Chapter Summaries

Lin Lang reversed and fused the Heavenly Dipper Child Skill with the Golden Body Child Skill, creating the stronger Reverse Golden Dipper Child Skill and surpassing Cao Zhengchun’s strength. Meanwhile, Zhu Wushi dealt with the released Undercover Agents, Shangguan Haitang tried to stop Guihai Yidao from pursuing more revenge, and Yagyu Piaoxu set out to target Guihai Yidao.

• Cao Zhengchun taught Lin Lang the Heavenly Dipper Child Skill and expected him to remove its vulnerable point, while Xiao Mozi grew jealous that Lin Lang had received the same skill.
• Lin Lang reversed the Heavenly Dipper Child Skill’s flaws and fused it with the Golden Body Child Skill, creating the peerless Reverse Golden Dipper Child Skill and advancing to the middle stage of Great Grandmaster.
• Cao Zhengchun celebrated his court victories and arranged to have Guihai Yidao captured, while Zhu Wushi learned that the five Undercover Agents he had sent after Lin Lang had instead been arrested and crippled.
• Shangguan Haitang found Guihai Yidao recovering after the Northern Shaolin killings and learned that he still intended to kill Chongxu, despite the danger to Zhu Wushi and himself.
• Lin Lang tested his increased strength with Xiao He, refined poison, and decided to improve his home’s defenses.
• Yagyu Piaoxu, having killed seven Dragon Guard Manor members, headed south to target Guihai Yidao and use him to trouble Zhu Wushi.

Lin Lang visited Fragrant Pavilion, met Lu Xiaofeng and Zhu Ting, and hired Zhu Ting to build a protected secret chamber in his home. He then visited Yunluo at the palace, tested her martial arts, and took custody of her savings until she was ready to leave for the jianghu.

• Lin Lang heard that Fragrant Pavilion was thriving, then learned Lu Xiaofeng had broken through to Great Grandmaster and confirmed that Lin Lang had also advanced.
• Lu Xiaofeng gave Lin Lang a Datong Money House token from the Hua Family, which let him make transactions without fees and borrow up to a hundred thousand taels without interest.
• Lu Xiaofeng led Lin Lang to Zhu Ting, who gave him a Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles weapon and agreed to design a secret chamber and defensive mechanisms for Lin Lang's home for a hundred thousand taels.
• Lin Lang went to Jingyang Palace to spar with Yunluo, assessed her as a second-rate martial artist, and corrected her swordsmanship.
• Yunluo offered Lin Lang her banknotes and jewels as an apprenticeship gift, and Lin Lang took the banknotes to hold until she had mastered her martial arts.

Lin Lang was blamed for an embroidery-needle robbery that killed an escort chief and stole Datong Money House’s silver and his jewelry. After agreeing to investigate, he was summoned to the Eastern Depot by Cao Zhengchun.

• Lin Lang deposited a million taels and his jewelry with the Datong Money House, then arranged for Zhu Ting to build an underground secret chamber at his home.
• Zhu Wushi worried about Shangguan Haitang’s delay, the loss of the Giant Whale Gang, and his inability to find Suxin or secure money for his uprising.
• Jin Jiuling brooded over his lost income and blamed Lin Lang and Lu Xiaofeng for his decline.
• A veiled woman wearing red shoes attacked the Datong Money House convoy, killed an escort, blinded Chang Mantian, and stole the shipment and Lin Lang’s valuables.
• Wang Wu told Lin Lang that the robbery was being blamed on the Sun Moon Demon Cult’s Right Envoy, and Lin Lang scolded him for neglecting his saber practice.
• Manager Zhao asked Lin Lang to investigate the theft, and Lin Lang agreed before Jia Liu summoned him to meet Cao Zhengchun.

Lin Lang accepted the investigation into the thefts of the Datong Money House’s silver and the Prince of Pingnan’s Jade Qilin, then began an audacious plan by arresting the money house’s shopkeeper. As Jin Jiuling dismissed Lin Lang’s approach and sought Lu Xiaofeng’s help, Lin Lang led his men toward the Prince of Pingnan’s Residence.

