Chapter Summaries

Jiang Xiaobai let the Ministry of Justice take custody of the supposed assassins, then exposed a discrepancy and had Jiang Lü seized. The chapter ended with Jiang Xiaobai slapping Jiang Lü after he accused him of rebellion.

• Jiang Lü demanded that Li Bingzhang hand over the two men who had attacked Jiang Xiaobai, while Li Bingzhang resisted.
• Jiang Xiaobai suspected that someone else had revealed the Chancellor's Residence had captured the assassins, and considered that a third attacker might be involved.
• Jiang Xiaobai told Li Bingzhang to release the men, questioned Jiang Lü, and waited as servants brought them out.
• Jiang Lü said the two men did not look like the assassins, and Jiang Xiaobai ordered Zhang Xinnian to seize him.
• Jiang Xiaobai slapped Jiang Lü after Jiang Lü accused him of trying to rebel.

Jiang Xiaobai used the Imperial Silver Tally to stop Jiang Lü and the Ministry of Justice soldiers from taking him away, then told Li Bingzhang about his performance at the Clear Pavilion. Li Bingzhang warned that Jiang Xiaobai’s sudden display of talent would alert those targeting the Northern Guardian Marquis’s Estate, but Jiang Xiaobai said hiding his abilities had become useless after an attack on him.

• Jiang Xiaobai revealed the Imperial Silver Tally, forcing Jiang Lü to abandon his threat to impeach him and making the Ministry of Justice soldiers sheath their swords.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Li Bingzhang to lock Jiang Lü up with the two assassins for a later interrogation, and the guards escorted Jiang Lü away.
• Li Bingzhang asked Jiang Xiaobai what had happened at the Clear Pavilion, and Jiang Xiaobai recounted how he had matched couplets and written four more to silence the scholars.
• Li Bingzhang warned Jiang Xiaobai that his display of talent would make those targeting the Northern Guardian Marquis’s Estate more alert.
• Jiang Xiaobai said that after someone attacked him in the street the previous day, he realized hiding his abilities was useless.

Jiang Xiaobai decided to remain in the open and keep up the appearance of being forced into the Chancellor’s Residence as Li Zhiwei’s husband. He then proposed a surprising way to question the two silent assassins, leaving Li Bingzhang and the others bewildered.

• Jiang Xiaobai told Li Bingzhang that hiding would not protect him from further assassination attempts, so he planned to stay exposed and draw out his enemies.
• Jiang Xiaobai insisted that Li Zhiwei still had to pretend to force him into marriage to maintain the story before His Majesty.
• Jiang Xiaobai said the people who framed him over the Top Graduate title were not the same group that incited the Clear Pavilion students, but he declined to investigate Mou Yuanshan further for now.
• Jiang Xiaobai proposed questioning the two assassins before investigating the Ministry of Rites, despite their silence under torture.
• Jiang Xiaobai ordered food and wine prepared, claiming he could make the assassins talk without using a knife, and left Li Bingzhang, Li Zhiwei, Lin Qinrou, and Zhang Xinnian confused.

Jiang Xiaobai questioned Jiang Lü about who had sent him to the Chancellor's Residence, then brought one of the imprisoned assassins out for a meal and began questioning him. Jiang Lü remained locked up, and the assassin refused to answer as Jiang Xiaobai told him to just listen.

• Jiang Lü insisted that the left vice minister of justice had ordered him to interrogate the assassins, but Jiang Xiaobai rejected his claim and kept him imprisoned.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Jiang Lü who was really behind him, but Jiang Lü repeated that he had acted on the left vice minister's orders.
• Jiang Xiaobai had the servants bring out the more mobile assassin and escort him from the dungeon.
• Jiang Xiaobai sat the assassin at a table, served him wine and food, and asked for the name of his fellow assassin.
• The assassin refused to speak, so Jiang Xiaobai began telling him to listen.

Jiang Xiaobai bluffed an assassin into revealing details about the failed assassination and pressed him to become an inside man. Zhang Mu agreed to share a secret, leaving Jiang Xiaobai waiting to hear what it was.

• Jiang Xiaobai guessed that a third assassin had been involved and that Lord Jiang Lü had sent the killers, then used the assassin's reactions to confirm both suspicions.
• Jiang Xiaobai offered the assassin a chance to work for him as an inside man, threatening to cut out his tongue and make him a scapegoat if he refused.
• The assassin demanded to confront Lord Jiang Lü, but Jiang Xiaobai refused and ordered the servants to take him away when he hesitated to cooperate.
• The assassin agreed to cooperate and identified the man downstairs as Third Brother Xue after Jiang Xiaobai rejected the false name Xue Mu.
• The assassin gave his name as Zhang Mu, and when Jiang Xiaobai asked how he would prove his loyalty, Zhang Mu offered to tell him a secret.

