Recaps

Ye Jingtang and Luo Ning pursued Wingless Owl, Guo Yuanlong, after he fled with the Dragon-Mingling Diagram. Despite Guo Yuanlong’s immense strength and seemingly invulnerable armor, Ye Jingtang killed him with a final slash, while Luo Ning was left injured by a concealed needle.

• Luo Ning pulled Ye Jingtang aside as Guo Yuanlong escaped through a window, and Ye Jingtang smashed through the courtyard wall to stop him.
• Luo Ning attacked Guo Yuanlong with the Peacock-Opening Sword while Ye Jingtang struck him with a palm, badly injuring his right arm but suffering a powerful counterblow himself.
• Luo Ning tossed Ye Jingtang his saber, and the pair chased Guo Yuanlong across the rooftops as his injuries slowed him.
• Guo Yuanlong ambushed his pursuers with flying needles, but Ye Jingtang charged through a courtyard wall and knocked him into the street.
• Guo Yuanlong’s breastplate resisted Ye Jingtang’s first saber slash, but Ye Jingtang’s second slash cut off his head and killed him.

Ye Jingtang defeated Wingless Owl and discovered the Dragon-Mingling Diagram and Lu Jieyun’s Martial Arts Insights among the burglar’s possessions. After the Black Bureau took away the corpse and the Dragon Pool Tourmaline, Ye Jingtang carried the poisoned Luo Ning toward an inn, while she insisted on returning to Twin Osmanthus Alley.

• Ye Jingtang defeated Wingless Owl, who had poisoned Luo Ning, and searched his corpse for an antidote.
• Ye Jingtang found a gold sheet that Luo Ning identified as the dangerous Dragon-Mingling Diagram, along with Lu Jieyun’s Martial Arts Insights and the Zhou Family’s Dragon Pool Tourmaline.
• When Ye Jingtang found no antidote, Luo Ning said she could expel the poison after returning to Twin Osmanthus Alley.
• Black Bureau constables arrived, and Ye Jingtang showed them his credentials, handed over the Dragon Pool Tourmaline, and let them take Wingless Owl’s body.
• Ye Jingtang reunited with Luo Ning in a dark alley and carried her toward an imperial physician, then changed course for an inn when she warned him the physician might recognize her.
• Luo Ning objected to going to the inn and demanded that Ye Jingtang put her down so she could return to Twin Osmanthus Alley.

Ye Jingtang brought the injured Luo Ning to an inn and insisted on treating her poisoned shoulder, despite her protests and suspicion that he meant to take advantage of her. He drew out the poison, leaving Luo Ning embarrassed and furious but relieved that he had not been poisoned.

• Ye Jingtang carried Luo Ning through the rain to an inn and put her on a bed so he could examine her shoulder.
• Luo Ning discovered the poison had bruised her shoulder and realized she could not draw it out herself.
• Ye Jingtang pulled back the bed curtains and restrained Luo Ning so he could treat the injury, while she accused him of having wicked intentions.
• Ye Jingtang sucked the poison from Luo Ning's shoulder and spat the black blood into a teacup.
• Luo Ning worried that Ye Jingtang had been poisoned, then learned he was only reacting to the bitter taste.
• Ye Jingtang threatened to make Luo Ning taste the poison, and she hurriedly covered his mouth to stop him.

After treating Luo Ning’s wound, Ye Jingtang stole her first kiss, then turned their attention to the martial arts they had acquired. Luo Ning began teaching him lightness skills, but his first attempt sent him crashing through the inn’s roof.

• Ye Jingtang finished treating Luo Ning’s wound and secretly kissed her, prompting her to draw her sword and accuse him.
• Ye Jingtang pinned Luo Ning down when she tried to attack, then they argued over his treatment of her before discussing Lu Jieyun’s lightness-skills booklet and the Dragon-Mingling Diagram.
• Luo Ning agreed to teach Ye Jingtang basic lightness skills, explaining how to make the body light or heavy by guiding qi.
• Ye Jingtang copied Luo Ning’s horse stance and tried the technique, launching through the inn’s roof as Niao Niao followed him outside.
• The inn’s guests and staff shouted about the noise and demanded payment for the damaged roof while Ye Jingtang dangled from the hole.