• Cao Zhengchun assigned Lin Lang to investigate the stolen silver and Jade Qilin after Lin Lang denied that the Sun Moon Holy Cult’s Right Envoy was responsible.
• Lin Lang asked Cao Zhengchun for three days of support, then gathered Wang Wu, Jia Liu, and other Jinyiwei to make an arrest.
• Lin Lang arrested Shopkeeper Zhao at the Datong Money House and claimed the branch had not lost the escorted silver, prompting rumors that its reported loss concealed bad debts.
• Jin Jiuling heard the rumors, decided Lin Lang was framing Shopkeeper Zhao, and went to the Fragrant Pavilion to ask Lu Xiaofeng for help.
• Lu Xiaofeng agreed to hear about the case but doubted Lin Lang would act foolishly; Jin Jiuling left determined to challenge Lin Lang’s investigation.
• Lin Lang led his men toward the Prince of Pingnan’s Residence.

Hua Manlou went to investigate Lin Lang’s arrest of Datong Money House’s shopkeeper, while Lin Lang dismissed the Prince of Pingnan’s demands and waited at the Relay Station. Lu Xiaofeng and Jin Jiuling arrived, and Lin Lang teased Lu Xiaofeng by asking whether Jin Jiuling looked like a woman.

• Hua Ruling told Hua Manlou that eight hundred thousand taels and jewels had been stolen from Datong Money House’s Capital City branch and asked him to handle Lin Lang’s arrest of Shopkeeper Zhao.
• Zhu Wushi expected Jin Jiuling to defeat Lin Lang and discussed bringing Wan Sanqian and Shangguan Haitang together.
• Shopkeeper Zhao drank comfortably in the Jinyiwei cell while Wang Wu hinted that Lin Lang’s arrest might help him become head shopkeeper.
• Lin Lang refused to treat the Prince of Pingnan’s demands as orders, heard the steward’s account of the Jade Qilin theft, and told Jia Liu to wait for someone to come looking for them.
• Lu Xiaofeng questioned Lin Lang’s lack of investigation, and Lin Lang said the female thief would come to them.
• Jin Jiuling arrived and claimed the case involved the Red Shoes; Lin Lang asked Lu Xiaofeng whether Chief Constable Jin looked like a woman.

Lin Lang exposed Jin Jiuling as the master thief, defeated him, drained his true qi, and killed him before returning toward Capital City. A message from Lin Lang then sent Wang Wu and other Jinyiwei officers to raid Jin Jiuling’s residence, leaving the city shocked by the investigation.

• Lin Lang accused Jin Jiuling of stealing the Jade Qilin and escort silver, and Lu Xiaofeng realized that Jin Jiuling had manipulated the investigation.
• Jin Jiuling attacked Lin Lang, but Lin Lang outmatched him with swordsmanship and flying needles and forced him to the ground.
• Lin Lang drained Jin Jiuling’s true qi, killed him, dissolved his body, and told his men to leave for Capital City the next morning.
• The Prince of Pingnan learned that Lin Lang had returned to Capital City and ordered a search for the missing Jin Jiuling, while blaming Lin Lang for slighting him.
• Wang Wu received Lin Lang’s secret message and led Jinyiwei officers to Jin Jiuling’s residence to search for evidence and confiscate his property.

Lin Lang recovered the Datong Money House’s stolen silver and other treasures from Jin Jiuling’s hidden estate, then returned to the Capital City with the case solved. He faced growing pressure from Zhu Wushi and the court, but Cao Zhengchun backed him, and Lin Lang moved to control the Eastern Depot’s response while preparing to turn the blame back on Jin Jiuling.

• Lin Lang and Wang Wu raided an estate tied to Jin Jiuling, found the stolen silver, the Jade Qilin, and martial arts treasures, and agreed to conceal the secret chamber and explain the missing valuables as Jin Jiuling’s work.
• Jia Liu counted six chests of jewels and jade, eighty thousand taels of gold, and two hundred thousand taels of silver, and Lin Lang ordered the haul delivered to the Datong Money House.
• Zhu Wushi accused Lin Lang of abusing his authority before the Emperor, while Cao Zhengchun defended Lin Lang and was ordered to obtain an explanation by the next day.
• Hua Manlou visited the Jinyiwei office as Lin Lang returned with the recovered silver, and Lin Lang released Shopkeeper Zhao and credited his cooperation with helping solve the robbery.
• Cao Zhengchun laughed after hearing Lin Lang’s report and hurried to the palace, while Lin Lang ordered Iron Claw Flying Eagle to remain in the Eastern Depot and help restore the Datong Money House’s reputation.
• Lin Lang revealed that his Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill had reached perfection and resolved to make Jin Jiuling bear the blame he had tried to place on him.

