Recaps

Pei Ye returned to give Qu Xin back the silver she had given him, only to discover her selling puppets and revealing portraits of him at the Sword Banquet. He caught her trying to flee with the proceeds and restrained her, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Qu Xin presented lifelike Pei Ye puppets and auctioned paintings depicting him wounded and partly undressed at the Sword Banquet.
• He Yaoyao told Pei Ye that Qu Xin was selling portraits of him, then showed him the gathering inside.
• Pei Ye saw the revealing painting, nearly fainted, and climbed through the window after Qu Xin gathered the silver and hurried away.
• Pei Ye seized Qu Xin, pinned her against a wall, and bound her hands with her hair ribbon.
• Pei Ye said he had returned to give back the silver, and Qu Xin remarked that she had not expected him to have such a conscience.

Pei Ye discovered that Qu Xin had profited from selling his portraits, puppets, and private meetings, and he learned that Cui Zhaoye and Changsun Jue had helped create a Pei Ye fan club. Li Piaoqing’s return softened his anger, but after Qu Xin reported her earnings, Pei Ye decided to report her to the authorities.

• Pei Ye confronted Qu Xin about the portraits and puppets she had sold, then learned she had charged people to meet him alone.
• Cui Zhaoye and Changsun Jue revealed their involvement in the Pei Ye Fan Club, and Pei Ye ordered Cui Zhaoye to disband it.
• Pei Ye learned Jiang Yiner had refused to join and asked who else was involved.
• Li Piaoqing arrived, and Pei Ye greeted her warmly as she made tea and said the Fellowship was harmless.
• At Li Piaoqing’s suggestion, Qu Xin reported earning 1,186 taels from paintings, 560 from puppets, 220 in meeting fees, and 200 in donations; Pei Ye ordered that she be reported to the authorities.

Pei Ye exposed Qu Xin’s paid meetings and illegal portrait business, then helped Li Piaoqing arrange refunds and punish her by treating injured disciples and fighters. After the gathering ended, Pei Ye asked Changsun Jue about her zither playing.

• Pei Ye confronted Qu Xin about her earnings, returned the silver bundle, and left the penalties and refunds to Li Piaoqing.
• Li Piaoqing brought Pei Ye downstairs to meet the Fellowship members, where he asked them to stop making portraits and Puppets of him and agreed they could keep what they had already bought.
• Li Piaoqing arranged a drawing for Qu Xin’s remaining paintings, then took Qu Xin into her custody and ordered her to treat the wounded for two months.
• Pei Ye questioned Qu Xin about her medicine purchases and worried she would use him to test experimental pills, while Li Piaoqing warned Qu Xin not to speak or her silver would melt.
• Pei Ye asked Changsun Jue whether she could play the zither, and she said she had learned since childhood and still practiced twice a month.

Pei Ye reunited with Li Piaoqing, discussed his plans to study the zither, and introduced her to He Yaoyao. Li Piaoqing arranged a quiet place for He Yaoyao to stay, and Pei Ye went to collect Jiang Yiner from a crowd.

• Pei Ye asked Changsun Jue to teach him the zither, but Changsun Jue said he lacked the skill and scores for the three pieces Pei Ye needed to learn.
• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing walked together, catching up after their time apart and discussing his fan club and sword technique.
• Pei Ye introduced Li Piaoqing to He Yaoyao, who had been waiting for him near the courtyard gate.
• Li Piaoqing invited He Yaoyao to stay at the Heavenly Mountain Guest Lodge and arranged a secluded pavilion for her.
• Pei Ye found Jiang Yiner surrounded by visitors, and she excused herself to leave with him.

Pei Ye reunited with Li Piaoqing and walked with her to the Cultivation Literature Academy to visit Her Highness Jinyang. He admitted that he was now closer to Jinyang than to Li Piaoqing, then gave her a carved Lost Jade Sword as a gift.