Ye Jingtang examined the mysterious Dragon-Mingling Diagram, collected a reward for catching Wingless Owl, and went to meet Prince Jing. At Jade Resonance Tower, the Empress Dowager discovered that Dongfang Liren’s portrait of a handsome man appeared to depict Ye Jingtang, and he noticed her watching him.

• Ye Jingtang studied the blank gold sheet bearing a tortoise and three mountains, while Luo Ning brooded over her past and her feelings for him.
• Ye Jingtang told Luo Ning he was going to report to the Black Bureau, then collected three hundred taels and a commendation for capturing Wingless Owl.
• Ye Jingtang asked Shang Jianli to notify Prince Jing and waited at the Black Bureau with the Purple Sandalwood Box containing the Horned Gentleman.
• Dongfang Liren finished painting a portrait while keeping the Empress Dowager company at Jade Resonance Tower, then left to meet Ye Jingtang.
• The Empress Dowager found Dongfang Liren’s portrait of a handsome man and saw Ye Jingtang below; she compared him to the portrait, and he looked up at her.

Ye Jingtang offered Dongfang Liren the lightness skill insights and received the Dragon Pool Tourmaline before visiting Qiu Tianhe to ask for his saber technique. After Ye Jingtang hinted at his connection to Zhe Yunli, Qiu Tianhe mistakenly concluded that he was a Sky-Pacifying Sect spy working undercover in the Black Bureau.

• Dongfang Liren discovered the Horned Gentleman in Ye Jingtang's box, then accepted his explanation and let him keep Lu Jieyun's lightness skill insights.
• Dongfang Liren gave Ye Jingtang the Dragon Pool Tourmaline and arranged to discuss his progress with the lightness skill in three days.
• Ye Jingtang went to the dungeon and asked Qiu Tianhe to teach him the Tianhe Blade in exchange for helping secure Qiu Tianhe's release.
• Qiu Tianhe refused at first, fearing his release would put Ye Jingtang under Prince Jing's control.
• Ye Jingtang traced Zhe Yunli's name on his scabbard, leading Qiu Tianhe to mistake him for a Sky-Pacifying Sect agent infiltrating the Black Bureau.

Qiu Tianhe demonstrated the Tianhe Blade to Ye Jingtang, who quickly grasped its intent and countered Qiu’s sudden attack. Astonished by Ye’s understanding, Qiu sent him away to practice on his own.

• Qiu Tianhe accepted Ye Jingtang’s request for instruction and demonstrated the Tianhe Blade after Shang Jianli left the chamber.
• Ye Jingtang ignored Qiu’s explanation and began copying the movements, sensing that the described qi pathways were wrong and following his own judgment.
• Ye Jingtang grasped the blade’s intent and used it to intercept Qiu Tianhe’s chain before it could strike him.
• Qiu Tianhe asked how Ye Jingtang knew the Tianhe Blade, then explained that it was an internal art with countless variations and dismissed him to practice alone.
• Ye Jingtang thanked Qiu Tianhe and left, while Qiu leaned against the wall and shut himself away.

Ye Jingtang learned the basics of the Tianhe Blade from Qiu Tianhe and returned to Dyeing Street to share news over dinner with Luo Ning and Zhe Yunli. The meal ended in comic misery when Luo Ning discovered her distracted cooking had made the pork unbearably salty.

• Ye Jingtang left the Black Bureau after learning the Tianhe Blade, and Meng Jiao startled him as he eavesdropped near Jade Resonance Tower.
• Ye Jingtang told Zhe Yunli that Qiu Tianhe had agreed to teach him the blade technique so he could teach Prince Jing and help secure Qiu Tianhe's release.
• Ye Jingtang gave Luo Ning the Dragon Pool Tourmaline as her share of their capture, and she warned him not to push his luck.
• Luo Ning cooked dinner while distracted, and Ye Jingtang and Zhe Yunli hid how salty the pork was by forcing themselves to eat it.
• Luo Ning tasted the pork, realized how bad it was, and went outside to scold Niao Niao for watching the meal.

