He carried the unconscious man into the alley after destroying his Dantian, leaving the spy network within reach.

• Duan Rong forced Fat Xu to confess by making him suffer unbearable itching, then told Zhu Zhengfu to keep him guarded and the interrogation secret.
• Duan Rong searched the beggars outside the teahouse at dawn but found no martial artists, then returned to Zhu Residence to sleep.
• Zhu Yu assigned Xiao Guo to handle Fat Xu's kitchen duties, and Xiao Guo resolved to try cooking for the madams.
• Duan Rong returned to the teahouse after dark and spotted a beggar whose Dantian held True Qi Realm Third Level cultivation.
• Duan Rong lured the beggar into an alley with their signal, destroyed his Dantian, and knocked him unconscious with medicinal powder.

Duan Rong uncovered Liang Xuesong as the head of a covert information line and went to Lingzhen Daoist Temple to confront him. There, he discovered that Liang had been expecting him and that Taiyi Sect elder Ge Rusong was waiting with him.

• Duan Rong brought the captured beggar to Zhu Cheng and assigned him to interrogate the man about his covert contacts.
• Zhu He took Chu Qiushan to a mountain peak overlooking a Daoist temple, where they concealed themselves and watched a Cave Illumination Realm expert arrive.
• Duan Rong learned that Liang Xuesong, a True Qi Realm Fourth Level expert and master of Lingzhen Daoist Temple, received the beggar's information and passed it to the sect.
• Duan Rong traveled to the temple and entered by claiming he wanted to offer incense before leaving the next morning.
• Duan Rong recognized Liang Xuesong as the Daoist priest and discovered that Ge Rusong, an elder of the Taiyi Sect, had emerged from behind the shrine curtain.

Duan Rong confronted Ge Rusong at Lingzhen Daoist Temple, where the Dew-Drinking Cicada’s power collided with Ge Rusong’s Law of Power and erased Liang Xuesong, the temple, and the surrounding forest. Chu Qiushan and Zhu He arrived, and Ge Rusong realized that Zhu He had orchestrated the chain of events that had led him into a trap, leaving his defeat certain.

• Duan Rong cursed Zhu He for misleading him, while Ge Rusong prepared to kill him before fleeing Qing Province.
• Ge Rusong restrained Duan Rong with his Law of Power and attacked, but Duan Rong activated the Dew-Drinking Cicada, unleashing its force against him.
• The collision of their powers erased Liang Xuesong, Lingzhen Daoist Temple, and the surrounding forest, while Ge Rusong survived with only a slight injury.
• Chu Qiushan and Zhu He appeared, and Zhu He challenged Ge Rusong for trying to kill his disciple.
• Ge Rusong realized Zhu He had guided him into the trap through the cases and conflicts surrounding Duan Rong, and he recognized that his defeat was certain.

Ge Rusong trapped Chu Qiushan, Zhu He, and Duan Rong with the Mani Pearl, but Gu Daoling ambushed him and suppressed his cultivation before Chu Qiushan broke the barrier. Gu Daoling revealed that observing celestial phenomena had brought him to the Late Cave Illumination Realm, leaving Chu Qiushan and Duan Rong pondering the path he described.

• Chu Qiushan questioned Ge Rusong, who attacked Zhu He with spatial waves as Duan Rong moved beside Chu Qiushan for protection.
• Ge Rusong used the Mani Pearl to trap Chu Qiushan, Zhu He, and Duan Rong in a golden barrier, then fled as Chu Qiushan tried to break free.
• Gu Daoling emerged from the forest, struck Ge Rusong with a strand of Law of Power, and suppressed the laws within his Cave Illumination.
• Chu Qiushan broke the golden barrier, caught the Mani Pearl, and learned that Zhu He had arranged for Gu Daoling to lie in ambush.
• Gu Daoling revealed that he had advanced to the Late Cave Illumination Realm three years earlier through observing celestial phenomena.
• Gu Daoling explained his insights into the stars, leaving Chu Qiushan impressed and Duan Rong absorbed in his words.

After Gu Daoling’s breakthrough revealed his resolve to follow his own path, Chu Qiushan recognized that his reliance on Old Ancestor had held back his cultivation and decided to leave Qing Province if he could not advance. Duan Rong reflected on how Zhu He had chosen him as a key piece in the scheme against Ge Rusong, while Zhu He and Gu Daoling ended the night at Star Gazing Pavilion.

• Chu Qiushan warned Zhu He against scheming, then left with Ge Rusong, whom he had silenced with a barrier; while carrying him away, Chu Qiushan resolved to step out from Old Ancestor’s shadow and travel after handing over the sect leadership.
• Duan Rong realized that Zhu He had selected him as a chess piece before taking him as a disciple, and resolved to cultivate harder while maintaining their relationship for the sake of sect resources.
• Zhu He praised Duan Rong’s progress and claimed he had comprehended intent, surprising Gu Daoling before inviting him to Star Gazing Pavilion for tea.
• At Star Gazing Pavilion, Zhu He left on an excuse without bringing tea, and Gu Daoling grumbled but went inside to prepare it.

Zhu He reconciled with Duan Rong after revealing that he planned to entrust him with his mortal-world intelligence network, and Duan Rong came to trust his master wholeheartedly. Zhu He then spoke with Gu Daoling, who questioned Duan Rong’s artistic conception and learned of the Empty Clarity Realm.