• Pei Ye introduced Li Piaoqing to Jiang Yiner and sent Jiang back to the Sword Cultivation Academy.
• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing walked through the Divine Capital, and she told him she planned to visit Her Highness Jinyang.
• Li Piaoqing asked whether Pei Ye was closer to Jinyang than to her, and he answered that he was.
• Pei Ye gave Li Piaoqing a carved Lost Jade Sword that could help her enter the Spirit Realm through waterways in the Eight Waters basin.
• Li Piaoqing accepted the gift and said she was calming her feelings.

Pei Ye brought Li Piaoqing to meet Li Xizhou at the Cultivation Literature Academy, where the three shared dinner and discussed Jadeite, Heavenly Mountain, and Pei Ye’s recent clash with Yunlang. Li Xizhou then asked Pei Ye to leave so she and Li Piaoqing could talk alone, leaving him uneasy about their conversation.

• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing arrived at the Cultivation Literature Academy and went up to meet Li Xizhou.
• Li Xizhou welcomed Li Piaoqing to dinner, and the two women exchanged courtesies and discussed Jadeite and Heavenly Mountain.
• Li Xizhou asked Pei Ye whether he liked her makeup, and he nearly admitted that he liked it before stopping himself.
• Li Piaoqing told Li Xizhou that Pei Ye had talked back to Yunlang, and Pei Ye explained that he respected Miss Ming apart from her position there.
• Li Piaoqing agreed to send Li Xizhou a kingfisher from Jadeite, presenting it as a gift to Pei Ye.
• Li Xizhou asked Pei Ye to go downstairs while she spoke with Li Piaoqing, but he hesitated to leave them alone.

Li Xizhou met privately with Li Piaoqing to discuss Jadeite Mountain’s ambitions and the threats facing Longdi. She offered Jadeite court and Immortal Platform backing, and proposed that the sect could eventually replace the Li family’s power in the region.

• Li Xizhou sent Pei Ye downstairs and spoke with Li Piaoqing on the terrace over tea.
• Li Xizhou asked Li Piaoqing about her goals and identified sect conflict, great-family domination, the Northern Wastes, and the Immortal Court as future threats.
• Li Xizhou approved Li Piaoqing’s plan to lead an alliance and promised a note authorizing her to seek support from the capital.
• Li Xizhou required Jadeite to defend Longdi and protect its people if it became the dominant power in Northern Long.
• Li Xizhou explained that the Li family held Longdi together against invasion, then suggested Jadeite might replace it if the family’s power collapsed.
• Li Piaoqing said the Li family had begun contacting Jadeite but made no promises, and agreed to see how events unfolded.

Li Xizhou and Li Piaoqing discussed Pei Ye and Ming Qitian, testing each other’s feelings and sharing memories of Pei Ye. Pei Ye returned to the terrace, where Li Xizhou saw him off after he agreed to take Li Piaoqing back to the Separate Residence.

• Li Xizhou asked Li Piaoqing what Pei Ye felt for Ming Qitian, and Li Piaoqing said she understood some of his admiration while feeling a little of everything toward Ming Qitian herself.
• Li Xizhou teased Li Piaoqing about her past with Pei Ye and learned she had joined Cui Zhaoye’s Pei Ye Fan Club as its vice president.
• Li Piaoqing surprised Li Xizhou by saying she thought Pei Ye had told her that Li Xizhou was prettier than Ming Qitian.
• Pei Ye sat beside the lake with the black cat, then decided to return upstairs and check whether Li Xizhou and Li Piaoqing had finished talking.
• Li Piaoqing told Pei Ye that she and Li Xizhou had discussed his gifts and suggested he prepare a heartfelt present for Li Xizhou after the Qilin Blood Test.
• Pei Ye said he would take Li Piaoqing to the Separate Residence, and Li Xizhou straightened his clothes before they left.

Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing left the Cultivation Literature Academy and spent the night strolling through the Divine Capital, sharing memories and catching up on their recent lives. They ended the evening by West Pool, where Pei Ye bought roast pigeon for them to eat together.

