Chapter Summaries

Pei Ye considered the obstacles Yu Sicheng faced in entering the Goddess of the Luo River Palace, then comforted Li Wuyan after she feared the Qilin Blood test would separate her from fishing and from him. The chapter ended with Li Wuyan reluctant to leave Vermilion Pond for the royal banquet because she wanted to catch a red carp.

• Meng'er told Pei Ye that she and Her Highness hoped to prove they lacked Qilin Blood so the Empress would let them leave the palace.
• Pei Ye and Black Cat discussed how Yu Sicheng might enter the Goddess of the Luo River Palace, but Pei Ye could not find a way past its restrictions.
• Qu Xin removed Pei Ye's bandages, and Pei Ye teased her about seeking royal business at the private banquet.
• Li Wuyan found Pei Ye, cried because she had missed him and broken her fishing rod, and asked him to repair it.
• Pei Ye fixed Li Wuyan's rod and fished with her while she explained that she feared the Qilin Blood test would make people ignore her and take away her fishing.
• When Pei Ye asked whether she would attend the banquet, Li Wuyan said she wanted to stay and catch a pretty red carp.

Pei Ye realized that Yu Sicheng’s flood dragon gold could provide a clue to how Yu Sicheng planned to transform, while Li Huang prepared for Li Youlong’s arrival and rebuked Li Cannan. The chapter left Li Cannan leaving Penglai Hall with pastries for her brother, unaware of the eunuchs’ watchful attention.

• Li Wuyan questioned Pei Ye about his fight with a powerful enemy, and her questions about the enemy transforming into a fish helped Pei Ye make a new deduction.
• Pei Ye asked Guo You about the flood dragon gold and learned it remained difficult to control because it was like something alive; he concluded Yu Sicheng already had fish bones and might use them to rewrite himself.
• Yu Sicheng and Yong Ji discussed Pei Ye’s deductions and agreed that waiting longer could be dangerous, while Yu Ziliang said he wanted to kill Pei Ye himself once he recovered.
• Li Huang told Li Cannan she would not consent to a marriage between Li Youlong and Yong Ji, then sent her to deliver pastries to her elder brother.
• Li Cannan left Penglai Hall carrying the food box, noticed—or thought she noticed—the eunuchs watching her, and headed away as Li Youlong prepared to enter the palace and stay in Linde Hall.

Li Cannan intervened when palace maids attacked Meng'er, who then climbed Bright Moon Mountain and continued chipping through the ice at Scenic Pool in search of Bright Moon Palace’s secret passage. Pei Ye and Li Xizhou discussed Yong Ji’s marriage and hoped for a fairy-tale outcome; as preparations for the banquet began, Li Chen arrived and Li Yujin gave him a booklet.

• Li Cannan delivered food to Linde Hall, then stopped Qing'er and the other maids from restraining and striking Meng'er.
• Meng'er climbed to Bright Moon Palace, told its absent ruler about Yong Ji’s marriage and her plans for Li Xizhou, then resumed chipping at the ice on Scenic Pool.
• Pei Ye and Li Xizhou discussed how to handle Yong Ji’s marriage, and Li Xizhou admitted she hoped a fairy tale could grow in their world.
• Palace servants prepared Qiongju Garden for the banquet, and Li Chen arrived before Li Yujin and received a booklet from him.

Li Chen gave Li Cannan a copy of the Green Waves sword art and learned that she intended to marry Prince Yan, while the imperial family gathered at Qiongju Garden. Li Xizhou arrived with Pei Ye, who brought Li Wuyan a fishing rod, and Li Chen approached him with a private request.

• Li Yujin gave Li Chen the Huozi Garden Sword Records and urged him to visit Consort Xian more often.
• Li Chen gave Li Cannan a copy of Green Waves, and she confirmed that she would marry Prince Yan as her mother wished.
• Yong Ji told Li Yujin that he would follow the Empress's wishes about the marriage.
• Li Xizhou arrived with Pei Ye, and the gathering fell quiet as the other guests watched them.
• Pei Ye gave Li Wuyan a fishing rod and promised they could fish after the banquet with supervision.
• Li Chen formally greeted Pei Ye, offered him wine, and said he had a private matter to ask about.

