Chapter Summaries

Ye Jingtang escorted Dongfang Liren to Jade Pool Manor to prepare security for the Empress’s visit, then encountered the retired Sword Saint Sun Wuji on the road. Sun Wuji tested Ye Jingtang’s saber and revealed he had come to repay him for returning his late grandson’s sword.

• Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun bickered over Pei Xiangjun’s carved jade return gift while Ye Jingtang escorted them to the Imperial Palace.
• Dongfang Liren gave Ye Jingtang the Jade Bone Diagram for Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun to study and assigned him responsibility for securing Jade Pool Manor.
• Ye Jingtang assembled an escort and traveled toward Jade Pool Manor with Dongfang Liren, stopping when he sensed an unusual swordsman approaching.
• The black-robed elder challenged Ye Jingtang to test his sword, and their exchange revealed his extraordinary mastery.
• Dongfang Liren recognized the swordsman as Sun Wuji, the former Sword Saint, who explained that he had come to thank Ye Jingtang for returning his late grandson’s sword.

Sun Wuji met Ye Jingtang and taught him about swordsmanship, martial cultivation, and the Dragon-Qi Sword before leaving for the Capital City. At Jade Pool Mountain, Dongfang Liren taught Ye Jingtang the General Move Manual, but their lesson ended in an argument and a stolen kiss, after which Ye Jingtang went on patrol with Niao Niao.

• Dongfang Liren greeted Sun Wuji, who recalled the founding of Great Wei and explained that peaceful times naturally left fewer chivalrous people roaming the martial world.
• Sun Wuji told Ye Jingtang how he had come to understand swordsmanship, explained Mastery of All Schools, and taught him the Dragon-Qi Sword before riding toward the Capital City.
• Ye Jingtang practiced the Dragon-Qi Sword while Dongfang Liren tested the Dragon-Washing Pool and discussed lending him one of her fine swords.
• Dongfang Liren asked Ye Jingtang to teach her the Eight-Step Mad Blade, so she taught him the General Move Manual and demonstrated its basic movements.
• Ye Jingtang saw beneath Dongfang Liren's nightgown during her demonstration, and she became angry when he admitted nothing and stared at her.
• Ye Jingtang kissed Dongfang Liren, who retreated into the Dragon-Washing Pool, and he left to patrol with Niao Niao.

Sun Wuji visited Cao Gonggong in the Black Bureau dungeon, where they discussed Ye Jingtang’s uncanny resemblance to a masked spearman from Northern Liang. On the carriage ride from Jade Pool Mountain, Ye Jingtang tried to teach Dongfang Liren martial arts and confidence, but she stopped his advances by threatening to destroy her drawings.

• Meng Jiao told Sun Wuji how Nangong Ling had turned to crime and led him to the dungeon’s central cell, where the two Wangs of Yanzhou were held.
• Meng Jiao brought Sun Wuji to Cao Gonggong, who recalled Ye Jingtang’s resemblance to a masked Northern Liang spearman he had seen during Great Yan’s fall.
• Cao Gonggong and Sun Wuji considered Ye Jingtang’s origins but found no clear reason to suspect him of serving Northern Liang.
• Dongfang Liren left Jade Pool Mountain with Ye Jingtang and confronted him in the carriage about his repeated advances.
• Ye Jingtang coached Dongfang Liren in martial arts and taught her to project confidence, then kissed her to test her resolve.
• Dongfang Liren threatened to tear up her drawings, prompting Ye Jingtang to apologize and concede defeat.

Ye Jingtang met Sun Wuji beneath White Lion Bridge, heard about the old swordsman’s past, and asked him to teach Dongfang Liren swordsmanship. He returned home for Zhe Yunli’s sixteenth birthday and gave her the Muqing Blade with a saber art he had devised, then began teaching her.