• Pei Ye apologized for Li Xizhou's remarks, and Li Piaoqing told him he did not need to apologize on her behalf.
• Li Piaoqing recalled recognizing Pei Ye at Wild Goose Dock and explained how speech, mannerisms, and expressions could expose a disguise.
• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing praised each other's growth, and she told him she planned to unite the Northern Five Provinces' sects before autumn.
• Pei Ye recounted his recent exploits in the Divine Capital, including helping Li Xizhou kill Yu Sicheng, while Li Piaoqing explained her plans for the Emerald Feather Sword Sect.
• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing strolled to West Pool, where he bought roast pigeon and shared it with her beside the water.

Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing spent a joyful evening together before discussing their past and parting on warm terms. As Pei Ye headed back toward the Sword Cultivation Academy, the Cold Spear Iron Cavalry appeared on Vermilion Bird Thoroughfare, leaving him rigid with tension.

• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing encountered a drunken young master who tried to accost her, and Li Piaoqing used her Heavenly Mountain token to make him and his companion punish themselves.
• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing returned to the Heavenly Mountain residence and shared their feelings about their past, with Li Piaoqing telling him not to live out of pity or obligation.
• Li Piaoqing and Pei Ye exchanged their Lost Jade Swords, and she had him engrave a verse before she closed the gate and said goodbye.
• Pei Ye left for the Sword Cultivation Academy with Little Cat and wondered whether Xi Zhou might be annoyed about his evening with Li Piaoqing.
• The Cold Spear Iron Cavalry advanced down Vermilion Bird Thoroughfare, and Pei Ye stood still with his hand clamped around his sword hilt.

Yongbei entered the Divine Capital with his Northern Frontier army and ignored palace protocol to seek an audience with Li Yao. Their reunion turned to reports of the Wilderness People gathering strength for another invasion, and Li Yao promised to lead a campaign himself.

• Pei Ye watched Yongbei’s procession enter the Imperial City, then received a letter from Miss Ming saying she would arrive in the capital the next day and replied with an invitation to meet.
• Yongbei’s black-armored soldiers passed through the Imperial City, and he entered the palace alone despite the audience procedures prepared by Li Congfeng.
• Yongbei crossed the palace halls and court square without stopping, then knelt before Li Yao in a secluded garden and sought an audience.
• Yongbei told Li Yao that a new Wolf Lord had become the Wilderness God’s priest and that the Wilderness People were rebuilding their forces and cutting off northern scouts and trade.
• Li Yao said he would personally lead another campaign before the Wilderness People marched south, then recalled a feast with Yongbei, Qing Ju, and Wu Jin twenty-seven years earlier.

Pei Ye signed the arrest document naming Yong Ji as Mirage City's leader, but the Immortal Platform faced difficulties proving the charge against Prince Yan's Heir. In the Dream Realm, Pei Ye and Dali waited for Lu Wu to confront Prince Yan, leaving Pei Ye tense when Li Jian's voice appeared.

• Yongbei knelt before Li Yao and took his leave, while Li Yao drank alone and played his jade-green flute at dawn.
• Pei Ye signed the joint arrest document linking Yong Ji to Mirage City, but Zhang Siche explained that proving Yong Ji was its leader remained difficult.
• Zhang Siche told Pei Ye that Prince Yan had gone to Ci'en Temple, where the Platform Master was waiting, and sent him to the Star-Watching Tower.
• Pei Ye entered the Dream Realm and spoke with Dali about their plan, her lost Mirage Blood, and his search for a zither teacher.
• Lu Wu's seat carried a greeting to Prince Yan, who answered Li Jian, making Pei Ye stiffen with anger.

Yongbei and Li Jian agreed to let Yong Ji proceed with the Qilin Blood marriage and compete in the Divine Capital Martial Examination, which would determine whether he lived or died. Pei Ye and Dali learned that Yong Ji’s ambitions included Yu City and a future bid for the Western Court, while Lu Wu explained the city’s strategic importance.