At the family banquet, Pei Ye spoke with Li Chen about sword practice and learned that the prince admired the Bright Sword Master. Li Chen asked Pei Ye to consider marrying Li Cannan, but Pei Ye declined; the chapter ended with him approaching Li Zhi.

• Li Chen praised Pei Ye’s swordsmanship and explained that Cui Zhaoye had introduced him through an enthusiasts’ club.
• Li Cannan rejected Li Chen’s praise of Pei Ye and insisted that her brother was no match for him in a real fight.
• Pei Ye advised Li Chen to develop a swordsmanship system suited to his abilities, and Li Chen praised Pei Ye’s insight.
• Li Chen asked whether Pei Ye knew the Bright Sword Master and revealed that he longed to meet her; Pei Ye offered to help arrange a visit during the Feather-Scale Trial.
• Li Chen asked Pei Ye to consider becoming a prince consort of Great Tang and marrying Li Cannan, but Pei Ye refused.
• Pei Ye left Li Chen and walked across the banquet to speak with Li Zhi.

Pei Ye asked Li Zhi for a wisp of Qilin Flame to help with his investigation, but Li Zhi refused, saying Qilin True Blood could not leave the imperial family’s hands. After Li Huang arrived and the banquet began, Li Xizhou explained the family dynamics to Pei Ye as they shared the evening’s meal.

• Pei Ye apologized to Li Zhi for their clash on the Winter Sword Platform and asked to borrow the Qilin Flame, but Li Zhi refused because Qilin True Blood was a matter of national importance.
• Yong Ji told Pei Ye that Qilin Blood symbolized the Qilin Covenant and taunted him for seeking it, while Pei Ye traded threats and insults with him.
• Pei Ye reported Li Zhi’s refusal to Li Xizhou, who admitted she had not expected it and wondered whether using the flame inside the palace counted as letting it pass beyond their hands.
• Li Huang arrived, greeted the gathered Qilin Children, and arranged a place and dishes for Pei Ye beside Li Xizhou.
• As the banquet proceeded, Li Xizhou told Pei Ye that Li Yujin had long been fond of Li Chen, while Li Wuyan announced that she was full and reached for her fishing rod.

At the palace banquet, Li Huang discussed the marriage between the imperial family and Prince Yan’s family, first proposing Li Cannan, then considering Li Youlong despite the danger of sending true Qilin Blood to the Northern Frontier. The chapter ended with Meng’er waiting in the cold, recalling the morning Li Youlong took the Qilin Blood Test.

• Li Huang asked Yong Ji which Qilin Woman he favored, and he deferred to her judgment.
• Li Youlong and Li Cannan both agreed to follow Li Huang’s arrangements, after which Li Huang proposed Cannan for the marriage.
• Li Yujin and Li Chen argued that Youlong should marry Yong Ji instead, while Li Huang explained that Cannan had taken a liking to him.
• Li Huang raised the dangers of sending Youlong’s true blood north, but Pei Ye’s companion urged that Youlong be allowed to serve as a pillar against the Wilderness People.
• Li Huang gave Youlong provisional priority and said she would consult the Emperor and the Five Surnames about the true-blood issue.
• Meng’er shivered in the wilderness and recalled the morning Youlong went to take the Qilin Blood Test.

Meng'er finally entered the Secret Passage after years of searching, only to learn that Yu Sicheng had planted the flower that guided her and that the passage could not grant her the Secret Art to wash away Qilin Blood. At the banquet, Pei Ye suspected Yu Sicheng had another role in the marriage struggle, while Li Xizhou admitted she had acted foolishly.