• Luo Ning received a warning from the Cult Leader about possible trouble in Capital City but chose to discuss it with Ye Jingtang rather than leave at once.
• Ye Jingtang accompanied Dongfang Liren to the palace, then met Sun Wuji beneath White Lion Bridge and asked him to teach Dongfang Liren swordsmanship.
• Sun Wuji recounted how catching a young heroine beneath White Lion Bridge had led to a lifetime together, and advised Ye Jingtang to cherish the people close to him.
• Ye Jingtang returned to the Pei Family and found Zhe Yunli waiting for him on her sixteenth birthday.
• Ye Jingtang gave Zhe Yunli the Muqing Blade and explained the saber art he had devised for her.
• Zhe Yunli shut the door, and Ye Jingtang began demonstrating the new saber art and teaching her its methods.

Ye Jingtang received Luo Ning’s warning that Yanzhou might exploit the Empress’s injuries to challenge the Imperial Court, and he planned to investigate while keeping Luo Ning in Capital City. At the new residence’s housewarming feast, the household celebrated Zhe Yunli’s birthday, and Ye Jingtang stayed the night with Pei Xiangjun.

• Luo Ning found Ye Jingtang teaching Zhe Yunli saber techniques and privately warned him that Yunli might develop feelings for him.
• Luo Ning gave Ye Jingtang a Sky-Pacifying Sect letter reporting that the Empress was weakened and Yanzhou might be preparing to move against the Imperial Court.
• Ye Jingtang decided to investigate Yanzhou’s connections himself and persuaded Luo Ning to remain in Capital City while they pursued the former dynasty’s treasure.
• Ye Jingtang joined Luo Ning, Pei Xiangjun, Zhe Yunli, Niao Niao, Xiuhe, and Ping'er for a housewarming feast that also celebrated Yunli’s birthday.
• After the others retired, Pei Xiangjun stayed at the new residence, and she and Ye Jingtang became intimate in the master bedroom.

Ye Jingtang investigated officials who might be involved in the plot against the Empress and identified Dongfang Shuoyue, the Heir of Prince Yan, as a suspect. He went to Paulownia Street to investigate, while Dongfang Shuoyue and his allies discussed their plans and the Green Bandits’ motives.

• Xiuhe brought Ye Jingtang overnight intelligence, and he learned that Dongfang Shuoyue was in the capital and staying near Paulownia Street.
• Dongfang Shuoyue, Fang Shijie, Zhongsun Yan, and Teng Tianyou discussed the plan to kill the Empress, the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master’s refusal to join them, and the Green Bandits’ goal of preventing a unified realm.
• A jackdaw appeared outside Golden Screen Tower, and Fang Shijie left the room to investigate the unexpected visitor.
• Ye Jingtang traveled through the alleys toward Golden Screen Tower with Niao Niao, overheard men boasting about his earlier encounter with Wang Chihu, and noticed a small bird vanish among the houses.
• Ye Jingtang told Niao Niao to stay out of sight, surveyed the nearby buildings, and took a sword from a drunken young gentleman before continuing toward Golden Screen Tower.

Ye Jingtang investigated the Heir of Prince Yan at Golden Screen Tower, clashed with the guard Fang Shijie, and escaped without exposing his identity. He told Perfected Person Xuanji about the suspected plot against the Emperor and asked her to investigate the Heir discreetly, leaving with her agreement and a promise to teach him Jade Void Mountain’s internal arts or paint him a scroll.

• Ye Jingtang sneaked into Golden Screen Tower to investigate the Heir of Prince Yan, but Fang Shijie spotted him and attacked.
• Ye Jingtang fought Fang Shijie with a string of mismatched sword techniques, nearly striking his crotch, then escaped over a wall.
• Fang Shijie returned to the room, where Zhongsun Yan, Teng Tianyou, and Dongfang Shuoyue speculated about Ye Jingtang’s swordsmanship and dismissed him as a burglar.
• Perfected Person Xuanji noticed Ye Jingtang’s bruised arm, treated it, and learned that he suspected a faction in Yanzhou was plotting against the Emperor.
• Ye Jingtang asked Perfected Person Xuanji to investigate the Heir of Prince Yan’s movements and personnel without alerting anyone.
• Perfected Person Xuanji agreed to investigate and, after Ye Jingtang requested martial instruction or a painting, promised to paint him a scroll.

