Chapter Summaries

Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun ambushed two assassins waiting for Ye Jingtang outside Embrace Origin Gate, but the fight turned against them when the men used needles and poison powder. Ye Jingtang arrived after killing Li Hunyuan, drove off the attackers, and left with the injured Pei Xiangjun as the martial artists watched in awe.

• Luo Ning spotted Wang Chengjing and Wang Er approaching Embrace Origin Gate to ambush Ye Jingtang and prepared to intercept them.
• A crash from inside the gate startled the assassins, and they attacked Luo Ning when she moved to investigate.
• Pei Xiangjun joined Luo Ning and revealed that Ye Jingtang had beaten Li Hunyuan to death, then fought the Wang brothers with her Nine-Foot Spear.
• Wang Er threw poison powder, forcing Pei Xiangjun to abandon her spear and pull Luo Ning clear of Wang Chengjing's whip.
• Ye Jingtang arrived and hurled the Black Qilin Spear through the brothers, but Wang Chengjing escaped with Wang Er while Niao Niao pursued them.
• Ye Jingtang took the injured Pei Xiangjun away on horseback, while Luo Ning arranged for the recovered spears to be returned and warned the onlookers against stealing them.

Ye Jingtang brought the poisoned and injured Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning to a safe house, where he treated Pei Xiangjun and learned that medicine made from Snow Lake Flower might explain his newfound strength. Niao Niao found the killers’ hiding place, but Ye Jingtang stayed to protect the two women while the surviving assassins recovered and planned to continue hunting him.

• Ye Jingtang carried Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning to a prepared safe house after Snow Moth Scale left them unable to move.
• Ye Jingtang found a needle wound on Pei Xiangjun, drew out the poison, and applied balm to her injured Governing Vessel while she and Luo Ning argued.
• Ye Jingtang described his sudden improvement in strength, and Luo Ning suspected he had taken medicine made with Snow Lake Flower.
• Niao Niao located the assassins’ hiding place, but Ye Jingtang told the bird to keep watch while he remained with the women.
• Wang Chengjing treated Wang Er’s wounds aboard a cargo boat, rejected his suggestion to abandon the job, and resolved to pursue Ye Jingtang next.

Ye Jingtang brought Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun back to Yun'an after searching Iron Buddha Ridge for clues about the White Pearl, but found the stone chamber had been cleared. After seeing Pei Xiangjun safely home, he rode with Luo Ning toward their house in the rain, where she promised to tend to him.

• Ye Jingtang searched the Cheng Family's stone chamber on Iron Buddha Ridge but found it cleaned out and could not learn more about the White Pearl.
• Ye Jingtang used Silly's waist token to enter Yun'an after the city gates had closed.
• Ye Jingtang carried the injured Pei Xiangjun over the wall into the Pei Residence, and she asked whether she was a little fat before sending him away.
• Ye Jingtang told Xiuhe to look after Pei Xiangjun, then set off with Luo Ning toward Dyeing Street.
• Luo Ning objected to Ye Jingtang holding her on the horse, then relented and promised to tend to him and get him a prescription.

Luo Ning returned to Twin Osmanthus Alley, where she read a letter from the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master about the Wandering Body Palm, Cao Gonggong, and Prince Wu. She shared the warning with Ye Jingtang while they bathed together, leaving them to consider the dangerous investigation ahead.

• Luo Ning came home and caught Zhe Yunli staying up to finish her homework, then put her and Niao Niao to bed.
• Luo Ning read the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master's letter, which traced the Wandering Body Palm to Zhang Henggu and Cao Gonggong and suggested the killer might be connected to Cao Gonggong.
• The letter revealed that Prince Wu's people had approached the Sky-Pacifying Sect with a rebellion proposal, and the sect master advised Luo Ning to investigate Prince Wu cautiously.
• Luo Ning told Ye Jingtang what the letter said as they washed together, and he began helping her bathe.

Ye Jingtang investigated the princes’ heirs after hearing rumors that the Heir of Prince Wu had an extraordinary palate, while Dongfang Liren dealt with the fallout from Cheng Shilu’s death and questioned Ye about it. He learned where the Heir of Prince Wu stayed, then left Dongfang Liren’s carriage to pursue his investigations.

