Recaps

Zhao Guangyi stripped Huang Xiao of his Retainer position and rank, then ordered him to serve in the palace Prison Office. Huang Xiao welcomed the assignment because it gave him a chance to see Zhao Xin'er, though he learned the post would leave him at the mercy of the palace hierarchy.

• Huang Xiao suspected Jiang Ang had interfered with his appointment after Zhao Guangyi reduced him to a Reserve Constable.
• Zhao Guangyi ordered Huang Xiao to remain in the palace, and Jiang Ang accepted the assignment despite warning that Huang Xiao might be unsuitable for guard duty.
• Chief Steward Wang assigned Huang Xiao to the understaffed Prison Office as a Prison Office Guard, while privately criticizing Jiang Ang for straying from the emperor’s intentions.
• Huang Xiao felt pleased that staying in the palace could bring him closer to Zhao Xin'er, even as a guard explained that the Prison Office was a harsh place dominated by eunuchs.
• The guard warned Huang Xiao to endure the mistreatment and avoid making trouble if he wanted to return to the Six Gates.

Huang Xiao was assigned to guard the Prison Office after losing his first-class constable status, while Eunuch Gou suspected the appointment had a hidden purpose. At the Six Gates, Jiang Ang and Huang Qitao wondered whether the emperor had sent Huang Xiao to investigate imprisoned Eunuch Qiu, though they remained unsure of the emperor’s intentions.

• An imperial guard took Huang Xiao to the Prison Office, where Eunuch Gou ordered Little Guzi to show him the prison and explain his duties.
• After Huang Xiao left, Eunuch Gou suspected that Chief Steward Wang or Huang Qitao might have sent him to interfere with a long-running scheme.
• Jiang Ang told Huang Qitao that the emperor had denied Huang Xiao a retainership and reduced him to a reserve constable.
• Huang Qitao and Jiang Ang speculated that Huang Xiao might be tasked with questioning Qiu Dafu, but agreed the emperor might simply be testing him.
• Huang Qitao revealed that Qiu Dafu’s cultivation method shared a lineage with the Late Emperor’s, then told Jiang Ang to keep watch on Huang Xiao without overreacting.
• Jiang Ang warned that Huang Qitao might be disappointed about the vacant Arrest God position and asked whether they should begin the Second Plan.

Huang Qitao and Jiang Ang planned to recruit Tuoba Xing while continuing to position Huang Qitao to become Arrest God. In the Imperial Palace, Huang Xiao lost patience with the eunuchs bullying him, but Liu Dacheng’s arrival stopped the confrontation and made them back down.

• Huang Qitao told Jiang Ang to keep waiting for his appointment as Arrest God and suggested approaching Tuoba Xing after Huang Xiao crippled Yang Quan.
• Jiang Ang agreed to contact Tuoba Xing and try to build a connection with the Tuoba Family Lineage.
• After three days as a prison office guard, Huang Xiao refused to sweep the corridor or empty chamber pots for the eunuchs and threatened to strike them with a broom.
• Liu Dacheng arrived, recognized Huang Xiao as his junior brother, and made the middle-aged eunuch order the others to stop harassing him.
• Huang Xiao insisted he would handle only his cell-inspection duties, and Liu Dacheng asked why he had left the Six Gates to work in the palace.

Huang Xiao asked Liu Dacheng to pass a message to Zhao Xin'er through Tao'er, hoping she would learn he was in the Prison Office. Liu Dacheng agreed, and the two headed to the cells together to deliver food and make their rounds.

• Huang Xiao told Liu Dacheng he had come to seek a retainer's position and reaffirmed his intention to avenge Xuanzhenzi by killing Bai Tianqi.
• Huang Xiao asked Liu Dacheng about Zhao Xin'er and learned that Tao'er served the Third Princess, though Liu Dacheng had only heard of her.
• Liu Dacheng offered to use Eunuch Gou's connections to try to meet Tao'er, and Huang Xiao asked him to say, "Young Master Huang is in the Prison Office now."
• Huang Xiao gave Liu Dacheng ten thousand taels to help arrange the meeting, and Liu Dacheng agreed to do his best.
• Liu Dacheng remembered he had to deliver food to a prisoner, and Huang Xiao joined him to make a round of the cells.

Huang Xiao and Liu Dacheng visited the dying Eunuch Qiu in a hidden underground chamber, where Huang Xiao revived him long enough to speak. Eunuch Qiu revealed that Eunuch Gou wanted a cultivation method he had created and began telling Liu Dacheng the secret, warning that it could bring danger or opportunity.

