Chapter Summaries

Lin Lang and the Jinyiwei raided the Silver Hook Gambling House and captured Li Fei, a fugitive killer and Golden Coin Gang member, with ease. Lin Lang took Li Fei’s token as evidence and turned down the manager’s small bribe, then considered how to seize the gambling house’s money.

• A green-clad man named Li Fei lost his money at the Silver Hook Gambling House and borrowed five thousand taels using a Golden Coin Gang token as collateral.
• Lin Lang arrived with the Jinyiwei, identified Li Fei as wanted for killing the Sun Family, and ordered him to surrender.
• Li Fei attacked Lin Lang with dice and a short sword, but Lin Lang defeated him, sealed his acupoints, and had Wang Wu take him away.
• The gambling house manager offered Lin Lang a thousand-tael banknote, but Lin Lang rejected it and claimed Li Fei’s token as evidence.
• Lin Lang told the manager to collect Li Fei’s loan from the Golden Coin Gang and considered inventing an excuse to confiscate the gambling house’s money.

Lin Lang extorted twelve thousand taels from the Silver Hook Gambling House, then interrogated Li Fei about the Golden Coin Gang. After draining Li Fei’s martial arts, Lin Lang let him leave but immediately called him a fugitive escaping.

• Lin Lang and Wang Wu seized the Silver Hook Gambling House’s money, forcing its manager to provide twelve thousand taels in banknotes.
• The manager closed the gambling house and sent a carrier pigeon to alert his backers about Lin Lang.
• Wang Wu warned Lin Lang that the gambling house had powerful backing, but Lin Lang gave him and the other men money before questioning Li Fei alone.
• Lin Lang unsealed Li Fei’s mute pressure point and persuaded him to reveal the Golden Coin Gang’s experts, businesses, and earnings.
• Lin Lang used the Star-Sucking Great Skill to drain Li Fei’s true qi, then let him go.
• As Li Fei fled through the courtyard gate, Lin Lang shouted that the fugitive was escaping.

Lin Lang killed Li Fei, studied his concealed-weapon techniques, and angered local officials with his expectations for hospitality. Meanwhile, Zhu Wushi ordered the Li Family's Four Brothers to recruit Lin Lang or kill him, while Shangguan Jinhong decided another enemy would deal with him.

• Lin Lang let Wang Wu kill the powerless Li Fei, then arranged to claim the reward and destroy the evidence of his own involvement.
• Lin Lang studied Li Fei's martial arts legacy, began learning Flowers Filling the Sky, and resolved to combine it with the Evil-Warding Sword Manual's concealed-weapon technique.
• Lin Lang left Hundred-household Sun's office dissatisfied because Sun had provided food and drink but no entertainment afterward.
• Shangguan Haitang warned Zhu Wushi that Lin Lang was greedy and lawless, but Zhu Wushi ordered the Li Family's Four Brothers to recruit him or kill him.
• Jing Wuming told Shangguan Jinhong that Lin Lang had killed Li Fei, and Shangguan Jinhong decided someone else would take care of Lin Lang.

After celebrating his subordinates’ promotions, Lin Lang was ambushed by four Dragon Guard Manor fighters who tried to recruit him for Zhu Wushi. Lin Lang defeated them and looked forward to the Iron-Gallant Divine Marquis sending more opponents.

• Lin Lang celebrated his colleagues’ promotions and promised that loyal followers could rise to become Thousand-households.
• Lin Lang gave his subordinates five days off, then left the Fragrant Pavilion to return home.
• Four men in black confronted Lin Lang and demanded that he pledge allegiance to the Divine Marquis in exchange for advancement.
• Lin Lang rejected their offer, and the four attacked him in the alley.
• Lin Lang used his movement skills and a short sword to defeat all four men.
• When the leader threatened that the Divine Marquis would send more experts, Lin Lang welcomed the prospect of fighting them.

Lin Lang killed Zhu Wushi’s four agents and continued drawing Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi into a struggle over his loyalty. Cao Zhengchun publicly defended Lin Lang before the emperor, while Lin Lang rejected the Eastern Depot’s pressure and decided to cause another major disturbance to secure Cao Zhengchun’s support.

• Lin Lang drained the true qi from Zhu Wushi’s four agents, killed them, and had their bodies secretly disposed of.
• After arresting Li Fei, Lin Lang sent Cao Zhengchun a letter asking him to deal with the troubles Zhu Wushi had caused.
• Cao Zhengchun praised Lin Lang’s arrests before the emperor, while Zhu Wushi accused Lin Lang of misconduct and urged that he be investigated.
• Cao Zhengchun defended Lin Lang as a loyal officer who had killed the wanted criminal Tian Boguang, and Zhu Wushi chose to postpone acting against him.
• Lin Lang burned Cao Zhengchun’s letter and resolved to stir up another major incident to keep the eunuch supporting him.

Lin Lang used intelligence about Dongfang Bubai’s injury to steer Zuo Lengchan toward attacking the Sun Moon Demon Cult, giving him a path to gain prestige and later pursue the Five Mountains merger. As the sect leaders gathered at Mount Song, Lin Lang prepared to send another letter to Blackwood Cliff to ensure the alliance would attack.