• Ye Jingtang bought roast chicken for Niao Niao and learned that the Heir of Prince Yan was known for gambling, the Heir of Prince Liang for drinking, and the Heir of Prince Wu for discerning food.
• Dongfang Liren heard that Cheng Shilu had died from fourteen spear wounds and ordered the Ministry of Justice to record his death as a suicide after a failed poisoned attack.
• The White-Haired Old Woman reported that Ye Jingtang had beaten Li Hunyuan and demolished part of Embrace Origin Gate, and Dongfang Liren was relieved that he had not killed him.
• Ye Jingtang met Dongfang Liren, explained Cheng Shilu’s death, and let her check his pulse; she then tested his pain tolerance while he read an illustrated book.
• Ye Jingtang asked about the Capital City’s Four Eccentric Heroes, and Dongfang Liren described the Heir of Prince Wu’s tasting talent and warned him to be wary of the princes’ heirs.
• Dongfang Liren said Ye Jingtang could not attend the palace banquet, and he left to investigate the Zhuji Street murder and other cases.

Luo Ning visited Madam Wang for medicine to curb Ye Jingtang’s vigor, then accompanied him to investigate the Heir of Prince Wu’s estate. Ye Jingtang infiltrated the estate and began searching the heir’s study for evidence.

• Luo Ning obtained heat-clearing medicine from Madam Wang, who also recommended Fan Qiaoshou’s undergarments and gave her Fragrant Consort Dew.
• Ye Jingtang met Luo Ning outside the clinic and invited her to investigate the Heir of Prince Wu; Luo Ning bought a costly undergarment at Fan Qiaoshou on the way.
• Ye Jingtang and Luo Ning surveyed Prince Wu’s estate, and Luo Ning suggested searching the heir’s study or bedroom for plans connected to the Zhuji Street case.
• Ye Jingtang swam past the estate’s patrols and found brittle, corroded stains on the stone paving near the viewing tower.
• Ye Jingtang slipped into the estate’s study while Niao Niao distracted the hounds, then began inspecting the shelves of books.

Ye Jingtang searched the Heir of Prince Wu’s residence and found a scandalous book that suggested the heir might be studying how to tunnel into an imperial mausoleum. After a secret-chamber encounter forced him to flee, he told Luo Ning about the clue, but she doubted it could prove anything.

• Ye Jingtang found that a frequently opened passage in Secret History of the Seductress described tunneling into an imperial mausoleum, and suspected the Heir of Prince Wu was using it as a reference.
• Ye Jingtang searched the bedroom and discovered a concealed passage beneath an empty cabinet, alerting the people gathered in the secret chamber below.
• Nangong Shaofeng attacked the masked intruder, but Ye Jingtang fought him off and escaped through the manor toward the river.
• The white-robed elder and the other advisers discussed the intruder’s Cloud-Adhering Fourteen Hands and decided to clear the underground chamber and conceal their activities.
• Niao Niao helped Ye Jingtang evade the pursuing guards, and he met Luo Ning downstream before telling her about the book and his suspicion.
• Luo Ning rebuked Ye Jingtang for treating the book as evidence, while he insisted its detailed tunnel passage made the Heir of Prince Wu’s interest suspicious.

Ye Jingtang found a banned history describing secret tunnels and learned that Stone-Dissolving Oil might connect Prince Wu’s heir to the Zhuji Street murders. He and Dongfang Liren considered a possible prison break targeting the eldest imperial son, but their discussion ended in an accidental kiss that enraged Dongfang Liren.

• Ye Jingtang searched for Secret History of the Seductress, bought an old copy, and found its descriptions of palace tunnels and Stone-Dissolving Oil strikingly accurate.
• Dongfang Liren learned that a thief had broken into Prince Wu’s Manor and used Cloud-Adhering Fourteen Hands to escape without stealing anything.
• Ye Jingtang told Dongfang Liren that the killer might be using Stone-Dissolving Oil to damage a building and could be planning a prison break; Dongfang Liren warned him not to accuse a vassal prince without evidence.
• Dongfang Liren whispered that a vassal prince seeking a prison break would target the eldest imperial son, and Ye Jingtang accidentally kissed her cheek as he turned toward her.
• Dongfang Liren angrily seized Ye Jingtang’s saber and scolded him, then ordered him out of the carriage after he tried to wipe the rouge and lip print from his face.