Pei Xiangjun summoned the Azure Dragon Hall’s incense masters to introduce Ye Jingtang as her intended young master, while also discussing the hall’s business disputes. She later led Ye Jingtang through a secret passage beneath her bedroom, where a brightly lit underground hall awaited them.

• Pei Xiangjun told Li Sanwen, Wang Ren, and Madam Yellow Candle that Ye Jingtang was a capable first-rate expert and that she intended to name him young master.
• The incense masters questioned Ye Jingtang’s youth and Pei Xiangjun’s decision, while Wang Ren raised the Azure Dragon Hall’s worsening dispute with the Zhou Family over Clear River Wharf.
• Pei Xiangjun said she would visit the Zhou Family’s old master for his birthday and discuss the business dispute in person.
• Ye Jingtang returned to the Pei residence after working with the Black Bureau, and Pei Xiangjun brought him into her bedroom for a private conversation.
• Pei Xiangjun triggered a hidden trap beneath the bed, dropping herself and Ye Jingtang into a secret underground passage.
• Pei Xiangjun lit the passage and opened a door that revealed a brightly lit underground hall.

Ye Jingtang attended a Red Flower House meeting where Pei Xiangjun nominated him as Young House Master, and he proved his strength by defeating Li Sanwen with a single saber strike. The Incense Masters accepted him, and as the House prepared for upcoming challenges, Ye Jingtang volunteered to learn spear techniques and visit the Watercloud Sword Pool.

• Pei Xiangjun introduced Ye Jingtang to the eight Incense Masters and proposed appointing him Young House Master.
• Ye Jingtang answered Li Sanwen's doubts about his loyalty, then challenged the Incense Masters to test him.
• Ye Jingtang's saber strike drove Li Sanwen to the floor despite another Incense Master's spear intervention, and the Incense Masters accepted Ye Jingtang as Young House Master.
• Pei Xiangjun said she would formally announce Ye Jingtang's appointment at a meeting with the hall masters in West King Town.
• The Incense Masters discussed upcoming disputes with the White Tiger Hall and the Zhou Family, while Ye Jingtang volunteered to learn spear techniques and visit the Watercloud Sword Pool.

Luo Ning learned that the Zhou Family’s birthday banquet might spark a conflict with the Red Flower House, and she prepared to return to Southern Skies Mountain to discuss it with the sect master. Meanwhile, Ye Jingtang helped Pei Xiangjun manage the Red Flower House’s incense masters, then declined her offer of money and lodging.

• Zhe Yunli told Luo Ning that Guardian Zhang had arrived in the Capital City and wanted her to return to Southern Skies Mountain because the Zhou Family’s banquet could lead to a clash with the Red Flower House.
• Luo Ning refused to leave Zhe Yunli behind with Ye Jingtang and decided to speak with Ye Jingtang before traveling back with her.
• Ye Jingtang attended the Red Flower House’s meeting and listened as its eight incense masters described the organization’s businesses.
• Pei Xiangjun praised Ye Jingtang for helping her bring the incense masters into line and invited him to live in the Pei household.
• Ye Jingtang declined Pei Xiangjun’s banknotes and offer of lodging, then left with Niao Niao.

Ye Jingtang and Luo Ning discussed her impending departure and the terms of their arrangement while sharing a meal and wine. Luo Ning agreed to return after about twenty days, while Ye Jingtang said he would be away on business too, and he pressed her to reveal her background.

• Ye Jingtang returned to the courtyard with Niao Niao and noticed Luo Ning had made the home tidier.
• Luo Ning told Ye Jingtang she needed to leave for an important matter at home, prompting him to ask whether she planned never to return.
• Luo Ning said she would come back and teach him the Cloud-Touching Fourteen Hands if he helped Qiu Tianhe regain his full freedom.
• Luo Ning explained that she was leaving to deliver a gift and expected to return in about twenty days.
• Ye Jingtang said he would be away on work, then questioned Luo Ning about her identity and joked about his feelings for her.
• Luo Ning refused to reveal her background until Qiu Tianhe was out of danger, and Ye Jingtang began hinting that Prince Jing's support had a reason.

