Chapter Summaries

He An and Fan Dazhi attended school together in Watermill Head Village, where their friendship continued despite Fan Dazhi falling asleep in class and getting struck by the old master. After school, they made fish traps and set them in the Han River, leaving He An to head home as Fan Dazhi’s father caught him stealing food.

• The old master questioned He An, then caught Fan Dazhi sleeping in class and struck his palm after Fan Dazhi recited his lessons flawlessly.
• He An and Fan Dazhi made up after school, and Fan Dazhi asked He An to keep the punishment secret from his father.
• He An’s history revealed that he lived with his disabled uncle He Kui, while Fan Dazhi lived with his father, Fan Youfu, who had fled Yangzhou Commandery.
• He An and Fan Dazhi gathered willow branches, and Fan Dazhi fashioned two fish traps.
• The boys baited and set the traps in the Han River, and He An saved a piece of chicken for He Kui.
• Fan Dazhi went home, where Fan Youfu accused him of stealing a roast chicken and smashed dishes in anger.

He An spent the evening sharing a meal with his lame uncle, He Kui, then went fishing with Fan Dazhi and brought food to Miao Feifei. After Feifei announced she would join the private school, He An returned home and faced a surprise training test from He Kui.

• He An brought He Kui a chicken leg from Fan Dazhi, and He Kui urged him to learn from the new instructor Fang while remembering a woman who had fought beside him.
• He An and Fan Dazhi hauled several large fish from the Han River and roasted them, saving some for Miao Feifei.
• He An teased Fan Dazhi about being matched with Tiger Girl, and Fan Dazhi went with him to visit He Kui before giving his father the black carp.
• He An gave Miao Feifei roasted fish, and she told him she had enrolled in the private school and handed him a handkerchief containing a boiled egg.
• He Kui attacked He An in the dark when he came home, then praised him for withstanding ten moves.

He An and Fan Dazhi witnessed a mysterious swordsman kill Tan Song, a patrol officer of the Six Fan Gate, near their village. He Kui revealed that He An could learn about his family and past once he reached the dao integration realm, then prepared to leave and investigate old affairs.

• He Kui tested He An and Fan Dazhi on their studies and watched them demonstrate Cloud-Riding Hand, praising their different strengths.
• On the way to school with Miao Feifei, He An and Fan Dazhi saw a black-clad swordsman kill the traveler Tan Song and flee as He Kui approached.
• He Kui examined Tan Song's body and sent the children to report the incident to Instructor Fang, while instructing them to conceal his presence.
• Fang Yizhi identified the killer as someone from Unknown Island after examining Tan Song's fatal wound.
• He Kui told He An that he had been recommended for the Knowing-and-Doing Institute, promised to reveal his complicated origins after he reached the dao integration realm, and gave him a jade pendant containing one-use power.
• He Kui said his cultivation had recovered and surpassed its former level, then announced he would meet old friends and investigate the past.

When county constables came to question He An, Fan Dazhi, and Miao Feifei about Tan Song’s murder, their teacher Fang Yizhi stopped them and revealed formidable cultivation abilities. He explained that the students could not have killed Tan Song and suggested the killer may have come from Unknown Island, then left the constables to report his findings.

• Zhang Bailing and two bailiffs arrived at the private school to take He An, Fan Dazhi, and Miao Feifei in for questioning about Tan Song’s murder.
• Fang Yizhi blocked the constables, and when Zhang Bailing and his men attacked him, his cultivation bent the iron ruler, broke the Water-and-Fire Staff, and injured both bailiffs.
• Zhang Bailing recognized Fang Yizhi from the Luoyang Knowing-and-Doing Institute and asked for his account of the murder.
• Fang Yizhi said Tan Song had been killed with a single powerful blade strike that shattered his dan foundation, and that only a dao integration realm expert or stronger could have done it.
• Fang Yizhi said the wound resembled those caused by weapons associated with assassins from Unknown Island and insisted his students had nothing to do with the case.
• Zhang Bailing ended the questioning and left with his men, deciding to report Fang Yizhi’s findings to the county magistrate.