Ye Jingtang prepared to escort the Empress to Jade Pool Manor while arranging for Ning'er and Third Madam to study the Jade Bone Diagram in the palace. In the Palace of Eternal Joy, his teasing contest with the Empress ended with him accidentally seeing her exposed before he fled as someone approached.

• The Empress Dowager found Niao Niao asleep and caught Perfected Person Xuanji and Ye Jingtang drinking together after they had sparred.
• Ye Jingtang returned a sword he had taken during his undercover work, then went to the Palace of Eternal Joy while Dongfang Liren handled memorials.
• The Empress invited Ye Jingtang to bring Ning'er and Third Madam to the palace to study the Jade Bone Diagram while she recuperated at Jade Pool Manor.
• The Empress teased Ye Jingtang in her bath, and he began undressing to challenge her bluff.
• The Empress coughed loudly to summon someone from the study, but Ye Jingtang glimpsed her exposed chest before escaping through a window.

Ye Jingtang escorted the Empress to Jade Pool Manor, then returned to the Imperial City with Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning to train at Dragon-Mingling Pool and investigate the Former Dynasty’s secret chamber. When he searched beneath the ginkgo tree in Blessings and Longevity Palace for the Dragon-Mingling Diagram, he found a Jade Box containing only a cat-shaped hairpin.

• The Empress’s procession reached Morning Dew Peak, where Ye Jingtang escorted Dongfang Liren to her quarters and later learned from Perfected Person Xuanji that the Heir of Prince Yan might be skilled and had possibly met someone secretly.
• Ye Jingtang traveled with Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning to the Imperial City and opened the mechanism leading to the Former Dynasty’s secret chamber, which would take a day to reveal what it contained.
• After leaving Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning to train, Ye Jingtang went to the deserted Blessings and Longevity Palace to search beneath the ginkgo tree.
• Ye Jingtang found a Jade Box under the third paving slab, but it contained an unusual cat-shaped hairpin rather than the Dragon-Mingling Diagram.
• Ye Jingtang took the hairpin, reburied the Jade Box, and left the courtyard without leaving evidence of his search.

Ye Jingtang watched Dongfang Shuoyue’s birthday banquet and followed Fang Shijie’s movements after Zhe Yunli spotted clues on his horse. Elsewhere, Teng Tianyou and Zhongsun Yan learned that Dragon-Prison Miasma could weaken Ye Jingtang or Perfected Person Xuanji, and began planning how to use it.

• Ye Jingtang secretly entered Four Directions Studio and watched Dongfang Shuoyue’s banquet, finding nothing suspicious at first.
• Zhe Yunli, Xiuhe, and Ping'er visited Immortal Zhi House, where Zhe Yunli noticed Ye Jingtang and slipped away to meet him.
• Ye Jingtang and Zhe Yunli hid as Fang Shijie arrived, then inferred from mud on his horse that he had returned from the river downstream.
• Ye Jingtang sent Zhe Yunli to alert the others and hurried with her toward the outskirts to search for clues.
• At a riverside retreat, Zhongsun Yan and Teng Tianyou discussed Dragon-Prison Miasma with a brocade-robed elder, who said it could weaken Ye Jingtang or Perfected Person Xuanji but likely not the Empress.

Ye Jingtang and Zhe Yunli traced Fang Shijie's trail to a merchant ship and discovered that its soybean paste concealed the hallucinogenic herb crowfeather grass. After the ship's guards spotted them, Zhe Yunli became wildly aggressive and Ye Jingtang carried her away, leaving the guards baffled.

