Chapter Summaries

Ye Jingtang returned to Red River Town with the Empress Dowager after fighting Duansheng Ji and Xi Tianshang, and reunited with his companions. As he recovered, he planned to pursue Duansheng Ji and accepted Fan Qinghe’s offer to accompany him as a physician.

• On the Clear River, Luo Ning and Xue Baijin passed Red Feather Manor, where Chu Hao’s son was holding a wedding, and noticed a suspicious drunk young man heading up the cliff.
• Ye Jingtang arrived near Red River Town with the Empress Dowager and told Dongfang Liren that Xi Tianshang had died in their fight while Duansheng Ji escaped; he planned to defeat Duansheng Ji himself.
• Niao Niao and Zhe Yunli caught Ye Jingtang kissing Dongfang Liren, and Yunli became flustered when he said her master's wife had told him to treat her well.
• Fan Qinghe examined Ye Jingtang’s shoulder and agreed to accompany him as a physician, while Pei Xiangjun comforted him and stayed with him as he rested.

The Empress Dowager slipped out at night to check on Ye Jingtang, who was secretly with Pei Xiangjun, and he comforted her before she returned to her room. At dawn, Ye Jingtang studied the Tianlang Kings’ martial method and practiced under Perfected Person Xuanji’s instruction, then joined She Long and Shang Jianli for breakfast as they prepared to travel to Yazhou.

• The sleepless Empress Dowager went to Ye Jingtang’s room and found a rouge mark on his face, learning that Pei Xiangjun was inside.
• Ye Jingtang stopped the Empress Dowager from leaving and warmed her hands before she returned to her room in embarrassment.
• At dawn, Ye Jingtang studied the martial method devised by the Tianlang Kings and practiced with the Dragon-Mingling Spear.
• Perfected Person Xuanji corrected Ye Jingtang’s stance and discussed honesty, desire, and following one’s heart.
• She Long and Shang Jianli joined Ye Jingtang, and the three went for mutton soup before setting out for Yazhou.

Ye Jingtang reached Yazhou by boat and learned that Red Feather Manor was connected to the North-Severing Cliff marriage alliance. He went with Dongfang Liren, Yunli, and Meng Jiao to investigate the gathering at Dragon-Severing Terrace, while the Empress Dowager asked Xuanji and Fan Qinghe to train her in martial arts.

• Ye Jingtang traveled through snowy Yazhou and boarded a boat with his companions, where he kissed the Empress Dowager before they set off.
• The boat reached Dragon-Severing Terrace, where Yunli and Pei Xiangjun explained Red Feather Manor’s history and its ties to North-Severing Cliff.
• Ye Jingtang spotted a wedding boat bearing the Wu Trading House flag and decided to investigate the gathering above the terrace.
• Dongfang Liren, Yunli, and Meng Jiao accompanied Ye Jingtang ashore while the others stayed aboard.
• The Empress Dowager asked Perfected Person Xuanji and Fan Qinghe to teach her martial arts so she could protect herself.

Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren attended Chu Zhengning’s wedding at Dragon-Severing Terrace, where Lu Ya disrupted the ceremony and accused Chu Hao of abandoning her mother. After Chu Hao tried to kill Lu Ya, Ye Jingtang intervened, publicly challenging the old spear king’s conduct and leaving the guests focused on him.

• Ye Jingtang, Dongfang Liren, Zhe Yunli, and Meng Jiao entered Red Feather Manor as guests and waited at the wedding banquet.
• Lu Ya shattered a teacup to halt the ceremony, claimed she was Chu Hao’s daughter, and demanded to reclaim what the Chu family owed her mother.
• Lu Ya struck Chu Zhengning with her staff, and Chu Hao leaped in to attack her with his spear.
• Ye Jingtang hurled a teacup that knocked Chu Hao back and gave Lu Ya time to retreat.
• Ye Jingtang criticized Chu Hao for trying to silence Lu Ya before hearing her out, prompting the guests to turn their attention to him.

Ye Jingtang stopped Chu Hao from killing Lu Ya and defeated him with a single spear strike, forcing Chu Hao to confess and offer compensation. After the guests dispersed, Ye Jingtang left with Dongfang Liren and Zhe Yunli while Shen Lin and Li Jing worried that his arrival had ruined their plans and discussed acting against him.

