Chapter Summaries

Peng Zhao presented a detailed map he had spent twelve years making, earning a marquis title and a gold reward from Li Chen. Li Chen gave Li Sining a cultivation treasure and received a dangerous new mission, while Chu Ruoyan reminded him about the Chu Lineage’s banquet and the consorts expected for his harem.

• Peng Zhao presented Li Chen with a detailed map of the lands surrounding the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty, and Li Chen made him the Marquis of Bright Distance and awarded him a thousand taels of gold.
• Li Chen reviewed the map and learned about the many countries beyond the dynasty’s known borders.
• Li Sining told Li Chen she had reached the mid Meridian Opening Realm, and he gave her a Dragon-Patterned Jade Pendant and instructed her to prepare for her Awakening Ceremony.
• Li Chen read a time-limited mission requiring him to reach the late Meridian Opening Realm and investigate a Demon Spirit at Falling Star Mountain within ninety days.
• Chu Ruoyan asked Li Chen whether the Empress Dowager’s chosen consorts had arrived, prompting him to think of the Black-Gold Saint Tiger woman he had met in the secret realm.

Li Chen met Wu Nanzhi on Evergreen Street and invited her to a restaurant, where they shared a meal and discussed her cooking. The chapter left them together at the restaurant, with Wu Nanzhi boasting of her culinary reputation in Tiger-Crouching City.

• Chu Ruoyan offered to invite a beautiful former friend to the Imperial Palace so Li Chen could meet her.
• Li Chen went to Evergreen Street and teased Wu Nanzhi when she blocked his path.
• Wu Nanzhi accepted Li Chen's invitation to eat, and the two went to a restaurant popular with couples.
• Wu Nanzhi ordered an enormous meal and finished every dish, while Li Chen sampled the restaurant's Six-Armed Bear paw.
• Wu Nanzhi said the bear had probably been raised in captivity, invited Li Chen to Tiger-Crouching City for a wild one, and claimed she was the city's food champion.

Wu Nanzhi met Li Chen without realizing he was the emperor, and their conversation turned flirtatious as they learned about each other. Convinced Li Chen already had a girlfriend, Wu Nanzhi decided to prank him by creating a romantic misunderstanding.

• Wu Nanzhi's family urged her to enter the palace after Wu Qi reported that Li Chen was the legitimate emperor, but she doubted she could ever marry someone she had never met.
• Li Chen admired Wu Nanzhi's appetite and cooking skills, while she asked how he had cultivated such strength.
• Li Chen said he avoided pointless socializing to focus on cultivation and claimed there might be stronger people in the Imperial Capital whom he had not met.
• Wu Nanzhi learned Li Chen was a native of the Imperial Capital with an official job, and assumed the beautiful woman she had seen on Marriage Mountain was his girlfriend.
• Wu Nanzhi decided to stage a romantic misunderstanding to tease Li Chen, planning to reassure his supposed girlfriend afterward.

After dinner with Li Chen, Wu Nanzhi went to inspect the Wu Family's shop and ran into Ma Gao, a persistent suitor who tried to stop her from entering. Xiao Ming intervened in his Ministry of Justice uniform, drove Ma Gao away, and savored the authority his position gave him.

• Wu Nanzhi paid for the meal with Li Chen, then parted ways with him and headed to the Wu Family's shop on Cloudveil Street.
• Ma Gao confronted Wu Nanzhi outside the shop and blocked her path while insisting that his feelings were sincere.
• Xiao Ming seized Ma Gao as he reached for Wu Nanzhi and kicked him to the ground.
• Wu Nanzhi denied knowing Ma Gao, and Xiao Ming ordered him to leave while displaying his Ministry of Justice uniform and saber.
• Ma Gao left without challenging Xiao Ming, and Xiao Ming relished how his uniform had made the man back down.

Xiao Ming's lucky encounter with Wu Nanzhi worried the Saint Remnant Soul, while Pang Jin considered recruiting Xiao Ming for a covert investigation. Meanwhile, the Chu Lineage's lavish housewarming banquet drew powerful guests and ended with the arrival of its rival, Qiu Kangning.

• Xiao Ming caught a thief and uncovered a smuggling operation, earning Pang Jin's approval and a chance to become a regular Ministry of Justice employee.
• Xiao Ming rescued Wu Nanzhi from Ma Gao and offered to escort her, prompting the Saint Remnant Soul to warn him not to forget his promise to Ruo Yan.
• Wu Qi returned to the shop, learned that Ma Gao had harassed Wu Nanzhi, and hurried off to the banquet after hearing an officer had helped her.
• Pang Jin reviewed Xiao Ming's background and considered using him as one of several pawns in a coming scheme.
• Chu Jingsong hosted the Chu Lineage's housewarming banquet, welcoming a stream of influential guests and valuable gifts.
• Qiu Kangning, head of the rival Qiu Lineage, arrived at the Chu Lineage's banquet.

