Chapter Summaries

On New Year’s Eve, Ye Jingtang visited Yu Hu at the Qin Family mansion and learned that Snow Lake Flowers would soon bloom, prompting plans for a dangerous expedition beyond the pass. The Empress arranged to return to the capital with him the next day, and the chapter ended with an embarrassed mishap as Yu Hu’s towel fell while she dressed.

• Luo Ning came to the Chen Family mansion and sent Zhe Yunli to fetch the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master for dinner.
• Zhe Yunli met the Empress Dowager, Perfected Person Xuanji, and Niao Niao on the way, and learned that Ye Jingtang had gone to the Duke’s Manor first.
• Ye Jingtang secretly entered Yu Hu’s room at the Qin Family mansion and discussed reports that Snow Lake Flowers would bloom soon near Liaoyuan.
• Yu Hu planned to return to the capital with Ye Jingtang and lead troops to Yazhou while he went to Tianlang Lake to seek the flowers.
• Yu Hu asked Ye Jingtang for a poem as a birthday gift, and her bath towel slipped as she dressed, leaving him flustered.

Ye Jingtang brought Xue Baijin and the Empress together for New Year's Eve dinner, hoping to ease their deadlock. The gathering began awkwardly but warmed after the birthday and New Year toast, leaving the guests drinking together beneath the fireworks.

• Ye Jingtang stopped Xue Baijin from leaving and persuaded her to stay for dinner with the Empress, who went inside without challenging her.
• Zhe Yunli gave Ye Jingtang a jade pendant she had carved for his birthday and joined him at the dinner table.
• Ye Jingtang found the Empress, Xue Baijin, Luo Ning, the Empress Dowager, Perfected Person Xuanji, Fan Qinghe, and Third Madam gathered for dinner.
• The Empress teased Ye Jingtang about having three sweethearts, prompting a flustered Zhe Yunli to insist that they were ordinary friends.
• Ye Jingtang raised a toast for his birthday and the New Year, and the guests clinked cups as fireworks lit the sky.
• The wine eased the awkwardness, and the guests began joking and drinking together.

On New Year’s Eve, Dongfang Liren visited Ye Jingtang’s empty residence and fell asleep wondering when he would return, while Hua Qingzhi sailed back to Northern Liang reflecting on the people she had met in Great Wei. Ye Jingtang celebrated with his companions in Jiangzhou, parted from the Empress Dowager before his journey to Yun’an, and welcomed the new year with the women at his residence.

• Dongfang Liren visited Ye Jingtang’s residence alone, found a red handkerchief in his bedside drawer, and fell asleep while waiting for him.
• Hua Qingzhi departed Jingjie City for Northern Liang and told Green Pearl that she would rather never meet Ye Jingtang again than see him captured or fighting at Yanjing.
• Ye Jingtang ended the drinking contest between the Empress and Xue Baijin, and Luo Ning took Xue Baijin back to the inn with Yunli.
• The Empress Dowager kissed Ye Jingtang before leaving for the Duke’s Manor, and he promised to take her to Crescent Moon Lake after his business was finished.
• Ye Jingtang carried the drunken Fan Qinghe to bed, then joined Third Madam, Shui'er, and Ning'er to celebrate his birthday and the new year.

Ye Jingtang left Jiangzhou with the Empress to race toward Tianlang Lake, while Fan Qinghe and Third Madam prepared to follow by relay stations. Beyond the Pass, Cao Gonggong set out with a small group of Secret Guards to steal the Snow Lake Flower, leaving Cao Aning behind.

• Ye Jingtang said farewell to Third Madam, Shui'er, and Ning'er, then gave Fan Qinghe his Black Bureau Commander's token so she and Third Madam could travel by relay stations.
• Ye Jingtang met the Empress at the Duke's Manor, and they rode north together on Rouge Tiger after he collected Niao Niao from Little Yunli.
• Cao Aning met Hu Yanjing's caravan and discovered that Cao Gonggong had returned and was leading it.
• Cao Aning told Cao Gonggong that the Snow Lake Flower had bloomed and was being stored under heavy guard in the Western Sea Protectorate.
• Cao Gonggong led five Secret Guards toward Tianlang Lake to steal the Snow Lake Flower, while Cao Aning and the others were ordered to disperse and gather intelligence.