Luo Ning tried to keep Ye Jingtang from seeking the lady prince’s protection by threatening him with her supposed husband, then revealed that her marriage to the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master was only a partnership. After noticing Ye Jingtang seemed unhappy, she worried he had misunderstood her and promised to explain after they rescued Qiu Tianhe.

• Luo Ning warned Ye Jingtang to wait until she decided how he should repay her before pursuing the lady prince, and Ye Jingtang pointed out that she was already married.
• Luo Ning claimed her husband liked men and threatened that the husband would punish Ye Jingtang for taking liberties with her.
• Luo Ning explained that her marriage to the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master was a sham partnership and insisted she controlled their household.
• Luo Ning noticed Ye Jingtang seemed unhappy and clarified that nothing improper was happening between her and the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master.
• Ye Jingtang asked whether Luo Ning was afraid he would get the wrong idea.

Ye Jingtang carried a drunken Luo Ning to bed, but she woke and mistook his attempt to remove her hairpin for an assault. She chased him around the room with her sword, while he insisted he had done nothing.

• Luo Ning said she could not hold her liquor, but Ye Jingtang drank her wine and she poured him another cup.
• Luo Ning fell asleep against Ye Jingtang, and he carried her to bed and removed her shoes.
• Luo Ning woke as Ye Jingtang reached toward her face and sealed his acupoints with a finger strike.
• Luo Ning accused Ye Jingtang of taking liberties and threatened him with her sword, while he and Niao Niao tried to explain.
• Luo Ning chased Ye Jingtang around the room with her sword aimed below his belt, and he dodged behind the furniture.

Pei Xiangjun’s sister-in-law urged her to secure Ye Jingtang’s loyalty by finding him a wife, and Pei Xiangjun went to sound him out. She arrived at his home and found him with an armed, barefoot woman, leaving her unsure whether she had interrupted a lovers’ quarrel.

• Pei Xiangjun praised Ye Jingtang’s conduct to Zhang Yulian, who warned that the Red Flower House needed to give him a reason to stay loyal.
• Zhang Yulian suggested Pei Xiangjun or another woman from the Red Flower House marry Ye Jingtang, and Pei Xiangjun decided to ask whether he wanted to start a family.
• Pei Xiangjun and Xiuhe traveled by carriage to Ye Jingtang’s home on Dyeing Street.
• Pei Xiangjun heard a woman chasing Ye Jingtang and rushed into his courtyard, where she found him facing a beautiful, sword-wielding woman beside a meal and Niao Niao.
• Pei Xiangjun noticed the woman was barefoot and flushed, then asked Ye Jingtang who she was.

Ye Jingtang and Luo Ning were caught in an awkwardly intimate moment when Pei Xiangjun arrived, and Luo Ning soon left to continue her journey. As Luo Ning, Zhe Yunli, and Zhang Henggu departed the capital, Zhang Henggu reflected on Great Wei’s prosperity.

• Pei Xiangjun arrived and found Ye Jingtang with Luo Ning, then warmly welcomed her as a friend of the household.
• Luo Ning left after Ye Jingtang embraced her goodbye, and he chased after her to see her off.
• Luo Ning warned Ye Jingtang to stay clear of the princess and reminded him that he needed her help to rescue Qiu Tianhe.
• Luo Ning met Zhe Yunli, Zhang Henggu, and two Sky-Pacifying Sect Incense Masters near the eastern gate, then set out from the capital with them.
• Zhang Henggu observed that Great Wei’s fortunes were flourishing, while Zhe Yunli defended her master’s prospects of ruling.

Ye Jingtang returned to Pei Xiangjun, who began teaching him the Pei Family’s Overlord Spear ahead of their upcoming journey. She demonstrated the powerful Yellow Dragon Lies Across the Road, then ordered him to practice.