• Chu Hao accused Ye Jingtang of interfering in the Chu Family wedding, but Ye Jingtang demanded that he and Lu Ya settle their grievance fairly.
• Chu Hao attacked Ye Jingtang, who shattered his spear and blasted him through the hall with a single strike.
• Chu Hao recognized Ye Jingtang and admitted he had wronged Lu Ya's mother, then offered half the Chu Family's property and crippled his own martial arts.
• Ye Jingtang left the matter to Lu Ya and dismissed the gathered martial artists, then departed with Dongfang Liren and Zhe Yunli despite his reopened shoulder wound.
• Shen Lin told Li Jing that Ye Jingtang's intervention had disrupted their plans for Lu Ya, and they decided to contact Duansheng Ji and consider moving against Ye Jingtang quickly.

Ye Jingtang returned to the boat injured after the fight at Dragon-Severing Terrace, where his companions caught him behaving intimately with Dongfang Liren. Niao Niao later spotted a suspicious bird watching the boat, while Shen Lin arranged with Chen Lingtong to gather supplies for a plan against Ye Jingtang.

• Ye Jingtang explained that he had learned a powerful Yechi Tribe technique, and Dongfang Liren worried that using it could damage his health.
• Ye Jingtang caught Zhe Yunli when she slipped, prompting Dongfang Liren to rebuke him for being too familiar with Ning'er's disciple.
• On the boat, Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren were caught kissing by Fan Qinghe, the Empress Dowager, Perfected Person Xuanji, and the others; Pei Xiangjun then treated his wound.
• Niao Niao noticed a suspicious bird on a riverside cliff, and Ye Jingtang told Perfected Person Xuanji and Fan Qinghe that it might be connected to the Heir of Prince Yan.
• In Banan Town, Shen Lin warned Chen Lingtong that the Black Bureau might trace his illicit shipments and told him to gather materials for a plan to deal with Ye Jingtang.

Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe tracked Cold Crow to a smuggling operation linked to North-Severing Cliff, then followed a refined young man into a pine forest trap. They were caught in the Thousand Mechanisms Sect’s Seven Absolutes Mist-Hiding Formation, with the blade wielder still hidden nearby.

• Ye Jingtang left Red Feather Manor and set out downstream after Cold Crow turned back toward the mountains.
• Shen Lin planted traps outside Banan Town and arranged with Wang Chong to lure Ye Jingtang into an ambush before he reached North-Severing Cliff.
• Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe followed Cold Crow to an escort agency, where they overheard a plan to plant prohibited goods at Lanhekou Wharf and found signs of a smuggling cellar.
• Ye Jingtang recognized a refined young man from Red Feather Manor and followed him with Fan Qinghe into a pine forest.
• A hidden mechanism triggered silver silkworm silk traps, and Fan Qinghe identified the spreading mist as the Thousand Mechanisms Sect’s Seven Absolutes Mist-Hiding Formation.

Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe escaped the Seven Absolutes Mist-Hiding Formation by exploiting its traps, then killed the formation’s striker, Wang Chong. With Fan Qinghe showing signs of poison, Ye Jingtang carried her away and promised to help her learn the Flame-Rebirth Diagram.

• Fan Qinghe explained the formation’s threads and warned Ye Jingtang against smashing through its mechanisms, but he dug a pit and felled a pine to trigger the traps from cover.
• Ye Jingtang cleared a path through the mist with his saber, while Shen Lin sent Wang Chong into the formation as its striker.
• Wang Chong attacked Ye Jingtang, who evaded the mechanisms and smashed a heavy log into the ground, triggering the formation’s traps indiscriminately.
• Ye Jingtang used the chaos to kill Wang Chong with his saber and spear, then checked on Fan Qinghe after she emerged from the buried pit.
• Fan Qinghe showed signs of poisoning, so Ye Jingtang carried her away and said he would ask Prince Jing to let her learn the Flame-Rebirth Diagram.

Xue Baijin and Luo Ning waited at Lan River Wharf for a ship to Jiangzhou while listening to stories about Ye Jingtang. After Ye Jingtang rescued the poisoned Fan Qinghe and helped treat her at an inn, Xue Baijin surprised him at the kitchen doorway and tested his reactions.