Chu Jingsong hosted a housewarming banquet for the Chu Lineage, where Li Chen and Chu Ruoyan appeared and Li Chen’s presence left Qiu Kangning envious. After the imperial couple departed, Liu Hao and Wu Qi discussed Liu Hao’s cousin and wondered where Xiao Ming was, while Xiao Ming remained unaware of the banquet and Xu Zifeng was imprisoned again by Lin Yue'e.

• Chu Jingsong welcomed his old rival Qiu Kangning to the Chu Lineage’s housewarming banquet, and the two traded veiled insults about their families.
• Imperial Guards arrived with Li Chen and Chu Ruoyan, and the guests knelt to welcome them before Chu Jingsong escorted them to the seats of honor.
• Li Chen and Chu Ruoyan shared a meal with the guests, then departed, leaving the banquetgoers more relaxed and Chu Jingsong delighted.
• Wu Qi asked Liu Hao whether the beautiful woman with him was his older clan cousin, and Liu Hao explained that he had brought her hoping she might see Li Chen.
• Wu Qi and Liu Hao wondered why Xiao Ming was absent, unaware that Xiao Ming was cultivating and thinking about meeting an older woman again.
• Lin Yue'e threw Xu Zifeng into prison once more.

Xu Zifeng gathered intelligence about the princes’ plans and the help arriving from the Witch Gu Holy Land, then got pulled into a street fight and arrested. He and the scion he fought were sentenced to a month in prison.

• Xu Zifeng visited his wine shop and learned that the Third Prince was waiting for northern fighting, while Li Xian had left the Heavenly Evolution Divine Sect and was likely preparing for the Spring Hunt.
• Xu Zifeng learned that the Shaman King had sent his chief disciple to help him, and planned to wait for Li Chen and Li Xian to fight before taking advantage.
• A scion who blamed Xu Zifeng for an old Entertainment Bureau incident blocked his path and ordered his men to attack.
• Xu Zifeng fought the scion’s group, but Lin Yue'e arrived during their second exchange and arrested everyone.
• Ji Lianyu heard Xu Zifeng’s explanation in the County Yamen’s Prison, where Xu Zifeng and the scion were both sentenced to a month in prison.

Ji Lianyu went to Li Chen to plead for Xu Zifeng’s release, and Li Chen made it clear that she would have to serve him if she wanted his help. She resigned herself to his demand, while Li Sining spent another night unable to sleep.

• Xu Zifeng begged Ji Lianyu to seek help for his release before the Spring Hunt, and she agreed after he threatened to tell his mother.
• Ji Lianyu went to the Imperial Palace and waited for Li Chen to return.
• Li Chen heard her defense of Xu Zifeng, dismissed it, and said she could leave if she was unwilling to comply with his demand.
• Ji Lianyu accepted that she would have to serve Li Chen, while Li Sining went another night without sleep.

Ji Lianyu agreed to rely on Li Chen to protect the Ji Family and Xu Zifeng, while Xu resumed trusting that he was protected from consequences. Li Chen accepted a gift from Yan Hai and then visited Lin Yue'e at the County Yamen, where she recognized him as he presented her with a jade box.

• Xu Zifeng apologized to Ji Lianyu for worrying her, and she told him she would handle his troubles while warning him to avoid major mistakes.
• Ji Lianyu secretly planned to use her connection with Li Chen to protect the Ji Family and Xu Zifeng, while Xu believed the Empress Dowager was helping him.
• Yan Hai presented Li Chen with a Black-Scaled Nether Serpent's core, hoping to curry favor amid the Second Prince's anticipated move.
• Li Chen rewarded Yan Hai with an imperial inkstone and took the serpent core with him to the County Yamen for Lin Yue'e.
• Lin Yue'e mistook Li Chen for a subordinate until she looked up and recognized him.

Li Chen rewarded Lin Yue'e with the Black-Scaled Nether Serpent's inner core and learned she was investigating the Crown Princess's maid. Meanwhile, Xiao Ming tried to rescue Wu Nanzhi from Ma Gao, but Li Chen arrived and exposed Xiao Ming to another loss of romantic luck.

• Li Chen gave Lin Yue'e the Black-Scaled Nether Serpent's inner core, and she gratefully vowed to serve him.
• Lin Yue'e told Li Chen that the Crown Princess's maid had been visiting the Entertainment Bureau, and he ordered her to investigate further while pursuing Xu Zifeng.
• Lin Yue'e left the County Yamen with her team to capture Xu Zifeng, who was causing trouble at the Entertainment Bureau.
• Xiao Ming found Wu Nanzhi being pestered by Ma Gao on Evergreen Street and kicked Ma Gao aside.
• Li Chen arrived, and Wu Nanzhi went to him, leaving Xiao Ming and Ma Gao stunned as Xiao Ming realized his goddess was already close to another man.