• Liu Dacheng showed Huang Xiao the hidden entrance to the underground chamber and introduced him to the frail, shackled Eunuch Qiu.
• Huang Xiao used his Everlasting Spring Ageless True Qi to revive Eunuch Qiu, who recognized the cultivation method as likely belonging to Medicine King Hall.
• Eunuch Qiu asked Liu Dacheng to demonstrate the move he had taught him, and Liu Dacheng pierced an iron cage bar with an embroidery needle.
• After Huang Xiao left them alone, Eunuch Qiu told Liu Dacheng that he knew Eunuch Gou's scheme and that the secret they wanted was a cultivation method he had created himself.

Eunuch Qiu revealed that he had once served as the Late Emperor’s chief steward and entrusted Liu Dacheng with finding two books buried in a grave outside the city. He died before explaining the second book, leaving Liu Dacheng and Huang Xiao to seek a way to give him a proper burial.

• Eunuch Qiu told Liu Dacheng that the moves he had taught him were a test and offered to pass on his cultivation method, urging him to practice it and rely on Huang Xiao when needed.
• Eunuch Qiu instructed Liu Dacheng to retrieve two books from a grave fifty li east of the city, then died before revealing what the second book contained.
• Huang Xiao returned to the hidden chamber, where Liu Dacheng mourned Eunuch Qiu and resolved to arrange his burial outside the palace.
• Huang Xiao used Godslayer to cut through Eunuch Qiu’s unusually strong shackles and freed his hands and feet.
• Liu Dacheng left to report Eunuch Qiu’s death to Eunuch Gou and ask permission to bury him himself.

Zhao Guangyi explained to Xiao Yu that he had sent Huang Xiao to the Prison Office as part of a plan involving Qiu Kui, and decided to return Huang Xiao to the Six Gates as a Reserve Constable. As Huang Xiao prepared to leave the Prison Office, Zhao Xin'er arrived and demanded to know why he had accepted such humiliation.

• Zhao Guangyi told Xiao Yu that Qiu Kui had died in the Prison Office and revealed he had hoped the imprisoned man would pass his formidable cultivation method to Huang Xiao.
• Zhao Guangyi said Huang Xiao could return to the Six Gates the next day, but only as a Reserve Constable for now.
• Liu Dacheng told Huang Xiao he had delivered his message to Tao'er, though Zhao Xin'er had shown little reaction, and arranged to help Huang Xiao leave with Qiu Kui's body that night.
• Huang Xiao worried that Zhao Xin'er had not come to see him, then was overjoyed when she appeared at his cell.
• Zhao Xin'er reproached Huang Xiao for accepting the Prison Office Guard post instead of leaving when Zhao Guangyi denied him his former rank.

Huang Xiao confessed that he had accepted the prison office guard position to stay near Zhao Xin'er, and the two grew closer as they spoke about his ambitions and their feelings. Their hands triggered the Blissful Art’s exchange of true qi, and Zhao Xin'er said they could cultivate together after she reached the Peak Realm, leaving Huang Xiao stunned.

• Huang Xiao told Zhao Xin'er he had stayed in the palace because he wanted to see her, and she revealed she could have found him outside the palace too.
• Zhao Xin'er told Huang Xiao he could leave the prison office guard post and return to the Six Gates, then asked him to call her Xin'er and let her call him Brother Huang.
• Huang Xiao took Zhao Xin'er's hand and vowed to grow strong enough to surpass Xu Wuyu, while Zhao Xin'er acknowledged his progress and said he did not need to explain his secrets.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Xin'er released each other's hands after their internal power and true qi began to merge through the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion's Blissful Art.
• Zhao Xin'er explained that the Blissful Art was a form of dual cultivation and said they could cultivate together after she reached the Peak Realm, leaving Huang Xiao focused on her words.

Huang Xiao and Liu Dacheng secretly carried Eunuch Qiu’s body out of the palace to bury him at a mass burial ground. After opening a grave marked with the Tomb of the Kui Clan, they found Eunuch Qiu’s cultivation method inside a jar, but a sinister voice interrupted them.

• Zhao Xin'er visited Huang Xiao, and Liu Dacheng mistook her for the Third Princess when he arrived.
• Huang Xiao and Liu Dacheng waited until the third watch, then smuggled Eunuch Qiu’s body out of the palace and left the city.
• Liu Dacheng led Huang Xiao to the mass burial ground and found the grave marked with the Tomb of the Kui Clan.
• They dug up the grave and opened its coffin, finding no remains but a sealed black jar containing Eunuch Qiu’s cultivation method.
• A sinister laugh sounded nearby, declaring that Eunuch Qiu had arrived at just the right time.