Jiang Xiaobai tricked Zhang Mu into revealing secrets about Jiang Lü and used them to pressure Jiang Lü into becoming an inside man. Jiang Lü was left facing the choice of cooperating or being exposed for stealing examination credentials.

• Jiang Xiaobai dismissed Zhang Mu's claim that Jiang Lü had stolen examination credentials because Jiang Lü had supposedly already confessed, then coaxed Zhang Mu into revealing that the mastermind behind the plot liked men.
• Zhang Mu agreed to cooperate, and Jiang Xiaobai returned to the dungeon with Zhang Xinnian.
• Jiang Xiaobai called Jiang Lü by his real name, Song Wen, and claimed Zhang Mu had identified him as the one who sent three men to carry out the previous day's operation.
• Jiang Xiaobai said Zhang Mu would return as an inside man if Third Brother Xue was killed, and used Song Wen's stolen examination credentials to pressure Jiang Lü into cooperating too.

Jiang Xiaobai pressured Jiang Lü into becoming his inside man by threatening to expose his stolen scholarly credentials. After learning the Ministry of Justice Chief Office head ordered the assassination and may answer to someone more powerful, Jiang Xiaobai reunited Jiang Lü with Zhang Mu and asked who the third assassin was.

• Jiang Lü agreed to work for Jiang Xiaobai after Jiang Xiaobai threatened to reveal that he had stolen another man's scholarly credentials.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Jiang Lü who was behind him, and Jiang Lü identified the head of the Ministry of Justice Chief Office as the official giving him orders.
• Jiang Lü said he suspected someone more powerful stood behind the chief, but he did not know why the chief had ordered the attempt on Jiang Xiaobai's life.
• Jiang Xiaobai released Jiang Lü and told him and Zhang Mu to cooperate as his inside men, warning he would expose their secrets if they withheld information.
• Jiang Lü and Zhang Mu agreed to cooperate, and Jiang Xiaobai asked them who the third person involved in the assassination attempt was.

Jiang Xiaobai learned that Shen Zhao, a Thousand-household Commander in the Shadowguard Bureau, had been sent to cover up the assassination, but withdrew when Elder Xin and Lin Che protected him. After Jiang Xiaobai turned Jiang Lü and Zhang Mu into allies, he explained to Li Bingzhang and Li Zhiwei how he had used psychological tactics to make them distrust each other.

• Jiang Lü told Jiang Xiaobai that Shen Zhao had been assigned to confirm the assassination and remove Jiang Xiaobai’s body and the evidence.
• Jiang Lü explained that Shen Zhao had withdrawn after Elder Xin and Lin Che intervened, and revealed that Shen Zhao was a Thousand-household Commander in the Shadowguard Bureau.
• Jiang Xiaobai finished his meal with Jiang Lü and Zhang Mu, then introduced them to Li Bingzhang and Li Zhiwei as allies.
• Jiang Lü apologized to Li Bingzhang and promised to send Jiang Xiaobai any new information before leaving with Zhang Mu.
• Li Bingzhang asked Jiang Xiaobai how he had persuaded the two men, and Jiang Xiaobai described his psychological tactics.
• Li Zhiwei explained that Jiang Xiaobai had made Jiang Lü and Zhang Mu believe the other had betrayed them, leaving both to follow his lead.

Jiang Xiaobai learned that the chief of the Ministry of Justice may have ordered the attempt on his life and decided to pursue evidence despite the political danger. He recruited the abandoned assassin Third Brother Xue and left him in the dungeon to recover, intending to use him as a weapon.

• Li Zhiwei blushed and fled after Jiang Xiaobai teased her about possibly liking him, while Li Bingzhang watched with amusement.
• Jiang Xiaobai told Li Bingzhang that the Ministry of Justice chief, possibly Zhao Bintian, was behind the assassination attempt, and vowed to bring him down if he found evidence.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Li Bingzhang to send a physician to treat the wounded assassin, then returned to the dungeon with Zhang Xinnian.
• Jiang Xiaobai offered Third Brother Xue a chance to follow him, and the abandoned assassin readily agreed.
• Jiang Xiaobai left Third Brother Xue in the Chancellor's Residence dungeon and told Zhang Xinnian he would kill the assassin if he could not use him well.

Jiang Xiaobai spent two days avoiding the investigation into the Ministry of Rites while Liu Guan completed a small firearm for him. He ordered special components made separately and explained that he was waiting for an opportunity to investigate discreetly, then noticed someone behind Jiang Jingcheng.