• Wang Wu reported that the Sun Moon Demon Cult and the Five Mountains Sword Alliance had suffered heavy losses, while Zuo Lengchan’s merger plan faced resistance from three sects.
• Lin Lang sent Zuo Lengchan a letter claiming Dongfang Bubai had suffered cultivation deviation and urging him to unite the righteous martial world against the Sun Moon Demon Cult.
• Zuo Lengchan decided to postpone the merger and summon the Five Mountains sect leaders to Mount Song to plan an attack on the cult.
• Yue Buqun agreed to attend the meeting and privately considered using the campaign to strengthen his own position, potentially exploiting Linghu Chong’s swordsmanship.
• Wang Wu told Lin Lang that the sect leaders and core disciples were heading to Mount Song, and Lin Lang revealed that he had sent a letter to Blackwood Cliff to bolster their resolve.

Lin Lang’s letter persuaded Yang Lianting to send the Sun Moon Holy Cult’s four halls against the Five Mountains sect strongholds while Dongfang Bubai prepared to face an attack on Blackwood Cliff. Lin Lang learned that the cult had mobilized as planned and expected the resulting conflict to win him Cao’s praise.

• Yang Lianting opened a letter warning that Zuo Lengchan had summoned the Five Mountains Sword Alliance to attack Blackwood Cliff and urging the cult to strike their strongholds.
• Yang Lianting obtained Dongfang Bubai’s approval to send Tong Baixiong and the other three hall leaders against four sects while recalling cult members to defend Blackwood Cliff.
• Tong Baixiong and the other hall leaders agreed to investigate the intelligence and prepare their forces, with Tong choosing to target Huashan if the other sects were undefended.
• Yang Lianting told Dongfang Bubai about the planned attack, and Dongfang Bubai vowed to kill the Five Mountains Alliance and any other forces that joined it.
• Wang Wu and Jia Liu told Lin Lang that the Sun Moon Holy Cult had mobilized toward the four sect strongholds, and Lin Lang modestly predicted the ensuing conflict would earn Cao’s praise.

Lin Lang received the Eastern Depot’s support to act against the Northern Mount Heng, Southern Hengshan, and Eastern Mount Tai sects. After arranging to depart for Hengshan City, he said he would uphold justice for the common people.

• Cao Zhengchun received Lin Lang’s plan and ordered evidence prepared against the three sects, communications blocked, and local authorities ordered to cooperate.
• Shangguan Haitang reported that spies in the Five Mountains Sword Alliance and Sun Moon Demon Cult had gone missing, and Zhu Wushi decided to wait for both sides to weaken before recruiting new spies.
• Lin Lang ordered Wang Wu to stew the Eastern Depot carrier pigeon so he could cut off communication and avoid interference.
• An Eastern Depot official delivered the requested evidence and assured Lin Lang that Cao Zhengchun would overlook minor matters.
• Lin Lang sent Wang Wu and fifty men to Hengshan City, saying they were going to uphold justice for the common people.

Lin Lang explained his revised plan to Ren Yingying for Ren Woxing to reclaim leadership of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, using the Five Mountains Sword Alliance to test Dongfang Bubai. He brought Ren Yingying home under the guise of discussing the plan, leaving Xiao He waiting as he prepared to dine with his unexpected guest.

• Wang Wu and Jia Liu departed with their men, while Lin Lang prepared to lead a mission to the Hengshan School the next day.
• Ren Yingying met Lin Lang alone and told him Ren Woxing had left Plum Manor with Xiang Wentian to recruit former followers and visit old friends.
• Lin Lang proposed changing the plan because Ren Woxing might have been betrayed, and because a failed ambush could put Ren Yingying in danger.
• Lin Lang said he would use the Five Mountains Sword Alliance's attack on Blackwood Cliff to test Dongfang Bubai and create an opportunity for Ren Woxing.
• Lin Lang took Ren Yingying home to eat and discuss the plan, then sent Xiao He away when she brought a late-night meal.

Lin Lang manipulated Ren Yingying into opening her door and sleeping with him, then used the encounter to perfect his Reverse Golden Body Child Skill. The next morning, he told Xiao He he was leaving on an assignment, foiling her hopes of getting close to him.

• Lin Lang discussed Ren Woxing's strength and plans to help him challenge Dongfang Bubai, then left Ren Yingying alone for the night.
• Ren Yingying heard Lin Lang groaning next door and rushed to help; he drew her in, and they spent the night together.
• Lin Lang's Reverse Golden Body Child Skill reached perfection, and he resolved to help Ren Woxing reclaim leadership of the Sun Moon Holy Cult now that he had Ren Yingying's support.
• Xiao He saw two shadows in Lin Lang's room and realized he was with another woman, then returned to her room without confronting him.
• The next morning, Lin Lang told Xiao He to pack clothes because he was leaving with the brothers on an assignment, then ordered her to empty the chamber pot.