Chapter Summaries

Pei Ye learned that the Illuminating the World Immortal Platform sought to find the immortals and restore the Heart of the Western Court’s connection to the world. He accepted the role of Star-Guard by writing his name in the Golden Register, then returned to Xu Chuo and asked about Her Highness Jinyang’s appearance.

• Li Jian explained that Pei Ye had only accessed the Heart of the Western Court through Chi Flame and revealed the Immortal Platform’s purpose of finding immortals.
• Li Jian said the Heart of the Western Court needed to reconnect with the world, and Pei Ye wrote his name beneath Star-Guard in the Golden Register.
• Li Jian told Pei Ye that the Heart would begin awakening at the hour of the boar and said the Platform would help him if they met in the Dream of the Queen Mother of the West.
• Xu Chuo showed Pei Ye an azure feather bearing a message that her soul would dream with his that night, then explained that Li Jian had written the city’s Coexistence Law.
• Pei Ye asked Xu Chuo about Her Highness Jinyang’s appearance, and Xu Chuo challenged him to describe Ming Qitian’s beauty.

Xu Chuo and Pei Ye spent the day together before preparing to write the next part of Zhao Baibi and Li Yao’s story, as the Heart of the Western Court’s momentous events approached. Their new scene began with Zhao Baibi and Li Yao returning to the Divine Capital after ten years at the Northern Frontier.

• Pei Ye reassured Nan Guannu that he was well, declined to meet the other swordsmen, and asked whether Li Piaoqing had come to the Divine Capital.
• Xu Chuo told Pei Ye that Jadeite Mountain was recovering rapidly and asked whether he wanted to see Li Piaoqing; he admitted that he did, but was afraid.
• Pei Ye and Xu Chuo wandered around West Pool, ate together, and discussed the coming changes and Li Jian’s decision about the Heart of the Western Court.
• Xu Chuo and Pei Ye resumed writing their story, skipping ten years ahead to Zhao Baibi and Li Yao’s return to the capital.
• Zhao Baibi remarked on the budding willows and the capital’s decline, then went to the palace while Li Yao headed to the temple.

Li Yao sought counsel from an old monk about the suffering behind his plans to remake the realm, then demanded funds to rebuild the capital’s wards. In the palace, Zhao Baibi rescued an abused eunuch and told him to be loyal to Li Yao, while Xu Chuo finished a manuscript with Pei Ye’s help.

• Li Yao revisited the monastery and asked an old monk to explain the kinds of suffering.
• Li Yao described his family’s destruction, the devastation of war, and his plan to kill Li Zhang and the emperor, but questioned whether purging the old regime could end suffering.
• The old monk called Li Yao’s grief the suffering of change, and Li Yao demanded that the monastery donate two hundred thousand taels to rebuild the wards.
• Zhao Baibi entered the palace, met a reserve serviceman near Lovesickness Palace, and went to the Servants’ Courtyard.
• Zhao Baibi cut off the ears of eunuchs abusing a young eunuch, then told him to be loyal to Li Yao.
• Xu Chuo sealed her completed manuscript for the National Gazette and left Pei Ye to return to the palace.

Pei Ye witnessed the Heart of the Western Court connect with the True Heaven, but the immense force nearly severed his connection to the divine realm. The Azure Feather carried him to a mysterious banquet, where Li Jian and three other divine beasts warned him not to disturb the Queen Mother's dream.

• Pei Ye returned to Vermilion Mirror Hall and entered the Mindscape Realm to await the hour of the boar.
• The Heart of the Western Court connected with the starry sky, overwhelming Pei Ye's will and threatening to sever his link to Shenxing Hall.
• An Azure Feather drew Pei Ye away from the connection and revealed a tranquil realm with a banquet table and four birds and beasts.
• Pei Ye recognized the nine-tailed tiger as Li Jian, the Immortal Platform Master, and tried to address him.
• A horned dog silenced Pei Ye and told him not to disturb the Queen Mother's dream.