• Jiang Xiaobai lounged at the Marquis's Residence while rumors spread through Capital City about his appointment as Imperial Inspector.
• Liu Guan and Zhang Xinnian brought Jiang Xiaobai the completed firearm, which Liu Guan said could not pierce a thick wooden board.
• Jiang Xiaobai gave Liu Guan a drawing and ordered him to make twenty sets of components using sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter.
• Jiang Xiaobai told Zhang Xinnian that the special components had to be made separately because the weapon was too powerful and its design must not leak.
• Jiang Jingcheng confronted Jiang Xiaobai for delaying the Ministry of Rites investigation, and Jiang Xiaobai said he was waiting for a chance to act without drawing attention.
• Jiang Xiaobai noticed someone behind Jiang Jingcheng and smiled.

Jiang Xiaobai received the silver bullets Liu Guan had crafted and assembled his firearm, while Jiang Jingcheng dismissed it as a toy. After Jiang Xiaobai blasted a tree apart to demonstrate its power, his father hurriedly fled the courtyard.

• Zhang Xinnian brought Liu Guan to meet Jiang Jingcheng and Jiang Xiaobai, and Liu Guan delivered twenty silver bullets he had crafted despite burning his hands.
• Jiang Xiaobai loaded the bullets into the firearm and excitedly showed it to Jiang Jingcheng, who mocked it as a plaything.
• Jiang Xiaobai challenged Jiang Jingcheng to see whether the device could pierce him, and Jiang Jingcheng confidently agreed to stand as his target.
• Jiang Xiaobai shifted his aim to a nearby tree and fired, blasting a hole through its trunk and making everyone in the courtyard recoil.
• Jiang Jingcheng was frightened by the firearm's power and quickly left, while Jiang Xiaobai called after him to continue their test.

Jiang Xiaobai tested a handmade weapon powerful enough to injure a Grandmaster and ordered Liu Guan to secretly make more. Jiang Jingcheng learned of its power, worried his son might resent him, and decided to ask for one himself.

• Jiang Xiaobai fired the weapon and shattered a tree, shocking Zhang Xinnian and Liu Guan.
• Zhang Xinnian estimated that only a Grandmaster could withstand a direct hit, and even one might be injured.
• Jiang Xiaobai told Liu Guan to secretly make more ammunition and asked Zhang Xinnian to provide ointment for Liu Guan's injured hand.
• Jiang Xiaobai returned to his room, delighted that the weapon could protect him from powerful attackers.
• Jiang Jingcheng told Shen Yun about Jiang Xiaobai's weapon, worried that he had treated his son too harshly, and asked to have one made for himself.

Jiang Xiaobai set out to meet Pei Shen at the Court of Judicial Review and learned about Pei Shen’s violent past and unusual reputation. When he climbed into his carriage, he found Tang Ningshuang waiting inside to protect him, leaving him awkwardly trying to greet her.

• Jiang Xiaobai told Zhang Xinnian he was going to the Court of Judicial Review to meet Pei Shen.
• Zhang Xinnian said Pei Shen had once served in the Shadowguard Bureau and had destroyed his sect after learning it trafficked people and committed other crimes.
• Zhang Xinnian added that Pei Shen was powerful, ruthless, and known for having a different woman beside him each day.
• Zhang Xinnian brought the carriage to Jiang Xiaobai, who noticed his awkward behavior and found Tang Ningshuang waiting inside.
• Jiang Xiaobai climbed back into the carriage and nervously asked Tang Ningshuang what she was doing there.

Jiang Xiaobai arrived at the Court of Judicial Review with Tang Ningshuang and met Pei Shen, who had anticipated his visit to investigate the Examination Scandal. Pei Shen revealed a corpse, and Jiang Xiaobai was shocked by what he saw.

• Tang Ningshuang told Jiang Xiaobai she would protect him and insisted on leaving the carriage first when they arrived at the Court of Judicial Review.
• A court runner recognized Jiang Xiaobai and said Pei Shen had ordered them to bring him inside if he came to investigate the Examination Scandal.
• The runner led Jiang Xiaobai, Tang Ningshuang, and Zhang Xinnian through the grim, busy court to a rear side courtyard where they smelled blood.
• Jiang Xiaobai met Pei Shen beside a corpse, and Pei Shen said the man might have been alive if Jiang Xiaobai had arrived sooner.
• Pei Shen lifted the sheet, and Jiang Xiaobai reacted with shock at the corpse.

Jiang Xiaobai learned that Pei Shen had killed An Zhiyuan and exhausted every obvious lead in the examination fraud investigation. As Pei Shen prepared to investigate successful candidates ranked in the middle, a bailiff reported that someone had escaped from prison.

• Jiang Xiaobai questioned Pei Shen about An Zhiyuan's death, and Pei Shen said he had killed him to stop him from taking poison.
• Pei Shen told Jiang Xiaobai that he had seized and searched the examination records, questioned suspects and An Zhiyuan's associates, and found no lead beyond An Zhiyuan.
• Jiang Xiaobai reasoned that An Zhiyuan was likely a sacrificial pawn, and Pei Shen proposed investigating successful candidates with middling-high rankings.
• A bailiff rushed in and told Pei Shen that someone had escaped from prison.