Lin Lang refined his Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill, accepted Hua Manlou’s gifts, and studied Jin Jiuling’s martial arts manuals. Meanwhile, the Prince of Pingnan resolved to abandon his title, and Zhu Wushi responded to Guihai Yidao’s killings by sending Iron Claw Flying Eagle on a secret mission.

• Lin Lang discovered that his perfected Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill could absorb qi through every acupoint and use suction to deflect attacks.
• Hua Manlou thanked Lin Lang for recovering Datong Money House’s silver, gave him deposit certificates and sabers for Wang Wu and Jia Liu, and cultivated their friendship.
• Lin Lang arranged for Holy Cult workers to renovate his residence, tested his skill on Xiao He, and studied Jin Jiuling’s martial arts legacy, including the Yishui Song Sword Formula.
• The Prince of Pingnan learned that Jin Jiuling had escaped with his Jade Qilin and resolved to stop being a prince.
• Zhu Wushi learned that Guihai Yidao had killed Reverend Chongxu and many orthodox martial artists, and ordered Shangguan Haitang to return and Guihai Yidao to hide.
• Iron Claw Flying Eagle left Capital City overnight on a mission from Zhu Wushi, wondering whether the Divine Marquis would sacrifice his adopted sons when they became useless.

Lin Lang gained access to the Eastern Depot’s martial arts collection and learned that Guihai Yidao had been framed for killings and had lost his right hand. As Cao Zhengchun’s forces closed in, Zhu Wushi secretly arranged Lin Lang’s assassination through Wan Sanqian.

• Cao Zhengchun praised Lin Lang and let him study the Eastern Depot’s martial arts, where Lin Lang memorized several techniques and recorded the Depot Chiefs’ abilities.
• Lin Lang learned that Guihai Yidao had killed Reverend Chongxu and other martial artists, and that the Wudang and Northern Shaolin factions were hunting him.
• Shangguan Haitang told Guihai Yidao that his mother had killed his father to stop his rampage, and that someone had deceived him about his father’s death.
• Iron Claw Flying Eagle ambushed Guihai Yidao and killed him after a Dragon Guard Manor agent betrayed him; Flying Eagle then killed the agent to conceal the operation.
• Zhu Wushi promised Wan Sanqian that Shangguan Haitang would marry him if he killed Lin Lang, and Wan Sanqian vowed to deliver Lin Lang’s head by the next day.

Lin Lang uncovered Wan Sanqian’s attempt to recruit him against Cao Zhengchun and defeated the Four Ghosts of Western Hunan when they attacked him. He left Wan Sanqian under the control of a Gu and demanded assets worth three million taels.

• At the Fragrant Pavilion, Lin Lang heard that the Silver Hook Gambling House was selling women cheaply, Frontier Garrison Commanders’ sons had returned to Capital City with lavish spending, and martial artists were seeking an audience with the emperor.
• A Jinyiwei summoned Lin Lang in the Commander’s name, but he found Wan Sanqian waiting in a woodland pavilion and learned that Wan had lured him there to demand Cao Zhengchun’s head.
• Wan Sanqian sent the Four Ghosts of Western Hunan to kill Lin Lang, and their Phantom Shadow Divine Skill repeatedly evaded his attacks.
• Lin Lang caught one of the Four Ghosts, separated the group with flying needles, poisoned them, and killed all four after draining their true qi with the Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill.
• Lin Lang stopped Wan Sanqian from escaping, made him swallow a Gu, and agreed to cure him in exchange for assets worth three million taels.