Eunuch Gou tracked Huang Xiao and Liu Dacheng using Thousand-Mile Soul-Chasing Incense and attacked them to seize Eunuch Qiu’s cultivation method. After fighting him off with evasive footwork, Huang Xiao learned that the Remnant Demon Sword Technique came from an incomplete version of Eunuch Qiu’s method, then dismissed Eunuch Gou’s confidence as he prepared to respond.

• Eunuch Gou revealed that he had followed Liu Dacheng by using Thousand-Mile Soul-Chasing Incense and demanded the jar containing Eunuch Qiu’s cultivation method.
• Liu Dacheng urged Huang Xiao to escape with the jar, but Huang Xiao refused to abandon his fellow disciple.
• Eunuch Gou attacked Huang Xiao with the Remnant Demon Sword Technique, while Huang Xiao evaded his increasingly dangerous strikes with Snake-Traveling Tiny Steps.
• Huang Xiao recognized Eunuch Gou’s sword technique, and Eunuch Gou explained that it had evolved from Eunuch Qiu’s incomplete cultivation method.
• Eunuch Gou threatened Huang Xiao and Liu Dacheng to keep the secret, but Huang Xiao mocked his certainty and thanked him for revealing the method’s history.

Huang Xiao revealed his demonic cultivation and killed Eunuch Gou, then helped Liu Dacheng bury Eunuch Qiu and Eunuch Gou. Liu Dacheng opened Eunuch Qiu’s jar and discovered the Yin Demon Treasure Scripture, a manual only eunuchs could practice.

• Huang Xiao unleashed his Heavenly Demon True Qi, broke Eunuch Gou’s sword, and killed him with a dagger.
• Liu Dacheng worried that Huang Xiao’s demonic cultivation could corrupt him, and Huang Xiao promised to use it only when necessary.
• Liu Dacheng and Huang Xiao reburied Eunuch Qiu and buried Eunuch Gou nearby.
• Huang Xiao stepped away so Liu Dacheng could open Eunuch Qiu’s jar alone.
• Liu Dacheng found the Yin Demon Treasure Scripture and learned that its Yin Demon Divine Skill required the practitioner to castrate himself.
• Liu Dacheng read that the manual’s needle technique could eventually control countless needles, unlike the Tang Sect’s Storm of Needles.

Liu Dacheng discovered that Eunuch Qiu’s Yin Demon Treasure Scripture had been derived from the mysterious Sui Emperor Chapter, which he gave to Huang Xiao. The two prepared to return to the palace, while Huang Xiao kept Zhao Xin’er’s delicate status secret.

• Liu Dacheng read the Sui Emperor Chapter and found its scripture too abstruse to understand, unlike the Yin Demon Treasure Scripture.
• Huang Xiao assured Liu Dacheng that he would not covet the Yin Demon Divine Skill, and Liu Dacheng revealed that practicing it required castration.
• Liu Dacheng explained that Eunuch Qiu had derived the Yin Demon Divine Skill from the Sui Emperor Chapter and offered the scripture to Huang Xiao.
• Liu Dacheng named the Origin Dragon Art, the Imperial Dragon Art, and the Supreme Yang Skill as techniques derived from the Sui Emperor Chapter, and Huang Xiao recognized the connection to the Supreme Yang Divine Lord.
• Liu Dacheng gave Huang Xiao the Sui Emperor Chapter, then agreed to return with him before anyone discovered his absence from the palace.
• Huang Xiao chose not to tell Liu Dacheng that he had asked Zhao Xin'er to look after him, keeping her status secret.

After returning from the palace, Huang Xiao learned that Hong Yi and Meng Jiu had gone on a mission, then received orders from Zhao Yunya to rush to Hangzhou Prefecture and protect the Third Princess, Zhao Yunhui. He set out with several newly appointed retainers and constables, hoping to reach her in time.

• Huang Xiao and Liu Dacheng buried the offerings at Eunuch Qiu's grave before returning to the Imperial Palace's Prison Office.
• Huang Xiao received an imperial decree sending him back to the Six Gates as a reserve constable, and Du Ge visited him after his return.
• Du Ge told Huang Xiao that Hong Yi and Meng Jiu had left Kaifeng on a mission.
• Zhao Yunya summoned Huang Xiao and ordered him to support Hong Yi and Meng Jiu in Hangzhou Prefecture, where the Third Princess's safety was at stake.
• Huang Xiao reached the Six Gates' main entrance and found Han Jing, Liu Sanfu, Zhou Ding, and four third-class constables ready to depart.

Huang Xiao led a mission toward Hangzhou Prefecture but ended up driving Yan Xi’s carriage after she insisted. The group traveled without trouble, while the chapter ended with an unknown figure standing before Youwan’s tomb, whose husband was named Tuoba Ao.