Ye Jingtang received permission to practice at the Dragon-Mingling Pool, where the Empress of Great Wei warned him against trying to reconstruct the Dragon-Mingling Diagram himself. Meanwhile, Dongfang Liren stayed at the palace and ordered a book about the Heir of Prince Liang and tunnel digging to be found.

• Ye Jingtang learned the palace rules and received a token allowing him to enter and leave the palace to practice at the Dragon-Mingling Pool.
• The Empress of Great Wei explained that she had secured his permission and warned him that attempting to deduce missing Dragon-Mingling Diagram methods had killed everyone who tried.
• Ye Jingtang described how he planned to use the Eight-Step Mad Blade to counter the Dragon-Slaying Order, but declined to spar beside the sovereign’s bedchamber.
• The Empress of Great Wei told Ye Jingtang that the Dragon-Mingling Diagram’s methods had to be followed exactly, then watched him leave and examined her white hair.
• Dongfang Liren recalled kissing Ye Jingtang and told a maid to let him leave without her, then ordered her to find a book about the Heir of Prince Liang and tunnel digging.

Ye Jingtang connected Prince Wu’s plans to the deposed emperor while returning home, then caught Luo Ning trying on revealing undergarments and discussed how to help restore his health. In the palace, Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager discovered that the Secret History of the Seductress described their bathing pool and began investigating its claims about the old palace.

• Ye Jingtang suspected Prince Wu was working with the deposed emperor’s remnants to build a legitimate cause for rebellion against the Empress.
• Luo Ning tried on the undergarments she had bought from Madam Wang, and Ye Jingtang walked in on her before they discussed warming up to aid his recovery.
• Luo Ning pretended to go press Yunli’s sleep acupoint, then returned after briefly locking Ye Jingtang out of the main room.
• Dongfang Liren received the Secret History of the Seductress, and the Empress Dowager recognized its descriptions of her bathing pool and its stone platform.
• Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager explored the palace together, searching for other traces described in the book.

Ye Jingtang was summoned to Blessings and Longevity Palace after Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager found a book describing a secret tunnel beneath the palace. They opened the passage and began exploring it, with Ye Jingtang scouting ahead.

• A Black Bureau constable summoned Ye Jingtang to Blessings and Longevity Palace at Prince Jing's request.
• Dongfang Liren showed Ye Jingtang the book and explained that it described a tunnel leading from the palace to the former Heir's Residence.
• Ye Jingtang found a hollow stone slab beneath the palace floor and shattered it to reveal the tunnel entrance.
• Ye Jingtang confirmed the tunnel was open and had air vents, then agreed to take Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager inside.
• Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager followed Ye Jingtang into the passage while he went ahead to check that it was safe.

Ye Jingtang, Dongfang Liren, and the Empress Dowager explored a long-sealed underground passage beneath the palace, where a rat startled the two women before they discovered a furnished underground chamber. They continued deeper into the passage to find its exit, taking precautions against a stone mechanism that could seal the chamber door.

• Ye Jingtang led Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager through the passage while Yang Lan followed at a distance.
• The Empress Dowager and Dongfang Liren were startled when a large rat rushed around a bend, but Ye Jingtang drove it away.
• The Empress Dowager insisted on continuing the exploration, and the group proceeded through the passage despite encountering more rats.
• Ye Jingtang, Dongfang Liren, and the Empress Dowager found an underground chamber with decayed furniture, storage niches, and a small well.
• Ye Jingtang warned the Empress Dowager not to touch a door-sealing stone and wedged a stool beneath it before leading the group onward.