Lin Lang extorted Wan Sanqian, whose attempt to cure his suppressed Gu left him brain-damaged, and then used Wan Sanqian’s thumb ring to withdraw money. As Zhu Wushi took control of the Number One Manor and faced mounting pressure in the Capital City, Lin Lang spread a rumor to stoke conflict between Zhu Wushi and his enemies.

• Lin Lang beat Wan Sanqian into handing over his thumb ring as security for a two-million-tael debt, then gave him a pill to suppress the Gu.
• Wan Sanqian asked Seventh Young Master Tang to cure his supposed poison, but the treatment awakened the Gu and left Wan Sanqian witless.
• Shangguan Haitang told Zhu Wushi that Wan Sanqian was dying and the Four Ghosts of Western Hunan were missing, so Zhu Wushi ordered her to take control of the Number One Manor.
• Lin Lang used Wan Sanqian’s thumb ring to obtain a one-million-tael Silver Contract from the Datong Money House and wrote Hua Manlou a letter.
• After Wang Wu reported growing unrest in the Capital City and Wan Sanqian’s condition, Lin Lang ordered him to spread a rumor that Zhu Wushi had beaten Wan Sanqian into an idiot over his wealth.

Lin Lang stopped martial artists from entering the Imperial Palace and defeated Luo Jusheng, forcing the crowd to retreat. Luo Jusheng resolved to kill Lin Lang that night, while Xiao Mozi mistakenly concluded that Lin Lang was badly injured and planned to report him to Cao Zhengchun.

• Luo Jusheng urged the martial artists gathered in Capital City to demand that the court hold Guihai Yidao and Zhu Wushi accountable, while Lin Lang watched from a restaurant and waited to intervene.
• In the Imperial Study, Cao Zhengchun blamed Guihai Yidao for the unrest, and Zhu Wushi claimed Guihai Yidao had been framed and killed by the Eastern Depot.
• Lin Lang blocked seven representatives and a grand secretary from entering the Imperial Palace, then defeated Luo Jusheng when he attacked.
• The martial artists withdrew after Lin Lang threatened them, and he ordered the Jinyiwei to watch for further trouble.
• Luo Jusheng decided to join his wife and kill Lin Lang that night, while Lin Lang suspected an attack was coming and prepared to mask up and work overtime.
• After Lin Lang staggered away, Xiao Mozi assumed he was seriously injured and went to report that he had thwarted Cao Zhengchun's plan.

Lin Lang stopped Cao Zhengchun’s plan from spiraling into chaos, then secretly killed Luo Jusheng and Madam Luo after they plotted against him. He left Luo Jusheng’s residence with money and a collection of bottles and jars, along with a message on the wall.

• Cao Zhengchun praised Lin Lang for stopping the martial artists from forcing their way into the palace, while he sent the crowds away and abandoned the immediate plan to accuse Zhu Wushi.
• Zhu Wushi told Shangguan Haitang to keep Number One Manor running and vowed to seize the throne, while Luo Jusheng decided to kill Lin Lang with Madam Luo’s help.
• Lin Lang entered Luo Jusheng’s residence that night and killed him after overpowering him with his sword and the Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill.
• Madam Luo tried to ensnare Lin Lang with her Persian Heart-Confusing Technique and then attack him, but Lin Lang survived and killed her.
• Lin Lang searched Luo Jusheng’s home, took banknotes and bottles and jars, and left a line of writing on the wall.

Cao Zhengchun planned to frame Zhu Wushi while Zhu Wushi ordered Shangguan Haitang to capture Lin Lang, who had exposed the Divine Marquis’s alleged crimes. Lin Lang defeated Shangguan Haitang despite her poison and told her to investigate Zhu Wushi and follow him instead.

• Cao Zhengchun learned that Luo Jusheng and his wife had disappeared, then ordered the Thousand-Faced Gentleman to impersonate Guihai Yidao and kill Zhu Wushi.
• Zhu Wushi learned the Wan Family blamed him for Wan Sanqian’s death and ordered Shangguan Haitang to capture Lin Lang.
• Lin Lang learned the Wan Family had lost businesses to the Hua Family and heard that the Golden Coin Gang was clashing with Hua Wuque while Shangguan Jinhong sought Li Xunhuan.
• Shangguan Haitang poisoned Lin Lang’s food and wine, but Lin Lang detected the poison, resisted it, and sealed her acupoints.
• Lin Lang told Shangguan Haitang that Zhu Wushi had killed Duan Tianya and Guihai Yidao, conspired against Gu Santong, and planned to seize the throne, then urged her to follow him.