Pei Ye followed Yingzhao through the Western Court and learned that rival holders of Western Heaven Division Immortal Authority might contend for the opened realm. At Shenxing Hall, Pei Ye pressed his name and flame seal to the jade dais, connected to True Heaven, and saw the stars and their moving patterns clearly.

• Lu Wu explained that Pei Ye needed to enter Shenxing Hall and mark its jade dais to connect with True Heaven, then sent him west with Yingzhao.
• Yingzhao sheltered Pei Ye from the snow and guided him through the Western Court, explaining that other authority holders might enter and challenge him for control of the realm.
• Yingzhao brought Pei Ye to Shenxing Hall but stayed outside, saying the hall would disturb the Queen Mother's dream.
• Pei Ye steadied his mind, entered Shenxing Hall, and pressed his flame-wreathed hand and name onto the jade dais.
• Pei Ye connected to True Heaven through the Heart of the Western Court and saw the stars moving along their ancient, connected patterns.

After Pei Ye witnessed the power of True Heaven in the Heart of the Western Court, Yingzhao explained that he needed the Authority of the Chui Star to become Shi Shen and wield it. Pei Ye encountered Yong Ji at a neighboring Temple, then spent the night speaking with Yingzhao about authority and the mysterious People in the Dream.

• Pei Ye left Shenxing Hall after seeing True Heaven, and Yingzhao told him he needed the Authority of the Chui Star to become Shi Shen and command its power.
• Pei Ye found Yong Ji at a neighboring Temple, traded threats and insults with him, and failed to stop him from disappearing into starlight.
• Yingzhao explained that Pei Ye's connection to the Heart of the Western Court let him enter it more easily than other people with stellar authority.
• Pei Ye sat beside Yingzhao as they waited for the starry vault to align, and Yingzhao advised him to remain kind and practice forbearance if he gained great authority.
• Pei Ye asked about the People in the Dream, and Yingzhao said they were also called Fate Hounds before Pei Ye asked whether the Immortal Platform investigated them.

Pei Ye learned more about the Fate Hounds and the Immortal Platform after meeting them in the Queen Mother of the West’s dream, then discussed hidden powers shaping the world with Black Cat. The chapter ended with Li Xianfang summoning him to meet Her Highness in the middle of the night.

• Yingzhao explained what he knew about the Fate Hounds’ identities and described Jiao, Shengyu, and Dali, while Pei Ye promised to keep the information secret.
• Pei Ye left the dream with Lu Wu and learned that the Immortal Platform had granted him lasting power as Shenxing and that [Star-Guard] would later give him the abilities of an Illuminator within Great Tang.
• Pei Ye woke in Vermilion Mirror Hall and told Black Cat about the dream, saying he hoped to join the Fate Hounds and learn what they knew about the forces behind the world.
• Pei Ye and Black Cat discussed how Yingzhao and Lu Wu’s mythological roles might reveal their status and personalities.
• Li Xianfang summoned Pei Ye to speak with Her Highness, and he followed her to the Bedchamber.

Pei Ye learned that Li Xizhou believed someone was watching and planning to kill her, and promised to protect her while she continued investigating the Goddess of the Luo River Palace. The chapter ended with Qi Mengchen and Nan Guannu explaining why the Shaolong group would compete in the Dragon Lake Sword Tournament, as Cui Zijie teased Su Xingke about an earlier defeat.

• Li Xizhou told Pei Ye that entering the Goddess of the Luo River's Former Residence required her mother's permission, and admitted she was uncertain whether her mother had truly left that permission to her.
• Li Xizhou drew Pei Ye close and warned him that someone was watching her and seeking an opportunity to kill her, as they had killed Wei Qingju.
• Pei Ye promised to protect Li Xizhou, then sat outside her bedchamber and reflected on how He Wujian had entered Bright Moon Palace through the Mirage Realm.
• Li Xianfang mistakenly suspected Pei Ye had been thrown out of Li Xizhou's bed and offered him illustrated books, prompting Pei Ye to tell her to guard against lust.
• Qi Mengchen and Nan Guannu explained the Dragon Lake Sword Tournament to Su Xingke and the others, and Cui Zijie mocked Su Xingke for forgetting his recent defeat.