• Meng'er recalled Consort Mei's death, her own injury, and how a mysterious flower had promised her a way out of Daming Palace.
• After three years of searching, Meng'er broke through the ice and entered the Secret Passage, where Yu Sicheng was waiting beside a wheelchair.
• Yu Sicheng told Meng'er she could leave through the passage but could not obtain the Secret Art, then revealed he had planted her flower and removed it.
• At Qiongju Garden, Pei Ye wondered why Yu Sicheng had left and considered whether he and Yong Ji had planned another move in the marriage dispute.
• Li Xizhou told Pei Ye she had been foolish, while Li Yujin stopped paying attention to the banquet dishes.

At the palace banquet, Meng'er poisoned Li Cannan with flood dragon blood, and Pei Ye realized Yu Sicheng had used Meng'er to infiltrate the Goddess of the Luo River Palace and advance his scheme. As the banquet collapsed into violence, Pei Ye understood the cruelty of Yu Sicheng’s plan and found himself more determined than ever to kill him, yet still far from being able to do so.

• Li Chen apologized to Li Cannan, but she told him she believed everyone looked down on her.
• Meng'er entered the banquet and collapsed after Li Cannan vomited emerald-green blood and developed spreading green veins.
• Li Chen attacked Li Youlong, but Li Yujin blocked his sword and kicked him away.
• Li Xizhou identified the poison as flood dragon blood and told Pei Ye that Li Cannan would die before it could be expelled.
• Pei Ye realized Yu Sicheng had planted flood dragon blood in Meng'er to gain entry to the Goddess of the Luo River Palace and manipulate the marriage.
• Pei Ye recalled that Yu Sicheng had used Meng'er as a tool and resolved that he wanted to kill him, though he remained far from that goal.

At the banquet, Pei Ye realized the red carp Li Wuyan caught revealed that He Wujian’s mark was a scale, then forced Li Zhi to give him Qilin True Blood. Qu Xin used it to slow Li Cannan’s poison, but she had only treated half of it and could not use more.

• Qu Xin said Li Cannan’s cold poison could not be cured with ordinary treatment, and Li Zhi refused to offer help when Li Chen pleaded for Qilin Flame.
• Li Wuyan showed Pei Ye a red carp with a reverse scale on its forehead, leading him to recognize the mark on He Wujian’s bones as a scale rather than a fan.
• Pei Ye drew Jade Tiger, defeated Li Yujin, and held his sword to Li Zhi’s throat until Li Zhi gave him Qilin True Blood.
• Qu Xin used the Qilin True Blood to kindle golden fire on her needles and drive the poison from Li Cannan’s body.
• Qu Xin stopped after using half the blood, explaining that Li Cannan was not cured and she could not safely use more.

Pei Ye and Li Xizhou used the Qilin Flame to contain Li Cannan’s poison, then followed an old channel into the Twelve Hanging Currents to reach Yu Sicheng. They found Yu Sicheng fused with Yu Ziliang and faced him as Black Cat recognized the transformation as a predetermined execution.

• Pei Ye gave the Qilin Flame to Qu Xin to treat Li Cannan and decided to pursue Yu Sicheng despite the risk.
• Li Xizhou joined Pei Ye, and they followed the route He Wujian had once taken through the Mirage Realm.
• Pei Ye and Li Xizhou entered the Twelve Hanging Currents and found Yu Sicheng beside a grotesquely fused, still-living Yu Ziliang.
• Yu Sicheng said he had never cared about Yu Ziliang, then approached Pei Ye while their bodies continued to merge.
• Pei Ye demanded to know who had given Yu Sicheng his ability, and Black Cat said the transformation seemed like a predetermined execution.

Pei Ye attacked Yu Sicheng to stop him from completing a Jiaolong body and entering the Goddess of the Luo River Palace. His carefully prepared strike against Yu Sicheng's bone mechanism failed despite Qilin Flame, leaving Pei Ye and Black Chi injured and Yu Sicheng still able to fight.

