Chapter Summaries

Baozhu spent the party’s days in Luoyang shopping and ordered Shangdang ginseng from a pharmacy, unaware that the physician Qiu Ren planned to use the purchase to deceive her. She left pleased with her bargain and hopeful that the ginseng might help Wei Xun, while he worried about their dwindling travel funds.

• Yang Xingjian arranged for the party’s travel permits and left Wei Xun and Thirteenth Son to accompany Baozhu shopping in Luoyang.
• Baozhu bought many supplies and cosmetics, tiring Wei Xun and Thirteenth Son as they carried her parcels.
• Baozhu visited Rongqing Pharmacy to ask about Shangdang ginseng and discovered that Qiu Ren was secretly listening from the rear room.
• Qiu Ren persuaded the shopkeeper to obtain a genuine ginseng root and charge Baozhu a high price, while claiming the physician could not see Wei Xun.
• Baozhu paid a deposit for the ginseng, and Qiu Ren fled through the rear of the pharmacy as the shopkeeper announced that the Great Bliss Powder was sold out.
• Baozhu told Wei Xun she had ordered something to nourish his health, and Wei Xun protested that their travel funds were running short.

Baozhu struggled with the loss of her former rank after an official’s procession frightened her in Luoyang, while Wei Xun tried to comfort and protect her. After she went alone to the riverbank, an old woman asked her to help her daughter-in-law, who was about to give birth.

• Baozhu gave Wei Xun ten gold coins to buy him back and jokingly called them his betrothal gift.
• When an official’s attendants ordered Baozhu aside and one brushed her skirt with a whip, Wei Xun seized the whip and drove the procession into confusion.
• Yang Xingjian explained that Baozhu’s distress came from the humiliation of being treated as an ordinary person, and Wei Xun found signs of an internal injury in her pulse.
• Baozhu accepted that her former privileges were gone, while Wei Xun returned the osmanthus blossom to her hair and promised to defend it.
• Baozhu and Wei Xun went to the Luo River, where she wept over Luoyang’s ruined palaces before he left to tend to the donkey.
• As Baozhu returned across Xinzhong Bridge, an old woman asked her to help her pregnant daughter-in-law, who was close to giving birth.

Baozhu was nearly abducted by traffickers, but Wei Xun rescued her and killed the gang. Afterward, Baozhu comforted the shaken Wei Xun, and her affectionate teasing drew him back toward her.

• Baozhu followed a supposed pregnant woman to a courtyard, where the woman and an old woman trapped her and Wei Xun killed them.
• Wei Xun killed four traffickers who emerged from the house and exposed the fake pregnancy, explaining that the gang had planned to abduct Baozhu.
• Wei Xun carried Baozhu back to Cihui Ward, where Yang Xingjian and Thirteenth Son welcomed her and Wei Xun explained the traffickers' underworld slang.
• Baozhu drank alone and invited Wei Xun to join her, reassuring him that she had only been frightened and praising the hands that had protected her.
• Wei Xun fled in embarrassment after Baozhu held his hand, then stumbled from the eaves as she teased him and called him her Guanyin.

After Baozhu drunkenly reached for Wei Xun, he struck her pressure points and spent the night wrestling with his feelings before returning her to bed. The next day, Yang Xingjian arranged a lavish outing to cheer Baozhu, and the three set off for the Golden Wave Pavilion.

• Baozhu leaned toward Wei Xun while drunk, and he struck the pressure points on her neck, leaving her unconscious.
• Wei Xun carried Baozhu to bed, drank the wine from her cup, and worried over his feelings and the gold coins she had given him.
• Baozhu woke with no memory of being knocked out, and Thirteenth Son confronted Wei Xun after recognizing the pressure-point technique.
• Wei Xun admitted that Baozhu had made the first move, but Thirteenth Son blamed him and warned him not to strike her again.
• Yang Xingjian reserved a private table and performances at the Golden Wave Pavilion to lift Baozhu's spirits.
• Baozhu dressed for the outing, and she, Wei Xun, Yang Xingjian, and Thirteenth Son went to the Golden Wave Pavilion.