Jiang Xiaobai watched Pei Shen confront a burly prisoner who had taken a bailiff hostage, then killed the man with a hidden firearm when Pei Shen’s sword failed to stop him. Pei Shen mistook Jiang Xiaobai’s explanation of the weapon as a profound martial technique and eagerly asked him for a favor.

• Pei Shen summoned his sword and hurried to the outer courtyard after hearing that a prisoner had broken free.
• Pei Shen tried to make the burly prisoner release a bailiff, but the prisoner’s Vajra Demon-Subduing Body repelled his sword strike.
• Jiang Xiaobai shot the prisoner between the eyebrows, freeing the bailiff and stunning Pei Shen, Tang Ningshuang, and Zhang Xinnian.
• Pei Shen assumed Jiang Xiaobai was a ninth-realm master, and Jiang Xiaobai’s remark about ignoring cultivation realms deepened that impression.
• Jiang Xiaobai called his firearm technique the One Yang Finger and described its power, prompting Pei Shen to ask him for a favor.

Jiang Xiaobai agreed to help Pei Shen break the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop’s armor after learning Pei Shen wanted to marry one of its disciples. Pei Shen also analyzed the examination fraud investigation with Jiang Xiaobai, and they arrived at the workshop to face a large crowd.

• Tang Ningshuang recognized that Pei Shen’s request involved the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop, whose unbreakable armor could be challenged for a reward.
• Pei Shen promised to follow Jiang Xiaobai’s lead if he helped break the armor, and Jiang Xiaobai agreed before leaving the Court of Judicial Review with him.
• Pei Shen revealed that he wanted to break the armor because his beloved disciple’s master had made it a condition for their marriage.
• Pei Shen told Jiang Xiaobai that Minister Chen Zhanqiu was likely involved in the examination fraud and that An Zhiyuan had been used as a discarded pawn.
• Jiang Xiaobai and Pei Shen agreed to keep searching the records for overlooked evidence, then Zhang Xinnian announced their arrival at the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop and noted the crowd outside.

Jiang Xiaobai and Pei Shen visited the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop, where martial artists tested its formidable Mystic Scale Armor. Pei Shen claimed he had brought a ninth-realm Grandmaster to break it, and the skeptical middle-aged woman asked where the Grandmaster was.

• Pei Shen explained that the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop used its armor challenge to test its creations, build its reputation, and find talented people to recruit.
• Jiang Xiaobai watched a saber wielder and a strong martial artist fail to damage the Mystic Scale Armor, and grew interested in it.
• Ling'er greeted Pei Shen warmly, but a middle-aged woman pulled her aside and challenged Pei Shen about returning to test the armor.
• Pei Shen said he had brought a ninth-realm Grandmaster, prompting the martial artists to search for the powerful challenger.
• The middle-aged woman dismissed Zhang Xinnian and Tang Ningshuang, then looked past Jiang Xiaobai and asked where the Grandmaster was.

Jiang Xiaobai joined Pei Shen’s wager at the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop, agreeing to test whether he could break the Mystic Scale Armor. The challenge now carried stakes for his father’s saber, Liu Guan’s reputation, and a promised suit of armor as Jiang prepared to try.

• A middle-aged woman doubted Pei Shen’s claim that Jiang Xiaobai had reached Ninth-Realm Entry into the Sect, and Jiang avoided stating his realm.
• The woman wagered that she would support Pei Shen and Ling’er’s relationship if Jiang broke the Mystic Scale Armor, while Pei Shen promised never to return if he failed.
• Jiang asked for a suit of soft armor if he succeeded, and Elder Zou agreed on behalf of the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop.
• Elder Zou demanded Jiang return his father’s saber and keep Liu Guan away from the workshop if Jiang failed; Jiang countered by demanding that Elder Zou apologize to Liu Guan if he succeeded.
• Elder Zou accepted the terms, and Jiang walked toward the Mystic Scale Armor as Zhang Xinnian, Pei Shen, and Tang Ningshuang watched.

Jiang Xiaobai shattered the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop’s Mystic Scale Armor with two finger strikes, forcing Elder Zou to agree to repair it and apologize to Elder Liu. Pei Shen then reminded Steward Chang of her promise to support his relationship with Ling'er.

• Jiang Xiaobai used two finger strikes to blast through the Mystic Scale Armor, leaving the martial artists in the hall stunned.
• Pei Shen praised the One Yang Finger, while Tang Ningshuang remained suspicious of Jiang Xiaobai’s hidden hand.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Elder Zou to make him soft armor and apologize to Elder Liu at the Marquis’s Residence.
• Elder Zou agreed to repair the broken armor within half a month and left after Jiang Xiaobai reminded him to apologize.
• Pei Shen asked Steward Chang to honor her promise to support his relationship with Ling'er, making Ling'er blush.