Ye Jingtang returned to Yun'an with Yu Hu and Niao Niao, then prepared to leave at once for Tianlang Lake to investigate the blooming snow lake flower. Dongfang Liren’s disappointment at his quick departure turned to delight when he invited her along, while Yu Hu stayed behind to travel later to Jingjie City.

• Ye Jingtang reached Yun'an after a long journey and told Yu Hu to be careful on her way to Jingjie City, mentioning her lingering chest tightness from the Changqing Diagram.
• Dongfang Liren greeted Ye Jingtang at the Black Bureau, and he embraced and kissed her before revealing that he planned to leave immediately for the Northwest.
• Dongfang Liren grew hurt when she thought Ye Jingtang would leave without her, but he explained that she could advise him and coordinate support from the border troops at Tianlang Lake.
• Dongfang Liren eagerly packed her clothes and armor to accompany Ye Jingtang, while he retrieved the Yechi Tribe heirloom Chasing the Sun.
• Yu Hu urged Ye Jingtang to prioritize Dongfang Liren’s safety and then teased him by exposing herself beneath her skirt as he sat with her.

Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren traveled from Cloud Peace City to Red River Town, where they learned that martial wanderers were gathering to seek snow lake flowers. After visiting Ye Jingtang’s adoptive father’s grave together, they left the next steps beyond the pass unresolved.

• Ye Jingtang rode northwest with Dongfang Liren and Niao Niao, and Dongfang Liren questioned him about Yu Hu and the red handkerchief before falling asleep on the journey.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren reached Red River Town on the tenth day of the first month and found it crowded with martial wanderers drawn by the snow lake flowers.
• Song Chi showed Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren a living snow lake flower and explained that Northern Liang was harvesting flowers while powerful figures waited to seize shipments.
• Ye Jingtang asked Song Chi to contact the Black Bureau’s agents, then went with Dongfang Liren and Niao Niao to pay respects at his adoptive father’s grave.
• Dongfang Liren knelt beside Ye Jingtang and introduced herself to Senior Pei as they burned paper offerings.

Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren spent the night together in the old escort agency where he had grown up. The chapter ended with them consummating their relationship in the place that had begun his life.

• Ye Jingtang brought back his old medicinal-bath tub, and he and Dongfang Liren prepared hot water at the escort agency.
• After bathing, Dongfang Liren invited Ye Jingtang to sleep inside, and they shared the narrow bed.
• Ye Jingtang reassured Dongfang Liren that he would respect her wishes and hoped to settle his affairs and marry her properly.
• As they reminisced about his childhood and her illustrated book, Ye Jingtang teased Dongfang Liren and began caressing her.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren stopped resisting their desire and consummated their relationship in his childhood room.

After spending the night together, Dongfang Liren scolded Ye Jingtang for taking advantage of her, then accepted his care as they prepared to continue their search for Snow Lake Flowers. Wang Ning brought intelligence about the Western Sea Protectorate, and Niao Niao revealed a possible flower at Liaoyuan Battlefield, giving Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren another stop on their way west.

• Dongfang Liren woke beside Ye Jingtang, threatened him with the Chi Dragon Blade, and declared that he would be her secondary consort rather than her principal consort.
• Wang Ning gave Ye Jingtang reports on the Western Sea Protectorate and explained that Snow Lake Flowers were being dried and guarded at the prison in the Eastern District.
• Ye Jingtang and Wang Ning planned to rob the convoys carrying dried flowers and gradually force the Left Xian King to concentrate the supply.
• Ye Jingtang returned with breakfast and found Dongfang Liren washing clothes, then stopped her and served her lamb soup.
• Niao Niao revealed that it had found one Snow Lake Flower more than two hundred li northeast, near Liaoyuan Battlefield, and Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren decided to investigate on their way to Pingyi City.

Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren traveled into the Liaoyuan snowfields to find Snow Lake Flowers and investigate the place where Ye Jingtang had been found as a child. They encountered Tian Wuliang, whom Ye Jingtang easily overpowered and enlisted to harass the Left Xian King's escort convoys in exchange for flowers, then continued toward Pingyi City.

• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren rode north from Red River Town through Blackstone Pass and reached the Liaoyuan Ancient Battlefield, where Ye Jingtang recalled that his adoptive father had found him there.
• Niao Niao led them to a Snow Lake Flower near severed limbs, where Dongfang Liren noticed signs of a recent fight and warned Ye Jingtang to be careful.
• Tian Wuliang appeared and ordered them to leave, but Ye Jingtang swiftly evaded his staff strike and caught the weapon with one hand.
• Tian Wuliang explained that Yin Shicheng had destroyed his Sea Gang and left him with an old injury, and he recounted surviving after reaching a remote island that Dongfang Liren suspected was Immortal Islet.
• Ye Jingtang offered Tian Wuliang some Snow Lake Flowers if he harassed the Left Xian King's escort convoys at Tianlang Lake and later collected the flowers from Army Supervisor Wang Ning.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren left Tian Wuliang behind and continued toward Pingyi City.

Ye Jingtang reached Pingyi City and learned that Cao Gonggong was likely planning to intercept a shipment of Snow Lake Flowers, while Xie Jianlan would be among its formidable escorts. After arranging to watch the convoy at Tianlang Lake, Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren tried to rest at their inn but became intimate instead.

• Cao Aning worried that Cao Gonggong was heading toward a fatal mission to obtain Snow Lake Flowers, and Xu Tianying tried to comfort him.
• Ye Jingtang arrived at the White Owl Camp office and learned that a shipment of Snow Lake Flowers would leave Tianlang Lake the next day, possibly with Cao Gonggong lying in wait along its route.
• Cao Aning and Xu Tianying warned Ye Jingtang about the escorts, including Xie Jianlan and Shi Daoyu, and Ye Jingtang revealed that Tian Wuliang had agreed to help rob the convoy.
• Ye Jingtang returned to the inn, where Dongfang Liren and Niao Niao were watching wagons marked with Hua Qingzhi's family's Myriad Treasures Tower sign.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren failed to settle down to sleep, then lay together and became intimate.

Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren traveled across Tianlang Lake while the Left Xian King dispatched three guarded parties carrying Snow Lake Flower, and Cao Gonggong prepared to intercept the most likely genuine shipment. After sharing a quiet moment on the frozen lake, Ye Jingtang detected someone approaching and hurried Dongfang Liren toward the horses.

• Ye Jingtang woke Dongfang Liren, and they dressed and prepared to leave.
• The Left Xian King sent three escort parties out of the Western Sea Protectorate with sealed boxes, while Cao Gonggong decided to attack Xie Jianlan's party and ordered his men to wait at South Lake Bay.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren rode across Tianlang Lake, where she sketched the scenery and Niao Niao ate a fish Ye Jingtang caught through the ice.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren sat together under the stars, talked about traveling the world, and kissed before he teased her and she chased him with her blade.
• Ye Jingtang suddenly sensed someone approaching, covered Dongfang Liren's mouth, and led her back toward the horses.

Hua Qingzhi and her father, Hua Junchen, traveled to the Western Frontier seeking snow lake flower roots for her medicine, while Ye Jingtang intercepted Shi Daoyu’s party carrying the flowers. Ye Jingtang defeated the White Owl Camp and took the bundle, leaving the other flower parties still unaccounted for.

• Hua Junchen brought Hua Qingzhi west to seek snow lake flowers, and she objected when he urged her to consider marrying the Left Xian King’s heir.
• Hua Qingzhi spotted Ye Jingtang waiting on the ice ahead of the White Owl Camp, and Hua Junchen’s party fled after Ye Jingtang split the frozen lake with a spear strike.
• Shi Daoyu recognized Ye Jingtang and ordered the White Owl Camp to surround him with a mist formation and a silken net.
• Ye Jingtang broke free of the net, killed the White Owl Camp fighters, and mortally wounded Shi Daoyu.
• Ye Jingtang took the bundle of snow lake flowers from Shi Daoyu and continued across the ice field without questioning him about the destruction of the Northwestern Royal Court.

Ye Jingtang defeated Shi Daoyu and his men, then reunited with Dongfang Liren on the ice field. When Niao Niao alerted them that Cao Gonggong was in danger, they rode north to help him.