Ye Jingtang, Dongfang Liren, and the Empress Dowager explored a hidden tunnel and discovered that Cao Aning's men were digging toward the palace foundations. When the white-robed old man blew through the barrier and the tunnel began collapsing, Ye Jingtang fought him while the others fled, leaving their fate unclear.

• Cao Aning showed Xu Bailin and the white-robed old man the tunnel works and explained that his men planned to use Molten Stone Oil against the palace foundations.
• Ye Jingtang found fresh footprints and a newly sealed wall while exploring the tunnel with Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager.
• The white-robed old man sensed the three on the other side, and Cao Aning ordered Xu Bailin to pour the Molten Stone Oil and told the old man to collapse the passage.
• The white-robed old man blasted through the wall, and Ye Jingtang shielded Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager from the flying bricks before clashing with him twice.
• Ye Jingtang knocked the white-robed old man down the tunnel, but the damaged passage began collapsing, and Ye Jingtang carried Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager away.

Ye Jingtang rescued Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager after a powerful attacker collapsed the tunnel, and the group took shelter in a stone chamber. As palace attendants arrived, Dongfang Liren agreed to investigate Dongfang Yin discreetly, though they still lacked proof of his secret plans.

• Ye Jingtang carried Dongfang Liren and the Empress Dowager away from the collapsing tunnel and told Yang Lan that an unknown, highly skilled attacker had struck from the other end.
• Yang Lan crawled beneath the fallen sealing stone to fetch help while Ye Jingtang stayed behind to protect the two women.
• Ye Jingtang treated Dongfang Liren's bruised and grazed legs, and Dongfang Liren checked the Empress Dowager's minor injuries.
• Ye Jingtang explained that his investigation had linked a tunnel book, the Heir of Prince Wu, and traces of rock-melting oil at Prince Wu's Manor.
• Dongfang Liren said she would discreetly investigate Dongfang Yin but needed evidence before the Imperial Court could act.
• Palace attendants arrived at the stone chamber, and Ye Jingtang went to speak with them.

After the tunnel attack, Ye Jingtang investigated its route but found the trail ended beneath a minister’s residence, while the Empress Dowager unknowingly prayed above the buried Dragon-Mingling Diagram. In the east of the city, Wang Chengjing and Wang Er overheard that a passing carriage’s occupants had fought Ye Jingtang and planned to use them to lure him into a killing opportunity.

• Dongfang Liren organized searches and a Ministry of Works survey while Ye Jingtang changed clothes, discussed the investigation, and asked where the Eldest Imperial Son was being held.
• Ye Jingtang followed the tunnel’s route aboveground, discovered the Dragon-Mingling Diagram lay beneath the Empress Dowager’s ginkgo tree, and continued toward the eastern wall without approaching her.
• Ye Jingtang traced the tunnel to a minister’s residence, where the trail ended, and realized the criminals’ route could not be determined without extensive excavation.
• Wang Chengjing heard occupants of a passing carriage say they had fought Ye Jingtang and quietly followed them with Wang Er.
• Wang Chengjing and Wang Er decided to identify where the carriage stopped and tip off Ye Jingtang, hoping to exploit the ensuing fight to kill him.

Pei Xiangjun hosted Luo Ning and Zhe Yunli while Ye Jingtang investigated the Eastern District, then passed him an anonymous tip about a suspicious residence near Gambling Street. Ye Jingtang decided to investigate the lead with Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun, despite her lingering injury.

• Pei Xiangjun welcomed Luo Ning and Zhe Yunli, offered Ye Jingtang a riverside mansion, and showed Luo Ning her fashionable embroidered undergarment.
• Xiuhe delivered an anonymous letter to Pei Xiangjun, who sent Niao Niao to notify Ye Jingtang.
• Ye Jingtang left his fruitless search of the Eastern District when Niao Niao found him and returned to the Pei residence.
• Ye Jingtang learned from the letter that a merchant had seen people carrying bows and crossbows into an unlit residence behind a West Market gambling den.
• Ye Jingtang agreed to investigate the suspicious residence with Luo Ning, and Pei Xiangjun insisted on joining them.