• Wang Maochun reported that records on officials of the third rank and above were missing from Grand Harmony Tower, and Zhu He told him to leave them to Duan Rong.
• Zhu He waited for Duan Rong, then explained that his plans against Ge Rusong had relied on Duan Rong and reassured him about the danger posed by the Mani Pearl.
• Zhu He revealed that the Internal History Department clerk was the head of his secret intelligence network and that he intended to place it in Duan Rong’s hands after becoming sect leader.
• Duan Rong assured Zhu He that he bore no grievance, and the two reconciled as master and disciple before Zhu He departed.
• Zhu He told Gu Daoling to prepare to return to the mountain and visit Old Ancestor, then Gu Daoling asked about Duan Rong’s artistic conception.
• Zhu He asked whether Gu Daoling knew of the Empty Clarity Realm, and Gu Daoling reacted with astonishment.

Gu Daoling secretly tested Duan Rong’s saber skill and recognized both the weapon and technique from his own youth, while Duan Rong reached Essence Qi Realm Perfection during an overnight practice. By evening, Duan Rong learned that important records had left the city under heavy escort, and Wu Shidao arrived at Zhu Zhengfu’s residence with the promised visitors.

• Gu Daoling entered Duan Rong’s room, restrained him, and recognized the Frost Pattern Phosphorous Crystal Saber as his former weapon.
• Gu Daoling ordered Duan Rong to perform the Wandering Dragon Clear Chant Saber, then watched him reveal saber radiance and left after seeing how advanced his artistic conception was.
• Duan Rong practiced through the night and achieved Essence Qi Realm Perfection, while Chou Luan woke from Gu Daoling’s illusion.
• Duan Rong told Zhu Yu that his dawn howl had been voice practice, then met Zhu Cheng to discuss the final arrangements for capturing the spies.
• Zhu Zhengfu told Duan Rong that Wang Maochun had escorted the Grand Harmony Tower records out of the city with two squads of Heavy Armored Iron Cavalry.
• Wu Shidao arrived at Zhu Zhengfu’s Flower Hall, and Duan Rong recognized that Zhu Xiaoqi and Yang Zhen had likely come with him.

Duan Rong reunited with Yang Zhen and Zhu Xiaoqi at Divine Cloud Manor, then sent Wu Shidao to deliver records about senior officials to their master. After learning how Duan Rong had handled the Grand Harmony Tower affair, Wu Shidao left for Changliu Mountain, while Duan Rong settled his weary guests in for the night.

• Wu Shidao brought Yang Zhen and Zhu Xiaoqi to Divine Cloud Manor, where Zhu Xiaoqi complained that he had treated them like prisoners.
• Duan Rong called Yang Zhen and Zhu Xiaoqi his family and arranged for Steward Zhu Yu to feed and house them.
• Duan Rong took Wu Shidao to Zhu Cheng's Dark Room and asked him to carry a chest of records about officials of the third rank and above to their master.
• Wu Shidao praised Duan Rong's handling of the Grand Harmony Tower affair and flew toward Changliu Mountain with the chest.
• Duan Rong reunited with Yang Zhen and Zhu Xiaoqi, heard how they had been abducted and rescued by Wu Shidao, and arranged places for them to sleep.
• Zhu Xiaoqi asked Duan Rong about his work and Xiao Yu, but Duan Rong pretended to be asleep rather than answer her question.

Zhu He arranged for copies of sensitive records to be made while Wu Shidao delivered the originals to Wang Maochun for submission to the Hall of Elders. Duan Rong received orders to return to the sect and hand his spy-catching duties to Lu Geng, then set out to gather his colleagues for dinner before leaving.

• Zhu He ordered Wu Shidao to copy the records and give every original to Wang Maochun, who was escorting the Iron Cavalry Convoy toward Changliu Mountain.
• Wu Shidao met Wang Maochun in the forest, handed him the chest, and caused a roadside commotion so Wang Maochun could hide it inside a carriage.
• Duan Rong received the sect's order to report to the Hall of Elders and Zhu He's instruction to hand the spy-catching matter to Lu Geng.
• Duan Rong arranged a dinner at Zhu Peng's Cooling Room with Lu Geng and Zhu Cheng, bringing Yang Zhen along as Zhu Xiaoqi protested.

Duan Rong hosted Lu Geng and Zhu Cheng at Zhu Peng’s residence while Yang Zhen waited alone in a pavilion. When Qin Xueyin came to play for Duan Rong, Lu Geng assaulted her, but Duan Rong stopped him and sent her away in tears.

• Duan Rong brought Yang Zhen to Zhu Peng’s residence, then told him to wait in a dark pavilion while the others gathered for dinner and drinks.
• Duan Rong and Zhu Cheng explained the spy operation to Lu Geng, who was astonished that Duan Rong had dismantled Ge Rusong’s intelligence network.
• Zhu Peng brought Qin Xueyin to perform, and she played a sorrowful piece called “Sorrow Kills” while staring at Duan Rong.
• Qin Xueyin tried to leave after Duan Rong ignored her, but Lu Geng insulted her, tore away her veil, and threatened to kill her or force her into his bed.
• Duan Rong pried Lu Geng’s hand from Qin Xueyin’s neck and sent Zhu Peng to escort her away; Qin Xueyin left weeping.
• Duan Rong told Lu Geng that Qin Xueyin was a famed courtesan, and Lu Geng thanked him for preventing a serious scandal.