• Xue Baijin warned Luo Ning that her status and temper could make marriage to Ye Jingtang difficult, and Luo Ning considered how she might compete with the Female Prince.
• Xue Baijin spotted a familiar figure outside and left the inn while Luo Ning remained lost in thought.
• Ye Jingtang carried the poisoned Fan Qinghe from the forest plantation to an inn near Lan River Wharf, where he used silver needles to help purge the Snow Moth Scale.
• Fan Qinghe prepared medicine and asked Ye Jingtang to perform fire cupping on her back to draw out the remaining toxins.
• Xue Baijin confronted Ye Jingtang at the kitchen doorway, disarmed him, and questioned why he had pulled his attack after recognizing her.

Ye Jingtang reunited with Xue Baijin and learned she and Luo Ning planned to travel to Jiangzhou, while Baijin offered to avenge his injury and assigned him an investigation. Luo Ning later found him tending to Fan Qinghe, helped care for her, and reunited with Ye Jingtang before they parted for the night.

• Xue Baijin told Ye Jingtang that she and Luo Ning would sail to Jiangzhou to investigate clues about the Imperial Jade Seal and Son of Heaven Sword and visit Luo Ning's ancestral home.
• Xue Baijin offered to kill Duansheng Ji on Ye Jingtang's behalf, but he refused so he could pursue the Spear Chief title himself; she then asked him to investigate Xiaoshan Fort and unusual martial-world encounters.
• Xue Baijin told Luo Ning that Ye Jingtang had arrived with the King of Dongming, prompting Luo Ning to visit him and find him caring for the injured Fan Qinghe.
• Luo Ning helped wipe Fan Qinghe down, then confronted Ye Jingtang outside the room and discovered that Duansheng Ji had wounded him.
• Luo Ning checked Ye Jingtang's injury and massaged him, while they discussed her upcoming trip to Jiangzhou and their uncertain reunion.

Perfected Person Xuanji found the pine grove where Ye Jingtang had fought and faced Shen Lin and Duansheng Ji, escaping after Shen Lin wounded her with a concealed needle. While Ye Jingtang recovered with Luo Ning, Niao Niao alerted him that something had happened, and he hurried into the mountains.

• Perfected Person Xuanji tracked Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe’s footprints to the battle-scarred pine grove and encountered Shen Lin and Duansheng Ji.
• Shen Lin recognized Perfected Person Xuanji as Lu Binghe, and Duansheng Ji attacked her to keep her from exposing their plans.
• Perfected Person Xuanji fought Duansheng Ji with her sword, sleeves, and concealed weapons, but Shen Lin triggered a trap and struck her with a Heart-Rending Needle.
• Perfected Person Xuanji escaped to a secluded spot by the river and asked Niao Niao to search for Ye Jingtang.
• Ye Jingtang and Luo Ning discussed their ties to the Sky-Pacifying Sect and the Imperial Court before Niao Niao’s cry alerted him to trouble.
• Ye Jingtang asked Xue Baijin to look after Fan Qinghe and Luo Ning, then rushed into the mountains to investigate.

Ye Jingtang found Perfected Person Xuanji buried beneath the snow after the Heart-Rending Needle left her blood and qi dangerously unstable, and he helped remove the needle and draw out the poison. Their teasing turned into a frank confession and a kiss, and he carried her away through the snowy woods as dawn approached.

• Ye Jingtang followed Niao Niao to a snowy grove and found Perfected Person Xuanji buried beside the Acacia Sword, still alive but dangerously feverish.
• Perfected Person Xuanji told Ye Jingtang that Shen Lin had struck her with the Thousand Mechanisms Sect's Heart-Rending Needle while she fought him and Duansheng Ji.
• Ye Jingtang tore open the back of Perfected Person Xuanji's dress, sealed her qi meridians, removed the needle, and sucked out the poisoned blood.
• Perfected Person Xuanji teased Ye Jingtang about his feelings, and he openly confessed that he had fallen for her.
• Perfected Person Xuanji kissed Ye Jingtang and told him she had taken his confession seriously, then he draped his robe over her and carried her from the grove.
• Perfected Person Xuanji drank from the Vermilion Wine Gourd and shared it with Ye Jingtang as they walked away with Niao Niao while dawn broke.