• Ye Jingtang and Zhe Yunli followed hoofprints downstream and found a Yanzhou merchant ship near the riverbank.
• They snuck aboard and searched the hold, where Zhe Yunli discovered crowfeather grass hidden inside a barrel of soybean paste.
• Two household guards arrived to collect a barrel, then realized intruders had been in the hold after spotting signs of a Fire Starter.
• Ye Jingtang and Zhe Yunli fled, but the ship's leader attacked them with Snowflake Darts, and Zhe Yunli turned back to fight.
• Zhe Yunli deflected the darts and struck the leader with her saber, then Ye Jingtang seized her and carried her away as she shouted threats.
• The guards let them escape and decided to secure the hold, assuming the thieves had found nothing worth stealing.

Ye Jingtang brought Zhe Yunli to Imperial Physician Wang’s courtyard after she became hyperactive from sniffing Crowfeather Grass, then learned that the herb was hidden in a merchant ship’s soy paste and might be tied to the Heir of Prince Yan. He left Perfected Person Xuanji to investigate while Yunli recovered under Madam Wang’s care.

• Ye Jingtang carried the excited Zhe Yunli toward Jade Pool Manor, and she teased him and tried to escape during their journey.
• Madam Wang treated Zhe Yunli with medicine and acupuncture, explaining that she had only sniffed a small amount of Crowfeather Grass and would recover after resting.
• Teng Tianyou learned that two river pirates had escaped after fighting his men, and the brocade-robed old man ordered him to keep their identities hidden and urge the heir to act quickly.
• The Empress Dowager painted while Perfected Person Xuanji played the zither, then Xuanji went to investigate after noticing Ye Jingtang arrive at Imperial Physician Wang’s courtyard.
• Ye Jingtang told Perfected Person Xuanji that a merchant ship carried Crowfeather Grass concealed in Yanzhou Soy Paste and asked her to investigate without alarming the Heir of Prince Yan.
• Madam Wang kept Zhe Yunli overnight for observation, and Ye Jingtang left for the manor after Yunli fell asleep.

The Empress of Great Wei visited Ye Jingtang and read his martial-world novel while he went on patrol. In Cheng'an Hall, Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun uncovered a secret chamber and learned the Sky-Pacifying Sect's supposed means of securing Northern Liang's help involved a long-lost treasure map and a token tied to a dead ruler.

• The Empress of Great Wei found Ye Jingtang asleep, startled him when he pinned her down, then took his book and stayed on his bed to read.
• Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun heard the rockery mechanism open early and sent Niao Niao to fetch Ye Jingtang while they entered the revealed chamber.
• Luo Ning examined secret records describing the ancient origins and shifting fortunes of the northern and southern dynasties.
• Luo Ning found an ancient treasure map and a five-bead pendant that might have won the Tianlang King's favor, but learned the king had been dead for decades.
• Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning concluded the items were useless to the Sky-Pacifying Sect and decided to wait for Ye Jingtang.

Perfected Person Xuanji investigated a suspicious shipment and detained Fan Qinghe, who revealed that the Heir of Prince Yan had bought large quantities of Crowfeather Grass and employed a man with bone spurs. Ye Jingtang resumed the investigation while learning that the Former Dynasty dossiers held little useful information, though he kept the Heavenly Lang Pearl and the records for now.

• Perfected Person Xuanji tracked a shipment of barrels to Guantou Town, where she captured Fan Qinghe and learned she had come to invite Ye Jingtang to the Dongming Tribe.
• Fan Qinghe told Perfected Person Xuanji that buyers had purchased over a thousand jin of prepared Crowfeather Grass from the Xuanhao Tribe, and that one of them suffered from bone spurs piercing his flesh.
• Perfected Person Xuanji returned to Ye Jingtang and reported the carriage depot, the suspicious medicine purchases, and the possibility that the Heir of Prince Yan possessed the Dragon-Elephant Diagram.
• Ye Jingtang collected Zhe Yunli and sent her and Niao Niao to watch the carriage service near Guantou Town while he returned to the Imperial City.
• Luo Ning gave Ye Jingtang the dossiers from the opened mechanism; he kept the Heavenly Lang Pearl and records, then left to continue his work.