Shangguan Haitang began doubting Zhu Wushi after Lin Lang challenged her faith in her adoptive father, while Cao Zhengchun used the murder of the Empress Dowager's Brother to move against Dragon Guard Manor. The chapter ended with the Eastern Depot launching a search there, and Iron Claw Flying Eagle unexpectedly leading the way after Lin Lang jabbed him.

• Lin Lang released Shangguan Haitang and tried to convince her that Zhu Wushi had betrayed her, but she left insisting she would investigate for herself.
• Shangguan Haitang examined Dragon Guard Manor's records, grew suspicious of Zhu Wushi, and intercepted a pigeon carrying a message that appeared to confirm Lin Lang's claims.
• At court, Cao Zhengchun accused Zhu Wushi of hiding the real Guihai Yidao, while Zhu Wushi presented memorials implicating the Eastern Depot; the Emperor dismissed them both without resolving the dispute.
• Cao Zhengchun summoned Lin Lang, who advised searching Dragon Guard Manor under the Eastern Depot's authority to find evidence against Zhu Wushi.
• Zhu Wushi ordered people called into the capital and told Shangguan Haitang to investigate the Sun Moon Demon Cult, deepening her doubts about his plans.
• Cao Zhengchun's men surrounded Dragon Guard Manor and began searching despite Zhu Wushi's objection, after Lin Lang prompted Iron Claw Flying Eagle to step forward.

Lin Lang forced Zhu Wushi to surrender and led the Jinyiwei in seizing Dragon Guard Manor, while Cao Zhengchun imprisoned Zhu Wushi and moved to build a case for his execution. The Emperor prepared to establish the Western Depot under Liu Xi, and Shangguan Haitang went to investigate Zhu Wushi’s arrest.

• Iron Claw Flying Eagle led the Eastern Depot into Dragon Guard Manor, where the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Agents resisted and routed the first assault.
• Lin Lang revealed that he had taken Suxin and found Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom, then persuaded Zhu Wushi to accompany Cao Zhengchun to the Heavenly Prison for three days.
• Lin Lang sealed the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Agents’ acupoints, ordered Dragon Guard Manor searched, and took control of its archive before riding to Number One Manor.
• Lin Lang found Number One Manor abandoned, while Shangguan Haitang emerged from a dry well afterward and left for the capital to learn why Zhu Wushi had been arrested.
• Cao Zhengchun had Iron Claw Flying Eagle chain the unconscious Zhu Wushi inside the Heavenly Prison, then persuaded the Emperor to order Zhu Wushi’s execution once evidence was submitted.
• The Emperor told Liu Xi to prepare the Western Depot, and Cao Zhengchun learned that the Jinyiwei had captured all thirty-six Heavenly Dipper Agents.

Lin Lang destroyed the supposed Cinnabar Edict Iron Writ that could have saved Zhu Wushi and helped Cao Zhengchun keep him imprisoned, but Zhu Wushi broke free and confronted Cao Zhengchun. As the two fought in the Heavenly Prison, Liu Xi reported that the Ten Frontier Garrison Commanders were marching on Capital City.

• Shangguan Haitang told Dragon Guard Manor's steward to seek the Cinnabar Edict Iron Writ as a way to save Zhu Wushi.
• The steward brought a purported Cinnabar Edict Iron Writ to the Eastern Depot, but Lin Lang crushed it and had the steward and accompanying ministers arrested.
• Cao Zhengchun praised Lin Lang, then confronted Zhu Wushi in the Heavenly Prison and demanded Dragon Guard Manor's hidden intelligence files.
• After Cao Zhengchun claimed Suxin was dead, Zhu Wushi unleashed hidden weapons, escaped his restraints, and fought Cao Zhengchun.
• Iron Claw Flying Eagle confronted Lin Lang but collapsed from poison, while Zhu Wushi and Cao Zhengchun continued their battle.
• Liu Xi told the Emperor of Great Ming that the Ten Frontier Garrison Commanders had mustered their forces and were advancing toward Capital City.