Baozhu, Wei Xun, Yang Xingjian, and Thirteenth Son watched performances at the Golden Wave Pavilion, where Shen Dexian invited Baozhu to compete to become the Guanyin Attendant in Luoyang’s City Procession. Baozhu refused to enter the selection but decided they could visit Changqiu Temple and watch the procession before leaving Luoyang.

• Baozhu enjoyed a foreign dancer’s performance, asked his name, and gave Mi Falan copper coins instead of the gold coin she had first taken out.
• Baozhu told Wei Xun about her mother’s dancing and how she had practiced wrestling, riding, and archery as a child.
• Shen Dexian invited Baozhu to enter the selection for the Guanyin Attendant in the City Procession, and Wei Xun challenged his claims about the healing power of sacred dew.
• Baozhu declined Shen Dexian’s invitation and explained that Changqiu Temple housed a Guanyin statue said to bear Empress Wu’s features.
• Baozhu agreed with Yang Xingjian and Thirteenth Son that they could visit Changqiu Temple and watch the City Procession before leaving Luoyang.

Baozhu investigated Luoyang’s Guanyin Attendant procession and resolved to secure its healing sweet dew for Wei Xun, despite his skepticism. At Changqiu Temple, she recognized that the Guanyin statue resembled her late mother and noticed Abbess Duanchen arguing with Shen Dexian.

• Baozhu questioned local people and confirmed the procession’s reputation for healing sweet dew and its selection of a Guanyin Attendant.
• Yang Xingjian reasoned that Shen Dexian profited from the procession, and Baozhu decided money might secure Wei Xun a chance to receive the sweet dew.
• Baozhu, Wei Xun, Yang Xingjian, and Thirteenth Son visited Changqiu Temple, where crowds had gathered for the candidates’ final selection.
• Baozhu saw that the Guanyin statue resembled her late mother and learned that seven pottery figures represented former Guanyin Attendants.
• An old woman began to mention a past year when the statue had been carried through the city, then fell silent.
• Baozhu noticed Abbess Duanchen arguing with Shen Dexian near the edge of the main hall.

At Changqiu Temple, Wei Xun confronted Cao Hong after Baozhu recognized him as the man who had questioned her before her attempted abduction. Baozhu explained the misunderstanding, and the group parted without fighting, leaving to find food and rest before the Guanyin Attendant selection.

• Baozhu recognized Cao Hong from Xinzhong Bridge and told Wei Xun he had spoken to her before she was nearly abducted.
• Wei Xun accused Cao Hong of helping the traffickers, and Cao Hong, Abbess Duanchen, and their followers prepared to fight him and Baozhu.
• Abbess Duanchen intervened, and Wei Xun introduced himself as the Green-Robed Wanderer, startling the martial artists present.
• Baozhu described the traffickers’ ruse, and Abbess Duanchen and Cao Hong denied that Cao Hong was involved, easing the confrontation.
• Yao Jiangzhen and Mi Falan arrived at the temple, and Wei Xun left with Baozhu after the misunderstanding was settled.
• Yang Xingjian called out for Fang Xie, Thirteenth Son rejoined the group, and the four decided to find food and rest before returning for the selection.

Baozhu learned that Changqiu Temple’s Guanyin statue had once been modeled after Empress Zetian Dasheng and had been damaged shortly before her mother died. At the stalled selection of the Guanyin Attendant, Baozhu wiped the statue’s apparent tears, and two coins from her purse landed as a sacred oracle.

• Baozhu, Yang Xingjian, and Wei Xun heard from a waiter that Changqiu Temple’s Guanyin statue had broken before the Noble Consort died and had later been restored.
• Baozhu recalled her family’s elaborate Mid-Autumn soup, while Wei Xun awkwardly avoided her gaze after her drunken night.
• Wei Xun carried the group through the crowd at Changqiu Temple to watch nine candidates cast coins for the Guanyin Attendant.
• After repeated casts produced no sacred oracle, the crowd saw liquid on the statue’s face and cried that Guanyin was weeping.
• Duanchen announced that there would be no selection, but Baozhu climbed onto the pedestal and wiped the statue’s face.
• Baozhu’s purse caught on the statue’s willow branch, spilling two gold coins that landed one face up and one reverse up.