• Li Xizhou suggested that Yu Sicheng was replacing his flesh with a Jiaolong's to enter the closed palace, using Yu Ziliang as an intermediary.
• Pei Ye attacked Yu Sicheng, destroyed one of his eyes, and suffered severe injuries under his repeated spear strikes.
• Pei Ye burned Yu Sicheng with red lotus flames and used a False Edict and Black Chi's attack to create an opening.
• Yu Ziliang blocked Pei Ye's sword strike at Yu Sicheng's spine, but Pei Ye redirected Jade Tiger with True Qi Condensed into Silk.
• Pei Ye struck Yu Sicheng's exposed bone mechanism with Qilin Flame, but the blade failed to damage it.
• Black Chi shielded Pei Ye from Yu Sicheng's counterattack and suffered a deep wound, while Yu Sicheng demanded to know where Pei Ye had obtained Qilin Flame.

Pei Ye fought Yu Sicheng underwater but discovered that qilin flame could not break his Flood Dragon Gold skeleton, leaving him without his expected advantage. As Yu Sicheng overwhelmed him and drove him against the Goddess of the Luo River Palace, Pei Ye prepared to make one last attempt at the Dantian, the point where Yu Sicheng’s skeleton connected to his flesh.

• Pei Ye’s precise strike and qilin flame failed to break Yu Sicheng’s bone hub, and he realized Yu Sicheng had replaced much of his body with Flood Dragon Gold and a scaled demon form.
• Li Xizhou watched Pei Ye lose his means of victory as Yu Sicheng charged and smashed him flying with his spear.
• Black Chi shielded Pei Ye from Yu Sicheng’s repeated attacks, but suffered injuries while Pei Ye struggled to keep fighting.
• Luo Weiyou appeared beside Pei Ye, joked with him about dying, and thanked him for guarding her place before her figure dissolved.
• Pei Ye attacked Yu Sicheng with his sword and a kick, but Yu Sicheng countered and drove him into the palace wall, separating him from Black Chi.
• Pei Ye ate two Goddess of the Luo River Wood Peach blossoms and decided to target Yu Sicheng’s Dantian, where the skeleton connected to the flesh and its mercury solution was controlled.

Pei Ye used the past to survive Yu Sicheng’s spear techniques, then drew strength from the Goddess of the Luo River wood peaches and wounded him. He discovered Yu Sicheng was Ziliang, but their fight continued as Yu Sicheng pressed toward the palace to retrieve the White Water Key.

• Pei Ye evaded Yu Sicheng’s fourth spear strike with Flying Feather Immortal and returned to the battlefield amid the scattered wood peaches.
• The petals gathered around Pei Ye, healing his wounds and rapidly advancing his Meridian Tree until he reached the Lineage Realm’s peak.
• Pei Ye used Bright Mirror, Ice Heaven Reflects Me to expose the shadows within Yu Sicheng, then disarmed him and struck at his Dantian.
• Pei Ye realized Yu Sicheng’s body had been distorted by flood dragon gold and understood that Yu Ziliang had been part of him all along.
• Yu Sicheng said he was going to enter the Goddess of the Luo River Palace and retrieve the White Water Key, then attacked Pei Ye again.

Li Xizhou discovered that blood from her lineage could unravel Yu Sicheng’s [Mercury Blossoms Floating Raft], then chose to fight him rather than retreat with Pei Ye. Black Chi rescued Pei Ye at great cost, and Pei Ye rose to face Yu Sicheng for another strike.

• Li Xizhou realized that Yu Sicheng’s fire had concealed the raft’s true weakness: blood from the same lineage as hers.
• Li Xizhou stained Pei Ye’s sword with her blood and told Yu Sicheng she was going to kill him.
• Yu Sicheng attacked Pei Ye, but Black Chi shielded him and carried him to Li Xizhou before collapsing back into a small black cat.
• Li Xizhou gave Pei Ye the blood-soaked sword, and Pei Ye stood despite his injuries and said he could strike Yu Sicheng once more.
• Yu Sicheng charged Pei Ye while guarding his spine and dantian.

Pei Ye defeated Yu Sicheng by exploiting the flaws in his Flood Dragon Gold Bone, while Li Xizhou explained the mystery of mirage blood and the Whitewater Key. After leaving the Mirage Realm, Li Xizhou brought Yu Sicheng’s head to the Tang Emperor and demanded a decree concerning Prince Yan’s marriage alliance and Li Youlong’s departure.