Perfected Person Xuanji left Jade Pool Manor to confront Jiang Zhawu while Ye Jingtang returned to guard the Empress, as conspirators set their plan to attack the manor in motion. The chapter ended with Dongfang Shuoyue and Lu Jieyun departing for the assault, unaware that Ye Jingtang had begun laying a trap.

• The Empress told Perfected Person Xuanji to entertain Fan of the Dongming Tribe, who had come to Yun'an and was suspected of wanting Ye Jingtang as her royal consort.
• Dongfang Liren informed Perfected Person Xuanji that Jiang Zhawu and the Hongshan Gang had reached Sanhe Town, and Xuanji left with Meng Jiao, She Long, and Shang Jianli to warn them away.
• Ye Jingtang left Zhe Yunli and Niao Niao to follow a suspicious cargo shipment in Guantou Town, then returned to Jade Pool Manor after a Secret Guard summoned him.
• Ye Jingtang sent a Black Bureau Constable to spread a natural-sounding rumor about fishing near Yuquan River Mouth, then went inside to guard the Empress.
• Zhongsun Yan and Fang Shijie prepared to use Crowfeather Grass and smoke to attack Jade Pool Manor, while Dongfang Shuoyue gathered Lu Jieyun and the Green Bandits for the assault.
• Dongfang Shuoyue and Lu Jieyun departed for Jade Pool Manor, while Lu Jieyun sent Xu Tianying and Tang Yudan to wait in Guankou Town.

Zhe Yunli discovered that the sauce shipment was a diversion just as alarms sounded, while Ye Jingtang realized Jade Pool Manor was under attack with Crowfeather Grass and explosions. He secured the Empress and Dongfang Liren in the Quiet Chamber, but Lu Jieyun confronted him as he tried to escort the Empress Dowager to safety.

• Zhe Yunli found that the barrels delivered to Four Directions Studio contained genuine Yanzhou Soy Paste and sent Niao Niao to warn Ye Jingtang that the real goods remained on the ship.
• Ye Jingtang spotted a burning ship upstream and warned Jade Pool Manor that an enemy attack was underway and that everyone should cover their mouths and noses.
• Ye Jingtang carried Yu Hu and Dongfang Liren to the Quiet Chamber as Crowfeather Grass and explosions threw the manor and its defenders into chaos.
• Ye Jingtang found the Empress Dowager, brought her away from the confused palace maids, and headed toward the Dragon-Washing Pool.
• Lu Jieyun intercepted Ye Jingtang on the Moonlit Corridor and demanded that the Empress Dowager step aside.

Ye Jingtang fought Lu Jieyun and the rebels at the Dragon-Washing Pool, where the Empress Dowager was struck by Dragon-Prison Miasma. Sun Wuji arrived, and Ye Jingtang killed the fleeing attackers as the chapter ended with the Empress Dowager gravely poisoned.

• Ye Jingtang clashed with Lu Jieyun, endured his powerful attacks, and used a heavy Pumpkin Hammer to drive him back while stopping the assassins at the Dragon-Washing Pool.
• Ye Jingtang killed Fang Shijie and fought Dongfang Shuoyue, Lu Jieyun, and their allies as they tried to break through the Sealing Stone.
• Zhongsun Yan fired Dragon-Prison Miasma at Ye Jingtang, but the Empress Dowager intercepted it and was poisoned; Ye Jingtang broke free as the rebels began to retreat.
• Sun Wuji arrived and killed Zhongsun Yan with a flying sword, then faced Lu Jieyun, who collapsed from his injuries.
• Ye Jingtang learned that the Empress Dowager had been struck by Dragon-Prison Miasma and ordered her taken to Imperial Physician Wang.
• Ye Jingtang smashed Dongfang Shuoyue with the Pumpkin Hammer, killed the remaining assassins, and cut down Teng Tianyou as Sun Wuji watched.