Baozhu was chosen as the Guanyin Attendant after her spilled gold coins formed a divination sign at Changqiu Temple, and she agreed to join the City Procession. On Mid-Autumn evening, she disguised herself, prepared the vase and willow branch, and told Wei Xun to stay beside her carriage.

• Baozhu's spilled gold coins formed a sacred sign, and Shen Dexian declared that Guanyin had chosen her as the attendant.
• Baozhu accepted the ceremonial costume and ornaments but arranged to stay in Cihui Ward until the procession.
• Baozhu tried on the Guanyin costume, and Wei Xun fitted the copper armlet onto her arm and praised her beauty.
• On Mid-Autumn evening, Baozhu prepared for the procession by disguising her face, filling the vase, and taking a willow branch.
• Baozhu reminded Wei Xun to walk beside the carriage shaft where she could see him.

Baozhu portrayed Guanyin in Luoyang’s Mid-Autumn City Procession, using the ceremony to comfort the crowds and show special concern for Wei Xun. After the procession, the pair agreed to stay for the fireworks before traveling on, while Luo Toutuo watched Wei Xun’s growing attachment and a fireworks accident delayed the display.

• Shen Dexian urged Baozhu to behave solemnly as Guanyin, but Wei Xun leaped onto the Treasure Carriage and she drenched him with sweet dew, asking whether his illness felt better.
• Baozhu, Wei Xun, and Thirteenth Son coordinated to refill the vase as Baozhu blessed the crowds, while Yang Xingjian joined the procession’s dancers.
• Baozhu and Wei Xun secretly agreed to watch the postponed fireworks together before setting off, and Wei Xun reassured her that they could hold a City Procession in Youzhou.
• Luo Toutuo watched Wei Xun’s infatuation with Baozhu, then demanded the balance owed by Jia Liang, who had postponed the fireworks after an explosion killed two craftsmen.
• After the procession, Baozhu kept the Brocade Kasaya as a memento, and Wei Xun kept her in the courtyard the next day while curious onlookers gathered outside.

Wei Xun kept watch through the night and learned that Qiu Ren had come to ask about the gang of kidnappers Wei Xun had killed. After Wei Xun left to buy Baozhu and Thirteenth Son cherry bilo, he returned to find the courtyard attacked, Baozhu missing, Yang Xingjian injured, and Thirteenth Son dead.

• Wei Xun heard a lone watchman pass his courtyard and later received a bent coffin nail from Qiu Ren, who asked whether Wei Xun had killed the kidnappers.
• Wei Xun admitted to killing the gang and told Qiu Ren to blame the Green-Robed Wanderer if anyone came after him.
• In the morning, Baozhu said she was going to collect medicinal ingredients, but she and Thirteenth Son rushed to buy cherry bilo when a vendor called out nearby.
• Wei Xun followed the vendor's cries through the streets, then turned back when he could not find him and grew uneasy.
• Wei Xun returned to find Yang Xingjian injured in the well, Baozhu missing, and Thirteenth Son dead after a fight in the wrecked main hall.

Wei Xun saved Thirteenth Son after Baozhu was abducted, then followed a series of false leads and tracked her kidnappers to a donkey-rental shop in Luoyang. Finding Baozhu’s discarded clothes but no sign of her, he collapsed under the weight of his failure and heard Chen Shigu’s despairing howl in his mind.

• Wei Xun revived Thirteenth Son with two palm strikes and carried him while channeling qi into him.
• Wei Xun followed a peach peddler’s false lead, then learned from Yang Xingjian that the kidnapper had fled along the left-hand road.
• Wei Xun questioned vendors and beggars, confirmed that a gray-clad man carrying a large roll of felt had gone south, and pursued him to a donkey-rental shop.
• Wei Xun found the shop owner dead and Baozhu’s clothes and sachet abandoned beside a window leading into the South Market.
• Wei Xun sank to his knees with Thirteenth Son on his back and heard Chen Shigu’s despairing howl in his mind.