Nan Guannu and the Shaolong swordsmen attended the Lu Clan’s sword assembly in the Divine Capital, where they learned how the city’s young swordsmen were ranked and celebrated. Tinghua revealed that the famed Pei Ye was the same young man they knew, leaving them stunned as she invited them to join his fan club.

• Nan Guannu chose Cui Zijie and Zuo Sheng to represent their group in the sword bouts while the others watched.
• Tinghua introduced the Divine Capital’s prominent swordsmen, including Yang Zhenbing, and described the city’s leading academy talents.
• Tinghua said the common people placed Pei Ye alongside Yan Feiqing and Yang Zhenbing, then recounted his victory over Li Zhi with one strike.
• The Shaolong group recognized Tinghua’s description of Pei Ye as the young man they knew, including his black cat and age.
• Tinghua explained that she directed Pei Ye’s fan club and invited them to join, while Su Xingke reacted with an angry sneer.

At the sword gathering, Yong Ji arrived in disguise, spoke privately with Grandmaster Zhang about a planned assassination, and joked that the Sixth Princess was his wife. After the gathering, he met Li Youlong and Meng'er and discussed leaving the capital and arranging his wedding.

• Zuo Sheng defeated Wen Li, while Cui Zijie narrowly lost to Wang Shousi at the sword gathering.
• Yong Ji sat beneath a pavilion and discussed with Grandmaster Zhang the risks and urgency of an assassination tied to the King of Yan's Residence and Mirage City.
• Yong Ji told Lin Yuxian that the Sixth Princess was his wife, and the others took it as a joke.
• Yang Zhenbing won the sword gathering, and Jiang Yiner told him that their senior brother remained in the palace but was out of danger.
• At the north gate, Yong Ji joined Li Youlong and Meng'er in a carriage and said he would leave the Divine Capital before the Feather-Scale Trial, then return for a wedding in the third month.
• Yong Ji explained that Li Youlong would travel to the Northern Frontier after their wedding, and she called his name as the carriage moved on.

Li Xizhou relived a childhood memory of the gentle woman who had once kept her company, then woke in the Vermilion Mirror Hall with Pei Ye guarding her. She reflected on the memory and sought a way to suppress her qilin blood so she could enter the Goddess of the Luo River Palace.

• Yong Ji promised Li Youlong that Meng'er would never be hurt again, and Li Youlong agreed to stay with the Yong family.
• Pei Ye guarded Li Xizhou through the night as she took her pill and endured its ordeals.
• Li Xizhou dreamed of her childhood self spending a happy day with the woman who had once visited her, then watched the woman leave again.
• Li Xizhou woke near dawn and found Pei Ye sitting outside her bedchamber, keeping watch.
• Li Jian explained that Li Xizhou's awakened qilin blood had suppressed her ability to enter the Spirit Realm, and Li Xizhou asked for a pill to suppress it.

Pei Ye entered the Mirage Realm of Bright Moon Palace to witness Yue Muzhou guarding the Empress’s bedchamber and test whether He Wujian could have overcome him. After Yue Muzhou’s phantom nearly killed him, Pei Ye returned to the beginning and repeated his warning about the assassination.

• Pei Ye used Jiaozhu Powder to enter Bright Moon Palace’s Mirage Realm and met Yue Muzhou, who guarded the Empress’s bedchamber.
• Pei Ye told Yue Muzhou that He Wujian might attempt to assassinate the Empress and asked to enter the bedchamber.
• Pei Ye tried a surprise sword strike from close range, but Yue Muzhou reacted with such speed that Pei Ye felt his throat pierced before the Mirage Realm reset.
• Pei Ye concluded that Yue Muzhou had been an exceptionally formidable guard and reopened the palace doors to speak with him again.
• Pei Ye again warned Yue Muzhou that He Wujian planned to assassinate the Empress, and Yue Muzhou asked when and how he would strike.