Ye Jingtang reunited with Pei Xiangjun and Zhe Yunli at Lan River Wharf after surviving an ambush, then checked on the worried Empress Dowager and sleeping Dongfang Liren. He learned that North-Severing Cliff’s Scale-Pattern Steel dealings might involve Wang Hu in Jinyang City and began asking about the Red Flower House’s local branch.

• Ye Jingtang brought the injured Perfected Person Xuanji to Fan Qinghe, who examined her and said she needed rest.
• Ye Jingtang met Pei Xiangjun and Zhe Yunli at the wharf, reported the ambush, and told She Long to seize contraband hidden in the Escort Agency.
• Ye Jingtang surprised the Empress Dowager in her room, reassured her that he was safe, and then visited Dongfang Liren without waking her.
• Ye Jingtang met Pei Xiangjun and Liu Hong at a pawnshop and asked about Scale-Pattern Steel.
• Liu Hong suggested that Wang Hu in Jinyang City might be connected to North-Severing Cliff’s dealings, and Ye Jingtang asked about the branch’s finances.

At the docks, Xue Baijin warned Zhe Yunli to be cautious about her feelings for Ye Jingtang and the danger of his divided loyalties. Ye Jingtang planned to pursue Duansheng Ji while juggling his relationships with Pei Xiangjun, Luo Ning, and Dongfang Liren, who arrived at the inn and fled after he kissed her.

• Xue Baijin found Zhe Yunli listening to stories and invited her to Jiangzhou, then asked whether she had fallen for Ye Jingtang.
• Xue Baijin warned Zhe Yunli that Ye Jingtang might one day have to choose between the Sky-Pacifying Sect and the Imperial Court, and urged her to think carefully about her feelings.
• Ye Jingtang told Pei Xiangjun he planned to find and finish off the injured Duansheng Ji the next day.
• Luo Ning told Ye Jingtang and Pei Xiangjun that Shui'er and Miss Fan were resting, then argued with Pei Xiangjun before Ye Jingtang reconciled them.
• Dongfang Liren learned that Ye Jingtang had returned safely and went to the inn to check on her master.
• Ye Jingtang kissed Dongfang Liren when she came to see him, and she shoved him inside before fleeing.

Luo Ning departed by ship, leaving Ye Jingtang to travel overland to Jinyang City and investigate Wang Hu’s possible connection to the fugitive Duansheng Ji. Meanwhile, Cao Aning and Xu Tianying rode south with Northern Liang retainers to join a court plot against Ye Jingtang, and the chapter ended with Ye Jingtang’s party beginning its search outside Jinyang City.

• Luo Ning said goodbye to Ye Jingtang, boarded the ship, and sailed downstream while he agreed to watch over Zhe Yunli’s studies.
• Ye Jingtang checked Perfected Person Xuanji’s health, accepted her teasing invitation, and fled when her deliberate cough brought palace maids into the room.
• Cao Aning and Xu Tianying traveled with four White Owl Camp retainers to meet Northern Liang agents and learned that Hua Ling was among the experts recruited against Ye Jingtang.
• Ye Jingtang rode to Jinyang City with Fan Qinghe, She Long, Shang Jianli, and chief constables to investigate Wang Hu.
• Ye Jingtang sent Niao Niao with Shang Jianli and the chief constables as the party split up to search for information.

Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe entered prosperous Jinyang City, while Minister Li Si and Shen Lin discussed a covert plan to kill Ye. In the Eastern Market, Duansheng Ji attacked She Long and Shang Jianli, but a mysterious black-clad figure arrived as they faced death.

• Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe explored Golden Street and went into a restaurant, while a scholar’s maid watched them from a literary gathering.
• Minister Li Si and Shen Lin discussed eliminating Ye Jingtang and considered recruiting Duansheng Ji for the task.
• She Long and Shang Jianli investigated a gambling den and discovered Duansheng Ji inside.
• Duansheng Ji struck Shang Jianli with a wine cup, then wounded She Long with his spear and drove golden needles through Shang Jianli.
• A spinning saber interrupted Duansheng Ji’s pursuit, and a black-clad figure leaped toward the gambling den.

Ye Jingtang fought Duansheng Ji through Jinyang City and killed him after the wounded Northern Liang operative refused to surrender or reveal his plans. The chapter ended with Ye Jingtang standing over Duansheng Ji’s body as pursuers approached.