After Ninth Lady was abducted through a carefully planned ambush, Thirteenth Son summoned Wei Xun’s fellow disciples and asked them to help search Luoyang. They resisted until Thirteenth Son revealed that Wei Xun had found the living pearl that could cure his illness, then warned that his worsening madness might make their refusal dangerous.

• Thirteenth Son explained that two masked men abducted Ninth Lady after luring Wei Xun away, and that Wei Xun returned too late to catch them.
• Tuoba Sanniang and Qiu Ren discovered that Thirteenth Son had suffered severe chest injuries while trying to stop the kidnappers.
• Thirteenth Son asked the Seven Supremes to help find Ninth Lady, but they initially refused to assist Wei Xun.
• Thirteenth Son revealed that Wei Xun had found the phoenix embryo, the living pearl, and swore that he had seen it himself.
• Thirteenth Son warned the Seven Supremes that Wei Xun’s madness could worsen and that he might remember their refusal to help.

Thirteenth Son persuaded the Setting Sun Courtyard disciples to search for the people who had abducted a girl, and Wei Xun returned and ordered them to investigate. As Wei Xun set out to find the kidnappers himself, Tuoba Sanniang and Xu Baozhen began searching separate leads, while an ominous comet appeared overhead.

• Qiu Ren, Xu Baozhen, Luo Toutuo, and Tuoba Sanniang agreed to help search for the abducted girl and investigate the local underworld.
• Wei Xun returned carrying a bloodied bag, ordered his disciples to investigate several groups, and said he would find the kidnappers’ lair himself.
• Wei Xun watched the fireworks without the missing girl and left, saying, “She is my Guanyin.”
• Tuoba Sanniang entered the Fragrant Blossoms House, wounded its attendant, and demanded that the madam produce the newly arrived girls being held in the cellar.
• Xu Baozhen searched a branch of the One God Zoroastrian Sect but did not find his target, then saw a comet pass across the Moon Palace.

Yang Xingjian sought help from Luoyang officials after his daughter Fang Xie was abducted, but they initially dismissed her disappearance as a supernatural ascension. After learning she was betrothed to Prince Shao, they promised an investigation, while County Commandant Geng Changren arranged to watch the city gates. Yang returned home to find Wei Xun’s allies still searching, and Qiu Ren reset his broken leg.

• Yang Xingjian struck the Dengwen Drum and demanded that the authorities investigate Fang Xie's abduction.
• Prefect Dou Jing refused to meet Yang, and Yu Xun and Geng Changren suggested that Fang Xie had ascended to immortality after serving as the Guanyin Attendant.
• Yang revealed that Fang Xie was betrothed to Prince Shao, prompting Yu Xun and Geng Changren to promise a thorough investigation.
• Yang spent the night in the prefectural hall, but Geng Changren later took him home and promised to watch Luoyang's eight city gates.
• Qiu Ren reported that no one had seen a man carrying felt leave the donkey rental shop, and Yang said the authorities were only going through the motions.
• Qiu Ren accepted Yang's gold and reset his broken leg on a stone drum.

Wei Xun and his companions searched Luoyang’s human-trafficking dens for Baozhu, but found no trace of her and uncovered clues suggesting the abduction might be connected to the Guanyin Attendants. Wei Xun investigated Changqiu Temple and realized its figurines were funerary pottery, leaving him with a new reason to suspect the temple’s strange selection ritual.

• Tuoba Sanniang told Wei Xun that brokers were holding captives in an eastern cellar, and he rushed there with her.
• Wei Xun found more than twenty imprisoned children and a long-haired girl who resembled Baozhu from behind, but discovered she was someone else.
• Xu Baozhen reasoned that Baozhu’s abductors were skilled and might have targeted her because of the rumor about a secret capable of overthrowing the Great Tang.
• Yang Xingjian told Wei Xun that every young woman chosen as a Guanyin Attendant had disappeared, prompting Wei Xun to hurry to Changqiu Temple.
• Wei Xun secretly watched Abbess Duanchen, Yao Jiangzhen, and Cao Hong discuss the latest figurine on Guanyin’s pedestal and realized the figurines were funerary pottery.