• Yongbei confronted Li Jian at Cien Monastery and vowed to protect Yong Ji, while Li Jian demanded his life and General Chan offered to provide a qualified testimony after the Martial Examination.
• Yongbei revealed that the Martial Examination’s chief champion would receive three thousand elite troops and command of Yu City, and Li Jian agreed to let Yong Ji compete.
• Dali explained to Pei Ye that Yong Ji’s marriage and Martial Examination gave both sides a chance to secure his fate, and warned Pei Ye that Yongbei intended to kill him.
• Lu Wu joined Pei Ye and Dali through his new Nine Dreams, One Awakening art and explained that Yongbei planned for Yong Ji to claim Yu City and later contend for the Western Court.

Pei Ye learned that Prince Yan’s forces had targeted him, then spent the day anxiously preparing to meet Ming Qitian. She arrived at the quiet pond he had chosen, and they reunited after more than six months apart.

• Lu Wu and Pei Ye discussed Heavenly Mountain’s planned visit and agreed that Lu Wu would probe its intentions.
• Li Jian told Pei Ye that he had dealt with three Military Grandmasters ambushing Pei Ye’s route and warned him to be careful in the Divine Capital.
• Pei Ye returned to the Sword Cultivation Academy, cleaned up, and chose a quiet pond as a place to welcome Ming Qitian.
• Pei Ye waited at the pond, worrying about what to say and whether Ming Qitian had changed, until she appeared behind him.
• Pei Ye greeted Ming Qitian, and they reflected on their six-month separation before she asked why he had chosen the pond.

Pei Ye reunited with Ming Qitian in the Divine Capital, and the two caught up over Glaze, sword techniques, and their plans. They went to buy breakfast together, with Ming Qitian agreeing to help Pei Ye study Northern Frontier cultivation methods before his fight with Prince Yan's Heir.

• Ming Qitian reunited with Pei Ye and greeted Glaze, then they discussed their past dangers, her recovery, and the conflict between Bright Heart and Heavenly Heart.
• Pei Ye asked Ming Qitian to teach him the qin pieces needed for Thunder Zither, and she agreed to learn one of them from a score.
• Pei Ye invited Ming Qitian to a bun shop, bought her a gauze-draped bamboo hat to draw less attention, and walked with her through the Divine Capital.
• Ming Qitian said she planned to win the Feather-Scale Trial, resolve the Gushe Heart Sutra problem, and return to the mountain to break through.
• Pei Ye explained that he needed to defeat Prince Yan's Heir in the Divine Capital Martial Exam, and Ming Qitian offered to study Northern Frontier methods with him.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian entered Steamed Bun Small Tower, where he ordered breakfast and asked what filling she wanted.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian learned that rumors from the Heavenly Mountain Sword Banquet had cast Pei Ye as arrogant and rude, and Ming Qitian reassured him that Yunlang held no hostility toward him. After sharing breakfast, they went to find Yunlang’s lodging in the Divine Capital and discovered it was abandoned and uninhabitable.

• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian ate breakfast while nearby swordswomen discussed rumors that Pei Ye had offended Yunlang at the Heavenly Mountain Sword Banquet.
• Pei Ye explained to Ming Qitian that he had demonstrated swordplay with Zhang Jingbi because he felt Zhang Jingbi should not face the crowd’s hostility alone.
• Ming Qitian offered to defend Pei Ye at another sword banquet, then clarified that Yunlang had no unified attitude toward him and apologized for not explaining him to the sect.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian agreed not to concern themselves with the rumors, and they ate buns together in the busy restaurant.
• Ming Qitian said Yunlang might have lodging in the Divine Capital, so Pei Ye drove her there in his carriage.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian found the courtyard neglected, damaged, and unfit to live in.

Pei Ye arranged a temporary residence for Ming Qitian through Li Xizhou, then settled her into the quiet riverside house. Ming Qitian assessed Pei Ye’s sword studies and planned how they would help him deepen his understanding of Nether Immortal and Thunder Zither before the Qilin Blood Test.