Fang Yizhi asked his students to share their ideals, revealing He An’s ambition to become like National Preceptor Li and Fan Dazhi’s reluctance to pursue anything difficult. An old man secretly watched He An and lamented their estrangement before praising Fang Yizhi’s teaching and the children’s potential.

• Fang Yizhi taught his students that writing expressed their aspirations and invited them to describe their ideals.
• Zhu Biao said he wanted to become a bookkeeper, while Zhou Zhiheng wanted enough money to feast on bean-curd skewers.
• He An declared that he wanted to become like National Preceptor Li Xingzhi, bringing peace with a brush and order with a sword, while Fan Dazhi could not answer.
• After school, Fan Dazhi told He An that he wanted to become a wealthy landowner, but He An urged him to use his intelligence and study at the Knowledge and Practice Institute.
• Fan Dazhi admitted that he preferred an easy life, and he and He An laughed and tussled in the stable.
• An old man in a blue robe secretly watched He An, regretted that his former disciple had avoided him, and praised Fang Yizhi’s teaching and the boys’ promise.

He An and Fan Dazhi left Watermill Head Village for Luoyang to take the Knowing-and-Doing Institute's entrance test, while Miao Feifei and Miao Liu-shi watched them go. That night, black-clad assailants kidnapped Miao Liu-shi and Miao Feifei to learn where He Kui had gone; Miao Liu-shi was killed, and Miao Feifei was ordered sent to the Assassin Camp after her memories were erased.

• Fang Yizhi led He An and Fan Dazhi toward Luoyang after they said farewell to Fan Youfu, Miao Feifei, and Miao Liu-shi.
• Fang Yizhi described the capital and cautioned He An and Fan Dazhi to stay focused on their studies as they traveled to an inn.
• Miao Liu-shi recalled rescuing He Kui and baby He An, then worried that He Kui had left without a word.
• Black-clad figures abducted Miao Liu-shi and Miao Feifei and demanded to know where the lame He Kui had gone.
• Miao Liu-shi refused to reveal He Kui's whereabouts, so the black-clad man on the platform killed her with a supernatural attack.
• After Miao Feifei witnessed her mother's death, a guard knocked her unconscious, and the black-clad man ordered her memories erased and her sent to the Assassin Camp.

Tan Ziwen attended a chaotic court session where Emperor Zhao Chang declared his intention to wage war against Western Liang and reclaim Qinzhou Commandery. After the session ended in a fight between Liu Daxia and Qin Lie, Zhao Chang learned that Li Xingzhi believed the time for action had not yet come.

• Tan Ziwen admired the Knowledge and Practice Institute and its head, Li Xingzhi, before arriving at court.
• Emperor Zhao Chang called for war against Western Liang and the recovery of Qinzhou Commandery, prompting generals to compete for command.
• Liu Daxia stripped to display his battle scars and demand the vanguard, then fought Chief Censor Qin Lie after Qin Lie mocked him.
• Emperor Zhao Chang ended the court session and ordered Grand Commandant Tong Huan to remain with him.
• Zhao Qin told Zhao Chang that Li Xingzhi had said, “The time has not yet come,” and Zhao Chang looked toward the institute.
• Li Xingzhi gazed toward the palace and wondered whether the events had been Zhao Chang’s doing.

Li Xingzhi left Luoyang alone and traveled toward Western Liang, while Zhao Chang ordered discreet protection for him. In Wuwei, Han Zongwang examined a powerful saber and discussed his precarious position at court with Zhu Shifu and Tong Shanxiong before Li Xingzhi suddenly appeared.

• Ma Zude told Zhao Chang that Li Xingzhi had left Luoyang alone, and Zhao Chang ordered his men to protect the State Preceptor without disturbing him.
• Li Xingzhi traveled west by donkey, drawing the affection of animals along the way and reaching the frontier of Western Liang.
• Ma Zude learned that his men could not keep pace with Li Xingzhi and ordered more guards to follow him.
• Tong Shanxiong showed Han Zongwang a saber made by a former Vertical Sword Sect craftsman, and Han tested it by cutting through the weapons in the hall.
• Han Zongwang told Zhu Shifu and Tong Shanxiong that the Western Liang court had limited his command and rejected Zhu Shifu's suggestion to collude with Great Chen.
• As Zhu Shifu began proposing another way to provoke war between Great Chen and the Eastern Yang Kingdom, Li Xingzhi suddenly appeared in the hall.