Li Chen took Wu Nanzhi on an unconventional date to the Entertainment Bureau, where she discovered its services were more respectable than she expected. As they left, Li Chen spotted the Crown Prince’s consort there and wondered why his sister-in-law had come to the pleasure establishment.

• Wu Nanzhi thanked Xiao Ming for helping her against Ma Gao, leaving Xiao Ming bitter and Ma Gao amused.
• Li Chen and Wu Nanzhi walked through the market before Li Chen led her to the Entertainment Bureau.
• The maids admitted Li Chen without the usual assessments and arranged a private courtyard for him and Wu Nanzhi.
• Wu Nanzhi enjoyed massages, tea, music, and performances, and came to appreciate the unusual date.
• As they left, Li Chen saw the Crown Prince’s consort in a pavilion and identified her as his sister-in-law.

Li Chen speculated that the Crown Princess had visited the Entertainment Bureau to meet the Second Prince, but left the investigation to others. Back in the palace, he studied the Emperor Dragon Sutra before Ji Lianyu reported that Xu Zifeng had gotten into trouble again.

• Li Chen dismissed Wu Nanzhi’s remark about the woman at the Entertainment Bureau and wondered why the Crown Princess had gone there.
• Lin Yue'e later investigated the Entertainment Bureau and the Crown Prince’s death, while Li Chen left with Wu Nanzhi and she declined his invitation home.
• Li Chen returned to the palace and studied the Emperor Dragon Sutra, concluding that his unorthodox cultivation had brought him to a level comparable to the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty’s founding emperor.
• A eunuch announced that Ji Lianyu requested an audience, and Li Chen welcomed her as she reported that Xu Zifeng had been causing trouble again.

Chu Ruoyan invited Li Chen to the Imperial Capital Spiritglow Artifact Expo, where they explored the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty’s showcase for civilian inventions. After shopping for jewelry, they were approached by a mysterious figure, leaving their outing interrupted.

• Chu Ruoyan asked Li Chen to visit the Imperial Capital Spiritglow Artifact Expo, and he agreed after teasing her.
• Li Chen and Chu Ruoyan spent nearly two hours together in the Imperial Study before changing and leaving the palace.
• Chu Ruoyan explained that the expo let artisans display inventions, attract investors, and compete for Ministry of Works support.
• Li Chen and Chu Ruoyan browsed the expo, where she bought several pieces of jewelry, including a bracelet that changed color with her mood.
• As Li Chen and Chu Ruoyan prepared to explore more of the expo, a figure quietly approached them.

Wu Nanzhi joined Li Chen and Chu Ruoyan at the exhibition, where the three watched an artifact demonstration and Li Chen defeated Zhao Chong in a weapon trial. Afterward, Li Chen criticized Qiu Youneng’s Spiral Sword and said his victory came from his own strength, not the weapon.

• Wu Nanzhi spotted Li Chen with Chu Ruoyan, but joined them after Li Chen introduced her as his older sister.
• Wu Nanzhi and Chu Ruoyan bonded while browsing jewelry, then the three went to watch Bai Zhanfei and Qiu Youneng demonstrate their weapons.
• Bai Zhanfei arranged for his disciple Zhao Chong to test the Separation Sword, while Qiu Youneng randomly selected Li Chen to wield the Spiral Sword.
• Li Chen and Zhao Chong fought with their cultivation suppressed to the meridian opening realm, and Li Chen defeated Zhao Chong by knocking the sword hilt from his hand.
• Li Chen pointed out flaws in the Spiral Sword and told Qiu Youneng that he had won because he was stronger, not because the weapon was better.

Li Chen demonstrated the Separation Sword’s true power, overwhelming master smith Qiu Youneng and leaving the crowd stunned. After Li Chen departed, Zhao Chong kept the transformed weapon as bidders and would-be thieves descended on him.

• Li Chen challenged Qiu Youneng to test his claims about the weapons, then summoned the Separation Sword’s pieces into his hand.
• Qiu Youneng attacked with the Spiral Sword, but Li Chen split the Separation Sword into a thousand fragments and struck with overwhelming force, sending Qiu Youneng flying.
• The crowd saw a sword scar cleave the clouds and realized Li Chen’s slash could have killed everyone if he had aimed it at them.
• Li Chen returned the refined Separation Sword to Zhao Chong, praised his talent, and left the sparring ground.
• Bidders offered enormous sums for the divine weapon, but Zhao Chong refused to sell and fled as people tried to seize it.