• Pei Ye pierced Yu Sicheng’s heart and dantian, then cut off his head as the collapsing Mercury Blossoms Floating Raft destroyed Yu Sicheng’s body.
• Li Xizhou explained that her blood contained mirage blood and said the Whitewater Key could grant the status needed to inherit the Mirage Realm’s legacy.
• Pei Ye carried the weakened Li Xizhou and Little Cat out of the Goddess of the Luo River Palace, and Li Xizhou took Yu Sicheng’s head to Purple Chen Hall.
• Li Xizhou told the Tang Emperor that she had killed Yu Sicheng and demanded a written decree concerning Prince Yan’s marriage alliance, saying Li Youlong had to leave.
• The Tang Emperor reminded Li Xizhou that Li Youlong was True Blood.

Li Xizhou intervened to spare Meng'er and declared that she could leave after obtaining the Goddess of the Luo River's flower. Pei Ye and Black Cat returned to Vermilion Mirror Hall after their battle, where Li Xianfang waited for them.

• Li Xizhou arrived at the banquet and said she had obtained the Tang Emperor's handwritten decree allowing Youlong to marry.
• Li Xizhou stopped the guards from taking Meng'er away and presented her with the dark-blue flower, saying she could leave because she had obtained it.
• Meng'er wept with relief when Li Xizhou promised that neither she nor her Highness needed to die.
• Pei Ye and Black Cat walked back to Vermilion Mirror Hall, bickering about their roles in the battle against Yu Sicheng.
• Li Xianfang welcomed the bloodied Pei Ye and offered to fetch medicine and heat water while they waited for Qu Xin.

After Yu Sicheng and Yu Ziliang died, Pei Ye learned that Li Xianfang hoped to join his future household, then spoke with Li Xizhou about the Goddess of the Luo River Palace and an approaching sixty-year mark. Li Xizhou granted him leave to leave the palace, and Pei Ye arranged to meet Xu Chuo the next day.

• Pei Ye told Li Xianfang that Yu Sicheng and Yu Ziliang had died and that she could return to the Music Bureau.
• Li Xianfang asked Pei Ye to accept her into his future residence as its lead dancer and household manager, and he agreed.
• Li Xizhou told Pei Ye that Li Cannan would leave the palace and that she believed the Goddess of the Luo River Palace would open for her in about a month.
• Pei Ye worked out that the emperor was fifty-nine, linking his age to the approaching sixty-year mark and the palace's opening.
• Li Xizhou offered Pei Ye leave to go out of the palace, and he agreed.
• Pei Ye contacted Xu Chuo through Knowing Intent, and they arranged to meet the next day and work on the next installment of “Swinging Rope.”

Pei Ye left Daming Palace on the seventeenth morning of the first lunar month and set out into the warming streets after a long confinement. The chapter ended with him enjoying the first signs of spring as his carriage moved through the city.

• Pei Ye walked out through a side gate of Daming Palace and breathed in the cold winter air.
• Pei Ye leaped into his carriage, which began moving shortly afterward.
• Pei Ye admired the clear sunshine and the signs of approaching spring as people returned to the streets.

Pei Ye met Li Jian in the Divine Capital and learned that the Heart of the Western Court held a quarter of the world's fate. Li Jian offered him the chance to become the Western Court Master, leaving Pei Ye to write his name beneath a mysterious divine title.

• Xu Chuo and Pei Ye discussed the approaching Feather-Scale Trial and the power held by the Heart of the Western Court.
• Pei Ye recognized the Shaolong swordsmen at Five Clouds Tower, and Nan Guannu nearly recognized him before a screen blocked her view.
• Li Jian joined Xu Chuo and Pei Ye and said he wanted to discuss the Heart of the Western Court.
• Li Jian explained that the Heart was one quarter of the world's fate and could overturn Great Tang.
• Li Jian showed Pei Ye a golden booklet bearing the title “Star-Guard · Divine Officer of the Mysterious Fire Spirit” and invited him to write his name and try to become the Western Court Master.