Li Xingzhi confronted Han Zongwang to learn what had happened when Qin Prefecture fell and Zhao Zhen died, then fought him in a contest that ended with Han yielding. Zhu Shifu secretly tried to strike Li Xingzhi during the duel but was thwarted, and Li left without revealing whether Han had answered his question.

• Li Xingzhi visited Han Zongwang at night and asked what had happened behind the scenes when Han captured Qin Prefecture and Zhao Zhen died.
• Zhu Shifu insulted Li Xingzhi, who rebuked him and defended the fall of Great Liang.
• Tong Shanxiong attacked Li Xingzhi and was defeated in a single exchange.
• Han Zongwang and Li Xingzhi fought fiercely, exchanging more than a hundred moves before locking palms beneath the moonlight.
• Zhu Shifu sent a hidden flying sword toward Li Xingzhi, but it lost its connection to him and left Zhu Shifu injured.
• Li Xingzhi prevailed, Han Zongwang asked about his Void Extremity Heart Sutra, and Li departed after urging him to unite knowledge and action.

Su Qiu handed Tan Song’s case over to the Ministry of Justice after the emperor approved its takeover, while the Cui Family of Fanyang secured permission to establish an academy and entered the palace in a vast delegation. The chapter ended as the Chen emperor asked Old Patriarch Cui what name the family had chosen for the academy.

• Su Qiu reviewed Tan Song’s murder files and suspected that the assassin had killed him because he had uncovered a connection to Unknown Island.
• Shi Li presented the emperor’s decree and took Tan Song’s case, body, and related materials from the Six Fan Gate.
• Cui Yingtai proposed that the Cui Family of Fanyang establish an academy, and the Chen emperor approved a site in the Southern Suburbs with eight hundred mu of land.
• Cui Yingtai asked the Chen emperor to receive the Cui Family elders, and the emperor summoned the family delegation into Purple Dawn Hall.
• Old Patriarch Cui praised the emperor and raised the academy’s establishment, and the Chen emperor asked what name the family had chosen.

The Chen emperor named the Cui clan’s new school Dragon Gate Academy and bestowed an inscription, but Liu Daxia and Qin Lie disrupted the audience with a violent brawl. The court session ended after the emperor punished them by docking six months’ salary.

• Elder Cui asked the Chen emperor to name the academy and provide an inscription, and he named it Dragon Gate Academy and wrote “Blessings for ten thousand generations.”
• Liu Daxia dozed during Elder Cui’s speech while Dong Chengbiao promised to wake him if the emperor mentioned soldiers or fighting.
• Qin Lie flicked a lump of snot at Liu Daxia, who turned and was struck in the face by it.
• Liu Daxia attacked Qin Lie, and the two men fought viciously until the gold-melon mace guards pulled them apart.
• The Chen emperor ordered both men punished, but ultimately docked them six months’ salary, and the court session ended.

Tan Ziwen tried to visit Wang Shutong after the emperor approved the Dragon Gate Academy, while senior officials gathered at Ding Fengyuan’s residence to discuss the decree and the emperor’s growing break with the Knowledge and Practice Institute. Ding Fengyuan suspected the emperor was finally beginning to assert his own power.

• Tan Ziwen watched the officials leave court, changed into plain clothes, and went to Wang Shutong’s residence with pastries, but the steward told him Wang was away.
• Ding Fengyuan hosted senior officials, who worried that the Dragon Gate Academy would weaken the Knowledge and Practice Institute’s influence.
• The officials speculated that Li Xingzhi’s recent journey to Western Liang and his absence from court might be connected to the emperor’s plans.
• Qin Lie accused the Cui family and Cui Yingtai of secretly arranging the academy, while Ding Fengyuan cautioned the group against disparaging colleagues.
• Wang Shutong and Pan Changzai pointed to the emperor’s past disputes with the Knowledge and Practice Institute and his decision to give the Imperial College control of the Autumn Examination.
• As the officials analyzed the emperor’s actions, Ding Fengyuan privately concluded that the emperor was finally preparing to make his move.