• Ye Jingtang and Duansheng Ji clashed with their spears in the Eastern Market, and Ye Jingtang’s unexpected sweeping strike sent Duansheng Ji crashing through the stalls.
• Ye Jingtang pressed his advantage, but Duansheng Ji blocked his attacks, abandoned his spear, and fled after declaring that he conceded.
• She Long and Shang Jianli tried to stop Duansheng Ji, but he knocked She Long aside while Ye Jingtang pursued and forced him toward the market’s edge.
• Ye Jingtang pierced Duansheng Ji through the torso and drove him through several walls before pinning him against a stone foundation.
• Ye Jingtang claimed to be a Sky-Pacifying Sect rebel to question Duansheng Ji, but Duansheng Ji refused to believe him or disclose anything.
• Ye Jingtang pulled his spear free and killed Duansheng Ji, telling him he would not see him off.

Ye Jingtang killed Duansheng Ji in Jinyang, then arranged for the city to investigate the smuggling network while recovering from his injuries. As he rested with Fan Qinghe tending to him, he decided his party would return to the Capital City at dawn.

• Ye Jingtang killed Duansheng Ji, then had Shang Jianli mobilize troops because Duansheng Ji might have accomplices in Jinyang.
• Prefect Wang Ning recognized Ye Jingtang’s gold plaque and hurried to the government office, while Li Si and Shen Lin discussed Duansheng Ji’s death and planned to recruit Hua Ling.
• Ye Jingtang ordered Prefect Wang to investigate officials and border troops connected to Duansheng Ji’s smuggling of Scale-Pattern Steel into Northern Liang.
• Fan Qinghe treated Ye Jingtang’s wounds at the government office and helped clean the blood from his body as he recovered.
• Ye Jingtang decided his injured party should return to the Capital City by river, then jolted awake after imagining an outrageous wish involving the Empress Dowager and Shuishui.

Ye Jingtang and his companions returned to the Capital City after escorting Prince Jing, and he reunited with his household while arranging new business for Snow Lake Powder. At the palace, Dongfang Liren reported his service to the Empress of Great Wei, who discussed his rewards and asked whether Dongfang Liren planned to marry him.

• Xiuhe and Ping'er went to Jiangan Wharf after learning that Ye Jingtang had returned, while Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager went ashore first.
• Fan Qinghe treated Ye Jingtang's injuries aboard the ship and warned him to rest and limit sexual activity as he recovered.
• Ye Jingtang reunited with Pei Xiangjun, Little Yunli, and the others at the wharf, then proposed using Yang Guan and Three-Perfection Valley to distribute Snow Lake Powder; Fan Qinghe offered medicinal ingredients and formulas from the Dongming Tribe.
• Pei Luo asked Pei Xiangjun for money to buy new clothes before the Northern Liang students visited White Horse Academy, and she agreed to give him money for an outfit.
• The Empress of Great Wei heard Dongfang Liren praise Ye Jingtang's service and promised to consider his rewards, then asked whether Dongfang Liren intended to marry him; Dongfang Liren said she would discuss it with him after he recovered.

Ye Jingtang returned to the capital with Pei Xiangjun after avenging the Pei Family, and the household settled back into its routines. Dongfang Liren learned that Northern Liang had sent assassins after him, while Fan Qinghe and Perfected Person Xuanji returned from shopping and found him preparing to go out.

• Madam Zhang welcomed Ye Jingtang and Pei Xiangjun home, and Ye Jingtang accompanied Pei Xiangjun to the Pei residence to offer incense and report their vengeance.
• Ye Jingtang and Pei Xiangjun admired the new imperial plaque at their residence, then returned to Plum Blossom Courtyard, where Ye Jingtang wrote his report while they were intimate in the Study.
• Dongfang Liren received Meng Jiao's warning that the Liang Emperor had sent death-sworn assassins after Ye Jingtang and ordered the Chief Constables to discuss countermeasures.
• Fan Qinghe and Perfected Person Xuanji returned from shopping, found Ye Jingtang and Pei Xiangjun in the Study, and teased Fan Qinghe about the provocative undergarments she had bought.
• Ye Jingtang left to visit friends, while Perfected Person Xuanji chose to stay in the East Wing and Fan Qinghe went to Bamboo Courtyard instead.