Pei Ye warned Yue Muzhou that He Wujian could assassinate Wei Qingju by moving unseen through the Mirage Realm, and challenged Yue to test whether he could stop such an attack. Yue agreed to keep testing Pei Ye’s speed as they prepared for the assassin’s expected arrival.

• Pei Ye told Yue Muzhou that He Wujian might attack Wei Qingju that night and explained how the assassin could strike from beyond ordinary perception.
• Yue Muzhou insisted that no assassin could outrun his sword and refused to make any special preparations.
• Pei Ye offered to help stop He Wujian and proposed training with Yue to improve his speed.
• Pei Ye launched a mock assassination attempt, and Yue stopped him with his sword at his throat.
• Pei Ye tried again and moved one step farther before Yue intercepted him, then urged Yue to continue the tests.

Pei Ye reproduced Yue Muzhou’s [Unbound] after witnessing the legendary sword strike, prompting Yue Muzhou to explain its unique principles. Yue Muzhou left Pei Ye to study the technique on his own.

• Yue Muzhou demonstrated [Unbound] and told Pei Ye it was the fastest sword strike in the world.
• Pei Ye copied the strike and surprised Yue Muzhou by blocking his return attack.
• Pei Ye asked Yue Muzhou to take him as a disciple, but Yue Muzhou coldly denied knowing him and told him to do his assigned job.
• Yue Muzhou demonstrated [Unbound] again and praised Pei Ye’s unusual sword intuition.
• Yue Muzhou explained that [Unbound] was a direct strike shaped by thought and left Pei Ye to understand it for himself.

Pei Ye tried to understand Yue Muzhou’s Unbound sword and challenged him to consider whether his strike could stop He Wujian. Back at the palace, Li Xizhou discussed her blood, her mother’s research, and her decision to choose Pei Ye, then spoke with him about Yue Muzhou’s youth.

• Pei Ye realized that copying Unbound’s direct thrust was not mastery and discussed the sword’s nature with Yue Muzhou.
• Pei Ye insisted he needed to learn one strike of Unbound and suggested Yue Muzhou had not reached its true realm, asking whether he could stop He Wujian.
• Pei Ye returned to Vermilion Mirror Hall and found Li Xizhou waiting; she told him her elixir doses needed to be spaced three days apart.
• Li Xizhou explained that her mother had investigated the two kinds of blood in her body and may have left something at the Goddess of the Luo River Palace.
• Li Xizhou told Pei Ye she had been more resolute in choosing him than he had been in choosing her.
• Li Xizhou asked Pei Ye about Yue Muzhou’s appearance and listened as he compared Yue Muzhou with Yan Feiqing.

Li Xizhou told Pei Ye how Yue Muzhou and Wei Qingju’s friendship developed and ended, while they speculated about Yue Muzhou and Ying Suyu’s romance. After dinner, Pei Ye reflexively reacted when Li Xianfang reached for his sword, startling both of them.

• Li Xizhou recounted Yue Muzhou and Wei Qingju’s friendship, including his role in protecting her from three assassination attempts after the Qilin Blood affair came to light.
• Li Xizhou said Yue Muzhou left the capital after Wei Qingju died, and Pei Ye and Li Xizhou joked about how Yue Muzhou and Ying Suyu fell in love.
• Pei Ye and Li Xizhou waited for Li Xianfang to call them to dinner, then ate with Li Xianfang and Qu Xin.
• Pei Ye washed the dishes while Li Xianfang observed that he had recently been eating less.
• When Li Xianfang reached for Pei Ye’s sword, he slammed his hand down on it and startled her with his reflexive reaction.