Fang Yizhi brought He An and Fan Dazhi to Yique County, where the boys explored the night market and He An met a headstrong girl named Chanjuan. After they fought over a butterfly hairpin, Chanjuan took it and ran off, leaving He An wondering if they would ever meet again.

• Fang Yizhi reached Yique County with He An and Fan Dazhi and let the boys explore the town while he cultivated at the inn.
• Fan Dazhi bought snacks and a sugar figure shaped like a braised pork knuckle, while He An noticed a girl named Chanjuan watching them.
• He An chose a peachwood butterfly hairpin for Miao Feifei, but Chanjuan offered money and gold for it, which he refused.
• Chanjuan attacked He An after he tried to leave, and he blocked her moves before stopping short of striking her.
• Chanjuan broke free, snatched the hairpin, and ran away; He An returned to the inn with Fan Dazhi, feeling regretful and wistful.

Fang Yizhi brought He An and Fan Dazhi to Luoyang for the Knowledge and Practice Institute entrance tests, where he learned that the Cui Family’s new Dragon Gate Academy was drawing away candidates and had the emperor’s support. He An and Fan Dazhi explored the capital and fled Lotus Pavilion after realizing its women were soliciting customers.

• Fang Yizhi drove He An and Fan Dazhi across Dragon Gate Mountain and into Luoyang City, where the boys marveled at the capital’s grandeur.
• Fang Yizhi found few candidates at the Knowledge and Practice Institute and asked Wei Zhilin why the entrance grounds were so quiet.
• Wei Zhilin told Fang Yizhi that the Cui Family had established Dragon Gate Academy with the emperor’s approval, and Fang Yizhi suspected the emperor was building influence against the Institute.
• Fang Yizhi arranged He An and Fan Dazhi’s lodging and urged them to study for the entrance tests before leaving to attend to other matters.
• Fan Dazhi coaxed He An out to explore Luoyang, and they stopped at the lavish Lotus Pavilion, mistaking it for a restaurant.
• Two women at Lotus Pavilion propositioned Fan Dazhi, and He An pulled him away from the establishment.

He An and Fan Dazhi prepared for the Knowledge and Practice Institute entrance examination, then sat its written portion. Both found the questions manageable, while Fan Dazhi’s antics drew the proctor’s ire; afterward, the girl who had fought He An over a butterfly hairpin appeared with her Aunt Xue.

• He An and Fan Dazhi settled into a routine of studying and practicing martial arts while awaiting the entrance examination.
• Fang Yizhi explained that the examination had written and martial portions, and a man secretly reported the boys’ activities to Wei Zhilin.
• He An steadily answered the written examination, while Fan Dazhi plucked hairs from his brush, ate meat buns, and fell asleep after finishing.
• Lu Zhengqing noticed Fan Dazhi’s behavior and remembered his name, while Fan Dazhi left the room unaware that ink covered his face.
• He An and Fan Dazhi compared the easy questions after the written examination, and Chanjuan left the grounds with Aunt Xue to celebrate.

After Chanjuan injured He An with her Frost Ice Heart Method, Li Xingzhi arranged medicine for him and explained that the girl was Han Zongwang’s granddaughter. Li Xingzhi entrusted the Knowledge and Practice Institute to Wei Zhilin and announced that he would investigate Unknown Island by sea.

• He An and Fan Dazhi celebrated the end of the written examination at Xu's Tavern, where Chanjuan attacked He An over their previous encounter.
• He An lowered his guard to show he meant no offense, and Chanjuan struck him with her Frost Ice Heart Method, leaving him injured and coughing blood.
• Fan Dazhi helped He An return to the inn, where He An circulated He Kui’s cultivation method to treat his injuries while a watcher reported the incident to Wei Zhilin.
• Li Xingzhi gave Wei Zhilin a pill for He An and revealed that Chanjuan was Han Zongwang’s granddaughter, sent to Great Chen to avoid Western Liang’s succession struggle.
• Li Xingzhi placed Wei Zhilin in charge of the Knowledge and Practice Institute and said he would travel overseas to investigate Unknown Island and its possible connection to Wang Fu.