Ye Jingtang tracked down Xu Bailin and fought him alongside the Wang brothers, who had been hired to kill him. After defeating them, Ye Jingtang claimed to be a Sky-Pacifying Sect guardian and killed Xu Bailin when he refused to reveal Prince Wu’s plan; the other assassins remained under attack as help approached.

• Cao Aning and Xu Bailin argued over how Ye Jingtang had uncovered their hideout, then split up to evade him.
• Ye Jingtang encountered Xu Bailin in an alley and pursued him after Xu fled, while Xu’s attempts to escape endangered civilians.
• Wang Chengjing and Wang Er confronted Ye Jingtang, revealed they had been hired to kill him, and forced Xu Bailin to fight alongside them.
• Ye Jingtang overwhelmed all three attackers, wounded Xu Bailin, and demanded information about the case.
• Ye Jingtang told Xu Bailin he was a Sky-Pacifying Sect guardian and explained how he had traced the conspirators to Prince Wu.
• Xu Bailin refused to betray Prince Wu or disclose the plan to extract the Deposed Emperor, so Ye Jingtang killed him.

Ye Jingtang and Red Flower House subdued the assassins, and he learned that Prince Wu’s men planned to target the Eldest Imperial Son with Molten Stone Oil. He warned Dongfang Liren and discussed rewards and weapons with her as she headed to strengthen security.

• Ye Jingtang confirmed Xu Bailin was dead, then told Luo Ning that the captured Wang brothers should be handed to the Black Bureau for questioning.
• Luo Ning treated Pei Xiangjun’s injury in the carriage while Ye Jingtang waited outside and learned that Molten Stone Oil had been poured nearby.
• Dongfang Liren arrived, and Ye Jingtang reported that Prince Wu’s target was the Eldest Imperial Son in the Marquis of Yunning’s Residence.
• Ye Jingtang declined a noble title and asked Dongfang Liren to reconsider Palace Maid Yu Hu and Qiu Tianhe’s release; she refused for now but promised to look for an opportunity.
• Dongfang Liren examined the confiscated weapons and asked about borrowing Red Flower House’s Overlord Spear, so Ye Jingtang offered the Black Qilin Spear instead.

Ye Jingtang and Dongfang Liren prepared a discreet defense against the Heir of Prince Wu while Ye Jingtang returned to the Pei Residence to rest and share a late-night meal with Luo Ning. At the Black Bureau, Qiu Tianhe delivered food to the dungeon and told the newly imprisoned Wang brothers that they had little hope of release.

• Dongfang Liren ordered the deposed emperor moved and secretly guarded while Black Bureau experts watched the Heir of Prince Wu without alerting him.
• Ye Jingtang returned to the Pei Residence, declined Niao Niao's report after the bird failed to keep up with Xu Bailin and the others, and found Zhe Yunli playing tiles.
• Luo Ning prepared noodles for Ye Jingtang, who teased her about a previous promise as they worked together in the kitchen.
• Qiu Tianhe noticed a crack in the ground by the Black Bureau's wall, then carried prison meals into the dungeon.
• Qiu Tianhe met Wang Er and Wang Chengjing in his former cell and explained that their attempted murder charge would not save them from a life in the dungeon.

Pei Xiangjun secretly watched Ye Jingtang and Luo Ning together, then received his concern and agreed to help find him a residence. In the morning, Ye Jingtang left Luo Ning to return to the western residence, where Zhe Yunli teased him while practicing her saber.

• Pei Xiangjun woke, discovered Luo Ning was absent, and peeked through a window to see her with Ye Jingtang.
• Ye Jingtang visited Pei Xiangjun, checked her pulse, comforted her, and accepted her offer to help find him a residence.
• The Empress Dowager discussed a fictional account of Empress Dowager Xuanyang with the Empress of Great Wei, who explained the political difficulty of arranging her marriage and succession.
• Ye Jingtang woke beside Luo Ning, kissed her, and narrowly avoided being struck when she woke and reached for her sword.
• Ye Jingtang went to the western residence and found Zhe Yunli practicing with a round fan while Niao Niao slept nearby.
• Zhe Yunli acted like a refined young lady to tease Ye Jingtang, leaving him speechless before he walked away.