• Pei Ye contacted Li Xizhou through [Knowing Intent] and obtained the keys to a confiscated residence in Guangde Ward for Ming Qitian to use until June.
• Li Xianfang delivered the keys, and Ming Qitian sent a letter of thanks to Li Xizhou before Pei Ye brought her to the riverside residence.
• Pei Ye prepared the house for Ming Qitian, who questioned him about his sword training and recommended further practice and reading.
• Ming Qitian judged that Pei Ye had grasped most of Nether Immortal’s artistic conception but lacked real experience, so she proposed visiting the Mount Tai Medicine Lodge to seek fungi.
• Ming Qitian explained the differences between Clumsy Swords, Intent Swords, Heart Swords, and Dao Swords, then advised Pei Ye to learn the zither to better understand Thunder Zither.

Ming Qitian examined Pei Ye’s swordsmanship and taught him how to connect his scattered Spring Sword arts through his sword ladder. Pei Ye then showed her his newly learned Unbound, leaving her impressed but unable to guide him in the move.

• Pei Ye asked Ming Qitian to assess his swordsmanship, and she identified his weak foundations and disconnected sword forms.
• Ming Qitian sparred with Pei Ye and taught him how to use his completed Spring Sword ladder to link ordinary sword arts.
• After hours of practice, Pei Ye began finding new variations in his swordplay, and Ming Qitian offered to train with him regularly.
• Pei Ye demonstrated Unbound, a sword strike so fast that Ming Qitian could only barely stop it from reaching her neck.
• Ming Qitian recognized Unbound as Yue Muzhou’s sword and asked whether Pei Ye could use it only under certain conditions.

Pei Ye prepared to face Yong Ji with the Summer Sword, and Ming Qitian began teaching him the art. She also taught him the zither piece “Guangling,” which helped him understand the spirit behind Thunder Sword, before they stopped late at night.

• Pei Ye told Ming Qitian he wanted to use a Third Step Sword Ladder strike against Yong Ji, and she said he must meet Yong Ji head-on rather than rely on an assassin’s methods.
• Ming Qitian offered to teach Pei Ye Summer Sword and finish the remaining six disciplines before his Martial Examination, and Pei Ye agreed.
• Ming Qitian tuned a zither and taught Pei Ye its strings before playing “Guangling” for him.
• Pei Ye struggled through the piece as Ming Qitian patiently corrected his fingering and pitch until he could play a halting but recognizable rendition.
• Ming Qitian explained how “Guangling” conveyed the spirit of Thunder Sword, and Pei Ye said he understood why learning the music first helped him grasp the sword piece.
• Pei Ye realized he was hungry, and he and Ming Qitian planned to get steamed buns the next morning.

Pei Ye told Ming Qitian how his experiences had changed him and asked whether she still saw him as the same person. Ming Qitian reassured him that he had simply grown up, and their conversation ended with Pei Ye wondering what made him unique to her.

• Pei Ye recalled their last parting and described how learning that Lord Sui was Shadow-Faced Sima had shaken his simple view of right and wrong.
• Pei Ye recounted the people he had fought and the events he had faced in the Divine Capital and Eight Waters, then admitted he feared he had become unfamiliar to Ming Qitian.
• Ming Qitian said Pei Ye had grown up rather than changed, and explained that she still regarded him as the same person.
• Pei Ye asked Ming Qitian what she cared about and what made him different from anyone else, and she said she was willing to trust him and speak with him as the unique person he was.
• Pei Ye asked whether Ming Qitian also had worldly desires and emotions, and she replied that she was human too.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian discussed his desires and the possibility of forming a second Sword State, then Qi Zhaohua delivered invitations from her Benefactor. The story shifted to the Divine Capital’s preparations for Yong Ji’s wedding to Li Youlong.

• Pei Ye confessed to Ming Qitian that his growing physical desires had left him unsure how affection and desire fit together, and she reassured him that they could coexist.
• Pei Ye used his [White Water] Immortal Authority to catch a white fish from the courtyard pond, and he and Ming Qitian shared it while discussing his sword.
• Ming Qitian explained that [Sleeve Tiger] reflected Pei Ye’s anger at the world and proposed that he could condense a second, contrasting Sword State.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian discussed the foundations of another Sword State through the night until Qi Zhaohua arrived with an invitation to Yong Ji and Li Youlong’s wedding banquet.
• Qi Zhaohua told Pei Ye that he was also expected to enter the palace for the Qilin Blood Test seven days after the wedding.
• The narrative turned to the King of Yan’s Residence and the Northern Frontier’s enduring power as guests gathered for Yong Ji’s wedding.