• Ye Jingtang slaughtered Shi Daoyu and his men, leaving Hua Junchen and Hua Qingzhi's convoy terrified as he departed without approaching them.
• Hua Junchen and Hua Qingzhi discussed why Ye Jingtang had spared them, while Hua Qingzhi glimpsed a distant swordswoman who might have been the Female Prince.
• Ye Jingtang returned to Dongfang Liren with the snow lake flower and explained that the treasured sword was losing its luster and might be damaged by use.
• Niao Niao returned with news of danger, and Ye Jingtang realized Cao Gonggong had likely been intercepted and was fighting.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren rode north toward Cao Gonggong, with Niao Niao leading the way.

Xie Jianlan escorted a box of Snow Lake Flower across Tianlang Lake, hoping it could cure the woman he loved, but Cao Gonggong and Ye Jingtang intercepted him. After a desperate duel with Ye Jingtang, Xie Jianlan was pinned beneath the ice, still fighting to protect the box.

• Xie Jianlan recalled how the female constable had changed his life, then left Yanjing after learning the Liang Emperor had arranged their meeting and later sought a remedy for her condition.
• Cao Gonggong confronted Xie Jianlan and offered to let him surrender the box, but Xie Jianlan refused because he had made a bargain with the Left Xian King.
• Xie Jianlan sent the White Owl Camp elites onward and evaded Cao Gonggong across the frozen plain until Ye Jingtang arrived with Dongfang Liren.
• Ye Jingtang and Xie Jianlan fought with their spear and halberd, and Xie Jianlan seized the box despite being pierced through the chest.
• Xie Jianlan tried to keep fighting rather than abandon the box, so Ye Jingtang and Cao Gonggong pinned him into a crater in the ice.

Ye Jingtang stopped the pursuit of Fan Qinghe and learned why Xie Jianlan had spent years chasing a seemingly impossible cure for his wife. After leaving Cao Gonggong to deal with Xie Jianlan and guard the icefield, Ye Jingtang rode away with Dongfang Liren and Fan Qinghe to continue their plans against the Left Xian King.

• Ye Jingtang opened Xie Jianlan’s box and was sprayed with Dragon-Prison Miasma, discovering it did not contain Snow Lake Flower.
• Fan Qinghe arrived with the Snow Lake Flower while more than a hundred martial artists pursued her, and Ye Jingtang scattered them with a powerful spear strike.
• Ye Jingtang warned the fleeing martial artists that Shi Daoyu and Xie Jianlan had fallen into enemy hands, then scolded Fan Qinghe for venturing out alone.
• Fan Qinghe told Ye Jingtang that Xie Jianlan’s wife had taken Soul-Scattering Dove and that she had given Xie an elixir formula as a reason to keep living.
• Ye Jingtang urged Xie Jianlan to pursue the Way of heaven and earth for a possible cure, and promised to ask the Northern Liang Medical Sage for help if he found one.
• Ye Jingtang asked Cao Gonggong to patrol the icefield and prevent Snow Lake Flower deliveries from leaving the city, then rode away with Dongfang Liren and Fan Qinghe.

Dongfang Liren and Fan Qinghe carried the dizzy Ye Jingtang toward the Western Sea Protectorate, while the Left Xian King learned that his forces had lost the Snow Lake Flowers and planned to escort the remaining supply himself. At an inn near the city, Fan Qinghe tried to relieve Ye Jingtang’s condition with Dongfang Liren’s prompting, and the chapter ended with her continuing the awkward treatment after he briefly woke.

• Dongfang Liren rode toward the Western Sea Protectorate with Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe, while Ye Jingtang grew increasingly dazed from the Dragon-Prison Miasma.
• The Left Xian King learned that Shi Daoyu’s party had been wiped out, Xie Jianlan had died to Ye Jingtang, and the Snow Lake Flowers had been lost; he ordered preparations to escort the remaining flowers himself.
• Dongfang Liren and Fan Qinghe stopped near the Western Sea Protectorate and brought the exhausted Ye Jingtang to a familiar inn, where Fan Qinghe diagnosed his condition as requiring rest.
• Dongfang Liren urged Fan Qinghe to treat Ye Jingtang’s prolonged reaction to the miasma, giving her illustrated instructions from Tears of the Chivalrous Woman.
• Ye Jingtang briefly woke as Fan Qinghe treated him, gave her Jade Dragon Balm, and then fell asleep again; Fan Qinghe continued while Dongfang Liren waited outside the curtains.