Baozhu was abducted and taken to the Rainbow Garment Courtyard, where Aunt Zhao prepared her to serve an unknown master. She learned from her roommate Mi Moyan that he had been a Guanyin Attendant three years earlier, but he would not tell her what had happened to the other captives.

• Aunt Zhao’s servants scrubbed Baozhu, reset her dislocated shoulders, and took her to the Rainbow Garment Courtyard after the abductors collected their reward.
• Aunt Zhao told Baozhu she would wait for the master’s summons, and Baozhu realized she had been kidnapped and could not escape alone.
• Baozhu met Mi Moyan, who shared her room and revealed that he was Mi Falan’s twin brother and had been a Guanyin Attendant three years earlier.
• Mi Moyan said the former Guanyin Attendants had lived in the courtyard but gave no answer when Baozhu asked where they had gone.
• Mi Moyan revealed his scarred back and said he was a castrated slave kept for amusement, while Baozhu concealed her identity by calling herself Dan Niao, courtesy name Dragon Maiden.

Baozhu resisted Zhao Shi’s attempts to discipline her in the Rainbow Garment Courtyard, then attacked her with a pipa and fled through locked courtyards. She discovered the compound held many captive performers and was cornered by guards in the Pure Song Courtyard.

• Zhao Shi renamed Baozhu Green Pearl and ordered her to practice dancing despite her objections.
• Zhao Shi and the serving women forced Baozhu into painful splits until she admitted she could play the pipa.
• Baozhu struck Zhao Shi twice with the red sandalwood pipa, leaving her unconscious and possibly dying.
• Baozhu broke open the Rainbow Garment Courtyard gate and ran through the Metal and Stone Courtyard into the Pure Song Courtyard.
• Baozhu realized the courtyards were part of a vast compound holding performers and household courtesans, then found herself surrounded by pursuing guards.

Baozhu endured punishment and began shackled dance lessons in the Rainbow Garment Courtyard while learning more about the courtyards’ cruel master. The chapter ended with Jade Ewer warning her never to use words associated with sunset because the master had made them taboo.

• Baozhu and Mi Moyan were shackled in the courtyard and forced to kneel all night after Baozhu attacked Zhao Shi and tried to escape; Mi Moyan explained that he had been beaten as her roommate.
• Mi Moyan told Baozhu that the courtyards belonged to a ruler known only as Sun, and Jade Ewer later brought them leftover pastries before taking over as their instructor.
• Jade Ewer made Baozhu practice the Zhezhi Dance in ankle shackles with Mi Moyan, who described how years of dancing had made him a plaything for powerful people.
• Baozhu praised Mi Moyan’s dancing but grew resentful of having to perform for the master, while Jade Ewer and Mi Moyan kept their concerns about her fate to themselves.
• Jade Ewer warned Baozhu never to mention the setting sun or dusk because the master forbade those expressions, and Baozhu wondered who ruled the residence.

Wei Xun learned that Shen Dexian had rigged the Guanyin Attendant selections, but Baozhu’s disappearance remained unexplained. At Shen Dexian’s residence, Wei Xun and his companions found evidence that Baozhu’s divination had been genuine, and Wei Xun prepared to interrogate their captive further.

• Wei Xun confronted Abbess Duanchen, Cao Hong, and Yao Jiangzhen at Changqiu Temple and learned that previous Guanyin Attendants had vanished after the City Procession.
• Yao Jiangzhen revealed that she had supported Mi Falan’s repeated selections because she knew he would not be chosen, and Wei Xun forced her to identify Shen Dexian’s residence.
• Abbess Duanchen and Cao Hong discussed rumors that the Seven Sunset Techniques had gathered in the city and were attacking Underworld figures.
• Wei Xun, Tuoba Sanniang, and Qiu Ren found Shen Dexian’s household incapacitated and recovered rare Double-Backed Coins that revealed how Shen had rigged divinations.
• Tuoba Sanniang and Qiu Ren explained that Shen had tampered with Mi Falan’s coins for money but had no knowledge of where the selected attendants went.
• Wei Xun realized Baozhu had used her own gold coins and that Shen could not have altered her divination, then asked Tuoba Sanniang how many times he had broken her pipa before promising to repay her with four strings.