Li Youlong left the Imperial City to marry Yong Ji, while Pei Ye and his companions gathered with Jianghu guests to watch the wedding procession. The procession reached the main residence, where the guests went out to welcome it.

• Shang Lang and Zhu Gaoyang questioned Pei Ye about how rumors of Zhu Gaoyang using another man's name had spread, then met him at the wedding gathering.
• Pei Ye joined Zhu Gaoyang, Shang Lang, and southern Jianghu figures in the garden, where Wang Shousi and Ning Shuhong asked him to pass their greetings to the Glaze Sword Master.
• Li Xizhou comforted Li Youlong as she prepared to leave the Imperial City and marry Yong Ji in the North.
• Li Youlong boarded her wedding carriage, and the procession departed Chengtian Gate amid cheering crowds.
• Pei Ye and the other guests went to the front courtyard to watch the procession arrive at the main residence.

At Yong Ji’s wedding feast, Pei Ye watched Meng'er and reflected on his desire to help her pursue her wish. Yongbei urged the Jianghu heroes to head north for rewards and invited them to compete in the Divine Capital Martial Exam, while Pei Ye revealed himself as an enemy of Yongbei and Yong Ji.

• Pei Ye watched Meng'er from afar as she rode behind Yong Ji and Li Youlong’s wedding procession, and he reflected on how much he wanted to help her.
• Yuan Zhichao used his [Knowing Torch] Pupil to gauge Prince Yan's Heir and declared him stronger than all the young talents gathered together.
• Yongbei arrived at the feast, honored the guests, and recounted the enormous death toll of the Northern Frontier wars.
• Yongbei invited Jianghu fighters to join the coming northern war, promising wealth and rank, and announced rewards for the top ten in the Divine Capital Martial Exam.
• Zhu Gaoyang told the guests that Pei Ye had a life-and-death feud with Yongbei and Yong Ji.
• Pei Ye introduced himself as Pei Ye of Fenghuai, drank with the guests, and left early.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian searched Zhongnan Mountain for the fungus behind the Nether Immortal sword technique. After finding Ground Aconite growing through grass without harming it, Pei Ye understood its quiet, all-encompassing nature, but still wondered what made it immortal.

• Pei Ye met Ming Qitian outside Chang'an, and they left the city to search for unusual fungi using an illustrated book from the Mount Tai Medicine Lodge.
• As they climbed Zhongnan Mountain, Pei Ye and Ming Qitian discussed his sword practice and how the Xia Swords suited his Quiet Guard Sword State.
• Pei Ye found a small fungus attached to grass roots, and Ming Qitian compared it with the book's description of Ground Aconite.
• Ming Qitian explained that the fungus nourished the grass rather than destroying it, helping Pei Ye see the Nether Immortal as a subtle form of All-Is-Me rather than domination.
• Pei Ye wondered what the word immortal meant in the sword technique, and Ming Qitian led him onward to a bamboo grove rich in Ground Aconite.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian spent a rainy day on Zhongnan Mountain searching for ground aconite and seeking the meaning of the Nether Immortal Intent Sword. After camping beneath the moon, Pei Ye sensed a strange, web-like sound in his dream and awoke to find Ming Qitian still sitting awake.

• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian searched Zhongnan Mountain for medicinal fungi, gathered edible mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and discussed what made ground aconite an immortal thing.
• They climbed above the woods, admired the lights of Divine Capital City, and made camp beside a pool.
• Pei Ye fashioned a fishing hook from Ming Qitian’s hairpin, but they caught no fish and roasted the mushrooms and bamboo shoots instead.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian considered why fragile ground aconite grew so widely while sturdier, tastier mushrooms were rare.
• Pei Ye fell asleep on a rock and dreamed of faint, spreading strands that reminded him of the Golden Autumn Martial Contest.
• Near dawn, Pei Ye awoke after sensing a strange sound and saw Ming Qitian still awake beside the dim fire.