After Li Chen’s display of strength, Chu Ruoyan and Wu Nanzhi followed him while Xiao Ming mistook a glimpse of them for a hallucination. Elsewhere, Xu Zifeng welcomed Ma Hei, a powerful Witch Gu Holy Land successor, and their trip to the Drunken Immortal Tower ended with a confrontation on the stairs.

• Chu Ruoyan and Wu Nanzhi caught up with Li Chen, while Xiao Ming was swept away by the crowd and failed to find Chu Ruoyan.
• Xiao Ming decided he had imagined seeing Chu Ruoyan and the nameless goddess, then returned to tail a Ministry of Justice official for Lord Pang.
• Xu Zifeng met Ma Hei, the Witch King’s envoy, at the wine shop and took him to change clothes and dine at the Drunken Immortal Tower.
• Xu Zifeng treated Ma Hei to Immortal Tipsy Nectar, and the two toasted the Prince of the South’s ambitions before setting off as brothers.
• Several people blocked Xu Zifeng and Ma Hei’s way on the stairs, and neither man intended to make room.

Xu Zifeng and Li Xian's confrontation in a restaurant led to a fight between Ma Hei and Feng Wuhen, while Lin Yue'e arrived to arrest those causing trouble. After Li Xian revealed himself as the Second Prince, Lin Yue'e challenged his authority with Li Chen's Insignia Plaque.

• Xu Zifeng threatened Li Xian, and Li Xian ordered Feng Wuhen to teach him a lesson.
• Ma Hei intervened to protect Xu Zifeng, and he and Feng Wuhen fought to a standstill.
• Xiao Ming watched the fight while the Saint Remnant Soul identified the fighters and warned that Lin Yue'e's arrival might stir Xiao Ming's infatuation.
• Lin Yue'e arrived with constables to arrest Xu Zifeng, and she ordered her subordinates to cuff Li Xian's attendant.
• Li Xian blasted back the approaching constables, and Feng Wuhen revealed that he was the Second Prince.
• Lin Yue'e presented Li Chen's Insignia Plaque and declared that no one could resist arrest.

Lin Yue'e arrested Second Prince Li Xian after Xu Zifeng deliberately dragged him into a brawl, and Li Xian remained imprisoned while seeking a way out. Li Chen postponed meeting him, while Xu Zifeng was released and returned to the Prince of the South's Residence, unaware that Li Chen had spent the morning with Ji Lianyu.

• Lin Yue'e used the emperor's Insignia Plaque to arrest Li Xian, Xu Zifeng, Feng Wuhen, Ma Hei, and their companions after Xu Zifeng insisted that everyone be taken to prison.
• Li Xian told Xu Zifeng his name and learned he was the Prince of the South's heir, then wrongly concluded that the Third Prince had arranged the arrest to disrupt his plans.
• The County Yamen Governor refused to help Li Xian, and the Empress Dowager told him he would have to ask Li Chen for release; Li Chen chose to leave him in prison until morning.
• Li Chen met Ji Lianyu in her chamber and later rode with her to the Prince of the South's Residence, where he stayed until noon.
• Xu Zifeng was released early, taunted Li Xian, arranged lodging for Ma Hei, and returned to the residence, where Ji Lianyu claimed to be ill and unavailable.

Li Chen visited the County Yamen prison, where he found his second brother, Li Xian, and freed him. Li Xian later avoided a confrontation with Xu Zifeng by getting him arrested again, then left feeling victorious.

• Li Chen arrived at the prison, questioned Atad, and asked Li Xian why he had been arrested.
• Li Xian admitted he had clashed with the Heir of the Prince of the South, and Li Chen told him he could fight Xu Zifeng but should not lose.
• Li Xian left the prison with Feng Wuhen and said he would deal with Xu Zifeng and his father later, after finding his master and securing military authority.
• When Li Xian encountered Xu Zifeng outside the County Yamen, he ran back inside and asked Lin Yue'e to arrest him before they fought.
• Lin Yue'e arrested Xu Zifeng again, and Li Xian left smugly, thinking he had not lost to Li Chen this time.

Wu Qi sought Liu Hao’s help to stay in the Imperial Capital, then joined the Ministry of War with a recommendation as Li Chen went on a date with Wu Nanzhi. The chapter ended with Li Chen offending Wu Nanzhi by asking whether her breasts could grow as large as a striking woman who entered the restaurant.

• Wu Qi visited Liu Hao and asked for help securing a future in the Imperial Capital.
• Liu Hao recommended that Wu Qi join the Ministry of War, where Wu Qi reported for duty.
• Li Chen took Wu Nanzhi to lunch, admitted that the woman she had seen was his wife, and teased Wu Nanzhi by calling her his big sister.
• A beautiful woman entered the restaurant and drew everyone’s attention.
• Wu Nanzhi glared at Li Chen, who asked whether her breasts would ever grow as large as the newcomer’s.