• Pei Xiangjun asked Xiuhe about arranging a pretty maid to serve Ye Jingtang, but dismissed the idea because he already had someone he loved.
• Ye Jingtang returned to Twin Osmanthus Alley and said the young lady he had met was a wandering swordswoman.
• Pei Xiangjun took Ye Jingtang to an abandoned workshop, where she prepared bamboo poles for spear practice and considered what role she could have in his life.
• Pei Xiangjun demonstrated Yellow Dragon Lies Across the Road, a move from the Pei Family’s Overlord Spear, blasting fallen leaves across the courtyard.
• Ye Jingtang praised the spear technique and began to boast about learning it quickly, so Pei Xiangjun sternly told him to practice.

Ye Jingtang learned the Overlord Spear from Pei Xiangjun and showed astonishing talent, though he still needed to refine his control and practice using it in combat. After Pei Xiangjun left, he returned to his quiet home and waited hopefully for the woman who had left.

• Ye Jingtang practiced the Overlord Spear, and his powerful strike sent leaves flying and split two bamboo stalks.
• Pei Xiangjun was shocked by Ye Jingtang’s talent and advised him to practice controlling his force before using the spear in a real fight.
• Pei Xiangjun warned Ye Jingtang to conceal the Overlord Spear’s identity and said she would withhold its final two moves until he formally became her disciple.
• After practicing with Ye Jingtang, Pei Xiangjun left in her carriage, and he returned home with Niao Niao.
• Ye Jingtang sat beneath the eaves with liquor and told Niao Niao that the woman who had left might come back, while Niao Niao urged him to cook.

Ye Jingtang studied the Dragon-Mingling Diagram and set out to meet Prince Jing, but learned the Black Bureau was investigating a possible Grandmaster who had killed a chief constable. At Jade Pool Manor, Dongfang Liren delayed meeting him to keep the Empress Dowager company.

• Ye Jingtang found that carefully studying the Dragon-Mingling Diagram let him glimpse a moving image and begin to infer a method of circulating qi.
• Ye Jingtang went to the Black Bureau, where She Long told him that an unknown attacker had killed chief constable Wang Sheng with a single blow.
• Shang Jianli told Ye Jingtang that Prince Jing had ordered him to seek an audience at Jade Pool Manor, so Ye Jingtang rode there.
• Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager talked in the manor's hot spring, and the Empress Dowager teased Liren about having a man in her heart.
• A female official announced Ye Jingtang's arrival, and Dongfang Liren asked him to wait while she continued keeping the Empress Dowager company.

Ye Jingtang visited Dongfang Liren at Jade Pool Manor to teach her the Tianhe Blade, but discovered she could memorize its movements without understanding how to apply the technique. He agreed to ask Qiu Tianhe for clearer instructions and return to teach her later.

• Ye Jingtang waited at Jade Pool Manor while Niao Niao lounged nearby, then greeted Dongfang Liren when she arrived.
• Dongfang Liren renamed Niao Niao Snow Consort and showed Ye Jingtang her treasured saber, Green Garment.
• Ye Jingtang demonstrated the Tianhe Blade and taught Dongfang Liren its movements, correcting her repeated attempts.
• Dongfang Liren practiced for over an hour but could not grasp the technique's feel, and she told Ye Jingtang to seek clearer guidance from Qiu Tianhe.
• Ye Jingtang agreed to consult Qiu Tianhe in the dungeon and said he would return to teach Dongfang Liren after figuring out how to explain the technique.

Ye Jingtang showed Dongfang Liren his newly learned Lightness Skill, astonishing her by outrunning her across the river despite his noisy, clumsy technique. As they walked near White Horse Academy, they discussed his schooling before he noticed something in the dark street.

• Dongfang Liren demonstrated her graceful Lightness Skill on a willow branch and across the river, and Ye Jingtang attempted to follow her.
• Ye Jingtang fell into the river, then sprinted across its surface and overtook Dongfang Liren as he grew faster with practice.
• Dongfang Liren chased Ye Jingtang but could not catch him, then advised him to refine his technique and not rely on speed alone.
• Dongfang Liren and Ye Jingtang walked toward White Horse Academy, where they discussed Ye Jingtang's education and literary abilities.
• Ye Jingtang began to boast about poetry, then heard something and turned toward the dark street.