Fang Yizhi defended Fan Dazhi and He An’s exam papers to Lu Zhengqing, who praised both candidates and awarded them A-plus grades. At the martial examination, He An nearly caught examiner Qiu Qingxi’s robe before time ran out, while Fan Dazhi passed by turning Qiu Qingxi’s own attempt to catch him into an opportunity to grab his robe.

• Fang Yizhi gave He An medicine for his injuries, then brought Fan Dazhi and He An’s examination papers to Lu Zhengqing, who praised both and marked them A-plus.
• He An and Fan Dazhi arrived at the martial examination and chose the shorter queue at Training Hall A, where Qiu Qingxi examined candidates.
• He An used his movement techniques and He Kui’s cultivation method to get close to Qiu Qingxi, but the incense burned out before he could catch the robe; Qiu Qingxi recorded him as A-plus.
• Fan Dazhi impressed Qiu Qingxi by matching his speed, then proposed switching roles and caught Qiu Qingxi’s robe as Qiu Qingxi caught his shoulder.
• Fan Dazhi explained that he had anticipated his father’s movements as a child and quoted his father: “If the mountain will not come to me, I will go to it!”

After passing the Knowledge and Practice Institute’s entrance assessment, He An and Fan Dazhi went shopping for clothes, where Cui Mengshu insulted them and ordered his followers to attack. He An defeated the thugs and Cui Mengshu, but was badly wounded by Cui’s Spirit Sword before knocking him unconscious and leaving with Fan Dazhi.

• He An and Fan Dazhi counted their remaining silver and went out to buy clothes before entering the Knowledge and Practice Institute.
• Cui Mengshu mocked He An and Fan Dazhi outside Changhao Clothing Shop, then ordered his followers to beat them when they walked away.
• He An fought off the first attackers, then rushed to help Fan Dazhi as Cui’s followers struck him with a brick.
• Cui Mengshu attacked He An with a gold-thread whip, but He An pinned the whip underfoot and made Cui fall.
• Cui Mengshu sent a Spirit Sword at He An, and Fan Dazhi shoved He An aside; the sword pierced He An’s arm.
• He An pulled out the sword, struck Cui Mengshu with full force, and left with Fan Dazhi as Cui’s followers carried their unconscious leader away.

After He An and Fan Dazhi injured Cui Mengshu, Cui Lishen ordered an investigation, while Fang Yizhi visited Ding Feiyong to discuss his plans to join the Western Expedition Army. A sinister gray-robed man came to the inn, overpowered He An, knocked Fan Dazhi unconscious, and carried them both away.

• Cui Mengshu was carried home with a shattered breastbone and six broken ribs, and Cui Lishen ordered his chief guard instructor to find who had injured him.
• Fang Yizhi visited Ding Feiyong, said he hoped to serve with the Western Expedition Army in Lanzhou, and told him about two students who had earned top marks.
• Ding Feiyong praised Fang Yizhi and suggested that he bring his two students to meet Ding Wenruo at the Knowledge and Practice Institute.
• Fan Dazhi returned to the inn with food and told He An that a sinister old man had followed him, then the man broke into their room.
• The gray-robed man identified He An and Fan Dazhi as the boys who had injured Young Master Cui, defeated He An's Cloud-Riding Hand, and seized them both.
• Fan Dazhi struggled and told He An to run, but the gray-robed man knocked him unconscious and carried both boys away.

Huang Daogong captured He An and Fan Dazhi and tried to take them to the Cui Residence, but Fang Yizhi intercepted him and fought to rescue his students. Huang escaped with Fan, and He An was later brought with him to the Cui Residence, where Wei Zhilin arrived to claim the youths as Cui Mengshu demanded their punishment.

• Huang Daogong carried He An and Fan Dazhi through Chongwen Ward, but Fang Yizhi blocked his way and demanded he release them.
• Fang Yizhi hurled bamboo poles and water at Huang Daogong, who stopped the attack with his power and escaped with Fan Dazhi, leaving He An behind.
• Fang Yizhi hurried to the Knowledge and Practice Institute to seek help for his captured students.
• Cui Lishen welcomed Huang Daogong back with He An and Fan Dazhi and promised him a thousand taels of silver for capturing them.
• Wei Zhilin came to the Cui Residence with two instructors and asked for He An and Fan Dazhi, while Cui Mengshu shouted for them to be beaten.