Dongfang Liren and Fan Qinghe discussed refining a stronger Heavenly Lang Pearl to improve Ye Jingtang’s chances against the Left Xian King, while Hua Junchen’s convoy reached the Western Sea Protectorate and Hua Qingzhi settled into Myriad Treasures Tower. The chapter left Hua Qingzhi realizing that Myriad Treasures Tower had once charged Ye Jingtang an exorbitant price for a sundial.

• Dongfang Liren found Ye Jingtang recovering after Fan Qinghe treated him and reassured him that she would keep him safe.
• Fan Qinghe proposed using the seized Snow Lake Flowers to refine a Heavenly Lang Pearl that could strengthen Ye Jingtang, and Dongfang Liren approved trying it after he woke.
• Hua Junchen’s convoy passed through a military inspection and entered the Western Sea Protectorate, where Hua Junchen sent Hua Ning to contact the Left Xian King’s Manor.
• Hua Qingzhi and Green Pearl discussed the Western Frontier’s history and imagined what Ye Jingtang’s royal marriage might have been if the Northwestern Royal Court had survived.
• Hua Qingzhi reached Myriad Treasures Tower and learned that its steward had sold Ye Jingtang a sundial for a hundred taels, far above its usual five-tael price.

After recovering from the battle at Tianlang Lake, Ye Jingtang agreed to help Fan Qinghe refine a Heavenly Lang Pearl to strengthen his martial power. The group entered the Northwest Royal Capital and began preparing the alchemy, where they unexpectedly heard that Hua Qingzhi’s maid was nearby.

• Ye Jingtang woke in the inn, ate with Fan Qinghe, and discussed the risks of refining a Heavenly Lang Pearl from their Snow Lake Flowers.
• Ye Jingtang, Fan Qinghe, Dongfang Liren, and Niao Niao traveled to the Northwest Royal Capital and entered the city by separate routes.
• Fan Qinghe led the group to the Dongming Tribe’s medicine shop, where they gathered equipment and began preparing ingredients for the alchemy.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren recognized Green Pearl’s voice in the shop’s front hall and learned she was buying medicine and aged ginseng.
• Dongfang Liren considered visiting Hua Qingzhi at Myriad Treasures Tower, but Ye Jingtang urged her to focus on the alchemy and avoid drawing attention.

While waiting for a pill to brew, Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren encountered Hua Qingzhi and learned her family was seeking Snow Lake Flowers for her treatment. After leaving the meeting, Ye Jingtang secretly questioned the Left Xian King's steward and learned the king had ordered preparations for an outing.

• Ye Jingtang, Fan Qinghe, and Dongfang Liren ate grilled fish at Tianyun Tower while their pill simmered.
• Ye Jingtang overheard Hua Junchen asking Li Xian for Snow Lake Flowers, then encountered Hua Qingzhi outside the courtyard.
• Dongfang Liren offered to provide Hua Qingzhi with the flowers, but Hua Qingzhi declined because ordinary ingredients could restore her health over time.
• Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren warned Hua Qingzhi to stay indoors amid unrest, then left without finishing the poem he had begun reciting.
• Ye Jingtang held Li Xian at knifepoint and learned that the Left Xian King had ordered his clothes and horses prepared, suggesting he planned to go out.

On the night before Ye Jingtang was to take the potent Heavenly Lang Pearl, Dongfang Liren persuaded Fan Qinghe to teach her how to relieve his excess energy. Fan Qinghe began demonstrating while Ye Jingtang lay between them, and their awkward lesson continued late into the night.

• Ye Jingtang carried the tipsy Dongfang Liren back to the medicine shop and tucked her into bed before checking on the dozing Fan Qinghe.
• Ye Jingtang carried Fan Qinghe into Dongfang Liren's room so she could rest, and Dongfang Liren asked Fan Qinghe to teach her how to help Ye Jingtang if his medicine caused trouble.
• Fan Qinghe agreed that Dongfang Liren should learn before Ye Jingtang took the Heavenly Lang Pearl, and Dongfang Liren called him into the room as a practice subject.
• Fan Qinghe explained the lesson to Ye Jingtang, who obediently lay down while she demonstrated and Dongfang Liren watched.
• Dongfang Liren tried the technique herself, while Fan Qinghe guided her and corrected Ye Jingtang's position as their lesson stretched on for half the night.