Ye Jingtang protected Dongfang Liren from a hidden-weapon attack by Blood Bodhi, an assassin who recognized his Tianhe Blade. Blood Bodhi closed in with his iron crutch, and Ye Jingtang unleashed a sudden saber strike as the chapter ended.

• Niao Niao scouted the dark riverbank while Ye Jingtang sensed danger and shielded Dongfang Liren from a silent hidden weapon with his saber.
• Ye Jingtang deflected another attack as he guided Dongfang Liren into a bookshop, where a hidden weapon shattered her jade hairpin.
• Dongfang Liren identified the attacker as Blood Bodhi and warned Ye Jingtang about his weapons and fighting style.
• Blood Bodhi appeared and challenged Ye Jingtang over becoming the court's running dog, then charged with his iron crutch.
• Blood Bodhi thrust at Ye Jingtang from close range, and Ye Jingtang answered with a sudden, powerful saber strike.

Ye Jingtang ambushed the assassin Blood Bodhi with two consecutive Eight-Step Mad Blade slashes, leaving him badly injured. Mistaking the old man for bait in a larger attack, Ye Jingtang stayed on guard as Blood Bodhi fled, then admitted he had found him weaker than Third Madam.

• Ye Jingtang drove through Blood Bodhi’s Iron Cane thrust and sent the old man flying, slicing off half his ear.
• Ye Jingtang followed with the Third Blade of the Eight-Step Mad Blade and smashed Blood Bodhi into the street, gravely wounding him.
• Ye Jingtang leaped back rather than risk Blood Bodhi’s desperate counterattack, then watched the surrounding houses for other attackers.
• Dongfang Liren watched from the bookshop and ducked behind the counter when Ye Jingtang warned that Blood Bodhi might be bait.
• Blood Bodhi called for an attack to cover his retreat, then fled as Ye Jingtang kept watch over the street.
• After Blood Bodhi disappeared, Ye Jingtang breathed a sigh of relief and said the supposed Grandmaster was weaker than Third Madam.

Ye Jingtang drove off Blood Bodhi while protecting Dongfang Liren, though the assassin escaped. Dongfang Liren treated Ye Jingtang’s injury with a precious pill, and Ye Jingtang grew drowsy as the Black Bureau guards arrived.

• Blood Bodhi struck Ye Jingtang in the chest, but the Dragon-Mingling Diagram absorbed the blow, and Ye Jingtang forced him to retreat.
• Dongfang Liren checked Ye Jingtang for injuries and explained that the Green Bandits were assassins targeting the Empress’s supporters, though their leader remained unknown.
• Ye Jingtang told Dongfang Liren he had created three strikes of his White Slash, surprising her with how quickly he had developed the technique.
• Dongfang Liren gave Ye Jingtang a precious medicinal pill, and Niao Niao reported that Blood Bodhi had escaped into the river.
• As the Black Bureau guards approached, Niao Niao carried the wrapped Dragon-Mingling Diagram away, while Ye Jingtang leaned against a bookshelf and succumbed to the pill’s drowsiness.

After Ye Jingtang saved Dongfang Liren from Blood Bodhi, he recovered under guard while Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager attended to him. Blood Bodhi escaped downstream and began to suspect Ye Jingtang possessed the Youth-Preserving Diagram, but hesitated to pursue him.

• Dongfang Liren learned that Ye Jingtang would recover from his injuries and heard Madam Wang explain that his robust constitution required marital relations to regulate his health.
• Dongfang Liren covered Ye Jingtang with a blanket and coordinated the response to Blood Bodhi's escape as officials arrived.
• The Empress Dowager entered Ye Jingtang's carriage, examined him, and was ushered outside by Dongfang Liren so he could rest.
• Blood Bodhi escaped by boat, treated his missing ear, and recalled that the Green Bandits had hired him with the promise of the Dragon-Elephant Diagram.
• Blood Bodhi suspected Ye Jingtang's unseen protection was a Dragon-Mingling Diagram, possibly the Youth-Preserving Diagram, but feared the young man's skill and caution.