Lin Lang and Cao Zhengchun fought Zhu Wushi, who revealed that he knew the Absorbing Power Divine Skill and had killed the Eight Great Sects’ experts. Lin Lang turned on Cao Zhengchun, then faced Zhu Wushi alone and used the Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill; after a fierce battle, Zhu Wushi broke Lin Lang’s golden body and struck him with a seemingly lethal palm.

• Zhu Wushi revealed his Absorbing Power Divine Skill, and Lin Lang warned Cao Zhengchun that Zhu Wushi had drained and killed the hundred and eight experts of the Eight Great Sects.
• Cao Zhengchun tried to retreat, but Lin Lang joined Zhu Wushi in draining Cao Zhengchun’s true qi with the Star-Sucking Great Skill, and Cao Zhengchun died when flying stone struck his skull.
• Zhu Wushi demanded that Lin Lang surrender the Star-Sucking Great Skill and submit the Sun Moon Demon Cult; Lin Lang refused and revealed his Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill.
• Lin Lang’s golden body let him withstand Zhu Wushi’s suction as he attacked with swordsmanship, hidden weapons, and poison, gradually gaining the advantage.
• Zhu Wushi used a finger technique to break Lin Lang’s golden body, but Lin Lang pierced Zhu Wushi’s abdomen with his sword.
• Zhu Wushi gathered his remaining true qi and struck Lin Lang’s chest with a palm after his body began cracking apart.

Lin Lang defeated Zhu Wushi, claimed the secrets and Absorbing Power Divine Skill hidden at the Cloud Brocade Clothing Shop, and was appointed Commander of the Jinyiwei. After consolidating his new authority, he began considering how to use Zhu Wushi’s intelligence and recruited Shangguan Haitang in his thoughts.

• Lin Lang survived Zhu Wushi’s strongest palm strike with his Golden Body Child Skill, defeated him, and learned that Suxin was alive and that Zhu Wushi had hidden his intelligence and Absorbing Power Divine Skill at the Cloud Brocade Clothing Shop.
• Lin Lang told the Second-in-Command that Zhu Wushi and Cao Zhengchun had killed each other, then advised the Emperor of Great Ming to placate the Ten Garrison Commanders and return them to the frontier.
• The Emperor of Great Ming appointed Lin Lang Commander of the Jinyiwei and tasked him with managing the martial world, while the Second-in-Command became the Eastern Depot’s Chief Head.
• Lin Lang assigned Wang Wu and Jia Liu to monitor the court, palace, and depots, and instructed his Jinyiwei officers to prepare to handle martial-world affairs.
• Lin Lang treated his injuries, then went to the Cloud Brocade Clothing Shop and entered the secret chamber Zhu Wushi had described.
• Lin Lang found files on court officials, a register of Zhu Wushi’s Undercover Agents, and the Absorbing Power Divine Skill, which he planned to combine with his Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill.

Lin Lang recruited Shangguan Haitang to bring Number One Manor under the Jinyiwei and arranged to profit from its retainers by selling martial arts manuals. As the Golden Coin Gang and Ren Woxing pursued their own plans, Yagyu Piaoxu set out to assassinate Lin Lang in Capital City.

• Lin Lang persuaded Shangguan Haitang to consider placing Number One Manor under his protection and gave her the Lianhua Treasure Manual, asking her to investigate the Silver Hook Gambling House.
• Shangguan Jinhong ordered Jing Wuming to eliminate Dragon Guard Manor's agents and keep searching for Li Xunhuan and Guo Songyang while the Golden Coin Gang sought to dominate the martial world.
• Ren Woxing emerged from seclusion, refused to ask Lin Lang for help, and ordered Xiang Wentian to investigate Northern Shaolin ahead of an attack within three months.
• Ren Woxing told Ren Yingying to focus on her martial training rather than help Lin Lang, warning that her capture could expose Lin Lang's position in the Sun Moon Holy Cult.
• Yagyu Piaoxu vowed to kill Lin Lang and Ren Woxing, then entered Capital City and headed toward the Lin Residence under cover of night.