Perfected Person Xuanji failed to obtain the Golden Scale Diagram from Jiang Zhawu, while Ye Jingtang and the others searched for a cure after the Empress Dowager was poisoned with Dragon-Prison Miasma. Fan Qinghe proposed tracking down the poison maker, and Ye Jingtang left to report the plan and prepare to set out.

• Jiang Zhawu offered the Golden Scale Diagram and a large sum of silver for his captured subordinates, but Perfected Person Xuanji refused because Shi Yanfeng was already dead, so Jiang took the diagram away and challenged Ye Jingtang to retrieve it in Hongshan.
• Black Bureau chief constables brought Zhang Jinglin and Fan Qinghe to Jade Pool Manor after the Empress Dowager and Ye Jingtang were injured in an assassination attempt.
• Zhang Jinglin and Fan Qinghe identified Dragon-Prison Miasma as the poison afflicting the Empress Dowager, and Imperial Physician Wang said the Dragon-Elephant and Golden Scale Diagrams might help cure her.
• Ye Jingtang revealed that he possessed the Dragon-Elephant Diagram, while Fan Qinghe explained that his childhood exposure to a special medicinal bath might have made him immune to the poison.
• Fan Qinghe proposed finding the poison master to obtain or recreate an antidote, and Ye Jingtang left to inform His Majesty and prepare to travel with the Empress Dowager.

After Ye Jingtang survived the attack on Jade Pool Manor, he and his allies searched for a way to save the poisoned Empress Dowager. Niao Niao found the Flame-Rebirth Diagram among Lu Jieyun’s belongings, giving them a possible cure as Ye Jingtang began studying it.

• Ye Jingtang returned to the Quiet Chamber wounded and told Dongfang Liren that the Empress Dowager had been poisoned by Dragon-Prison Miasma, so they might need to seek an antidote in the Western Sea Tribes.
• Perfected Person Xuanji arrived and learned from Fan Qinghe that the Empress Dowager needed the Golden Scale Diagram or a poison master’s antidote, while Niao Niao delivered the Dragon-Elephant Diagram.
• The Empress Dowager secretly woke, decided to remain unconscious so Ye Jingtang would still take her traveling, and sent Niao Niao to retrieve the Flame-Rebirth Diagram from her bedroom.
• Dongfang Liren comforted Ye Jingtang as he recovered, and Niao Niao brought him a golden sheet that proved to be the Flame-Rebirth Diagram rather than the Dragon-Elephant Diagram.
• Niao Niao led Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren to Lu Jieyun’s wrecked cloak, where they found the diagram; Dongfang Liren said it could save the Empress Dowager, and Ye Jingtang began studying it.

After Ye Jingtang survived Lu Jieyun’s attack, he prepared to travel to Liangzhou to seek help for the poisoned Empress Dowager. The Empress corrected her Dragon-Mingling Diagram and secretly visited Ye Jingtang, then lent him her Twin-Fish Pendant before his departure.

• Fan Qinghe warned Dongfang Liren that the Empress Dowager was too weak for strong medicine and needed to recover slowly with nourishing food.
• Zhe Yunli, Luo Ning, and Pei Xiangjun reunited with the injured Ye Jingtang, and he told them that he might have to go to Liangzhou for the Empress Dowager’s treatment.
• Pei Xiangjun left to arrange escorts and contact the Liangzhou Hall, while Ye Jingtang and Luo Ning rested together and discussed his injuries and the Flame-Rebirth Diagram.
• The Empress corrected errors in her Flame-Rebirth Diagram, reducing its cost to heal injuries, and concluded that her physical weakness likely came from the Changqing Diagram.
• The Empress found Ye Jingtang resting with Luo Ning, spoke with him privately, and lent him her Twin-Fish Pendant for his journey.