Pei Ye entered the Mirage Realm again and prepared to bring out his own [Unbound] strike by summoning the killing intent he had felt before. He delivered a message to Yue Muzhou on Li's orders, and the chapter ended as he stepped onto the first stair, wary of the man beside him.

• Pei Ye carefully prepared himself to kill Wei Qingju and took a minimal dose of pearl powder to enter the Mirage Realm.
• Pei Ye opened the old Bright Moon Palace door and found Yue Muzhou waiting inside.
• Pei Ye introduced himself as a Wild Goose Inspector delivering a message on Li's orders and showed Yue Muzhou his token.
• Pei Ye stepped onto the stair and keenly sensed Yue Muzhou's dangerous power.

Pei Ye repeatedly trained by facing Yue Muzhou in a deadly encounter and returned to Bright Moon Palace to warn him that Empress Wei was in danger. As Pei Ye challenged Yue Muzhou’s ability to protect her, the chapter ended with Yue Muzhou narrowing his eyes in response.

• Pei Ye’s first attempt to strike Yue Muzhou ended with Yue Muzhou killing him.
• Li Xizhou told Pei Ye she still could not return to her childhood Spirit Realm and described the swing and apricot tree from her memories.
• Li Xizhou watched Xixi struggle to swing alone as the gentle figure promised Xixi they would play together when she grew up.
• Pei Ye returned to Bright Moon Palace and told Yue Muzhou that someone intended to assassinate Empress Wei.
• Pei Ye asked Yue Muzhou whether he could protect Empress Wei while guarding her from the Bedchamber.

Pei Ye repeatedly tried to become fast enough to kill Wei Qingju before Yue Muzhou could stop him, while Yong Ji prepared the Eight Waters for war and planned to leave the Divine Capital. After Li Xizhou described how the last elixir had clarified her dreamscape without letting her return to it, she asked Pei Ye whether Yue Muzhou’s harshness annoyed him.

• Pei Ye drew his sword against Yue Muzhou again, struck at Wei Qingju, and died in the Bedchamber once more.
• Yong Ji learned that the Eight Waters’ leaders were mobilizing and ordered his people to sell their holdings in the Divine Capital and distribute the proceeds among the Eight Waters.
• Yong Ji discussed the timing of spring rain before riding away with the monk and the general.
• On the twenty-seventh of the second month, Pei Ye woke to find Li Xizhou eating mutton soup beside his bed and joined her for a meal.
• Li Xizhou told Pei Ye that her Qilin Blood had been sealed away and that she could now see her dreamscape clearly, but could not return to it.
• Li Xizhou asked Pei Ye whether Yue Muzhou’s fierceness annoyed him even though Pei Ye kept Yue in his thoughts.

Li Xizhou’s dream of her childhood changed when the first spring rain blurred the boundary between the Spirit Realm and reality, allowing her to reunite with the gentle woman and discover how to enter the Goddess of the Luo River Palace. As Pei Ye kept watch outside Vermilion Mirror Hall, he reflected on the hidden forces waiting for Li Xizhou to falter.

• Pei Ye admitted that he wanted to read Xu Chuo and Yue Muzhou’s private conversations to learn what Yue Muzhou had said about him, but Li Xizhou refused to show him.
• Pei Ye stayed outside Vermilion Mirror Hall with his sword as night rain began to fall, while Li Xizhou slept inside.
• Li Xizhou dreamed that six-year-old Xixi lost sight of the gentle woman after her Qilin Blood awakened, and she realized the scene marked the start of her own childhood memories.
• When the first spring rain of the Renwu Year blurred the boundary between reality and the Spirit Realm, Li Xizhou returned to the swing and heard the gentle woman speak to her again.
• Li Xizhou understood that the swing could carry her over the courtyard wall into the Goddess of the Luo River Palace, then swung high enough to see beyond it.
• As the rain grew heavier, Pei Ye watched the darkened courtyard and thought about the political enemies waiting for Li Xizhou to stumble.