• Huang Xiao met Han Jing, Liu Sanfu, and Zhou Ding, then set out with them and Yan Xi toward Hangzhou Prefecture.
• Yan Xi ordered Huang Xiao to drive her carriage, and he agreed despite the others’ surprise.
• Yan Xi told Huang Xiao that the mission was not urgent and that Hong Yi and Meng Jiu were already near Hangzhou Prefecture.
• Huang Xiao’s group continued at the carriage’s pace and dealt easily with bandits along the road.
• An unknown figure appeared before Youwan’s tomb at the foot of an unnamed mountain, where the inscription named her husband as Tuoba Ao.

A white-haired old man took Youwan’s Urn from the Tuoba Family’s tomb and confronted Tuoba Ke and Tuoba Fang, who recognized him as the Founding Patriarch of the Medicine King Hall. Before leaving, he invoked the promise Tuoba Ao had made to Youwan, prompting Tuoba Ke to reject the Fang Family and reaffirm the Tuoba Family’s alliance with the You Family.

• The old man broke Youwan’s gravestone, opened her grave, and removed her Urn from the White Jade Stone Coffin.
• Tuoba Ke and Tuoba Fang arrived and bowed to their ancestors, then Tuoba Ke acknowledged the old man’s identity and let him take the Urn.
• The old man reminded Tuoba Ke of Tuoba Ao’s promise to Youwan and warned him not to make him repeat himself.
• After the old man vanished, Tuoba Ke ordered the tomb restored, the Fang Family alliance rejected, and the Tuoba Family’s alliance with the You Family reaffirmed.
• Tuoba Fang asked whether the visitor was the legendary Medicine King Hall Founding Patriarch, and Tuoba Ke confirmed it.

You Lian'er resisted the forced marriage to Tuoba Ge, but Madam You sealed her internal power to stop her from escaping or taking her life. Tuoba Ji then arrived to cancel the marriage while reaffirming the Tuoba Family's alliance with the You Family, leaving Madam You uncertain whether she could trust his assurances.

• You Lian'er refused to marry Tuoba Ge, but Madam You said the You Family's Ancestors had decided the marriage to protect the family from the Fang Family.
• You Lian'er briefly imagined Huang Xiao, then declared she would rather die fighting the Fang Family; Madam You revealed that she had sealed You Lian'er's power and promised an antidote after the marriage.
• A servant announced that Tuoba Ji had come to see Madam You, and You Lian'er was taken to a back room.
• Tuoba Ji asked Madam You to cancel the marriage between Tuoba Ge and You Lian'er, alarming her because she feared he intended to ally with the Fang Family.
• Tuoba Ji denied that the Tuoba Family would ally with the Fang Family, reaffirmed its alliance with the You Family, and said their Ancestors would meet with the You Family's Ancestors to discuss how to face the Fang Family.

After Tuoba Ji left the You Family, You Lian'er heard that the marriage with Ge'er was still under consideration and walked away angrily. At Medicine King Hall, two youthful granduncles learned that the Founding Patriarch was likely alive and ordered their grand-disciple to offer the You Family support and recover its Netherworld Demon Zither from the Fang Family.

• Tuoba Ji told Madam You that the marriage between You Lian'er and Ge'er should be left to fate, though he privately believed his son's affection was unreturned.
• You Lian'er overheard Tuoba Ji and left angrily, while Madam You sent a maid to follow her.
• A grand-disciple reported to two Medicine King Hall granduncles that the Founding Patriarch was likely alive, based on events at the Tuoba Family tomb and Tuoba Ji's changed dealings with the You Family.
• The senior brother concluded that Medicine King Hall should honor its old promises to the You Family and let it make the Seven Spirit Atlas public in exchange for the Hall's intervention if it faced trouble.
• The senior brother ordered the grand-disciple to visit the You Family and then retrieve the Netherworld Demon Zither from the Fang Family, whatever the cost.

After the Tuoba Family allied with the You Family, Fang Ketian canceled his plan to attack them and met with the Chiyin Ghost King. Fang Ketian agreed to the Sect Master's plan to remove three opponents inside the Fang Family, but would have to deal with the You Family himself.

• The Tuoba Family rejected Fang Ketian's terms and allied with the You Family, prompting Fang Ketian to cancel his planned attack.
• Fang Ketian decided he could not risk provoking Medicine King Hall and vowed to wait for another opportunity against the You Family.
• The Chiyin Ghost King visited Fang Ketian and asked whether he would accept the Sect Master's offer.
• Fang Ketian agreed, on the condition that the Sect Master first remove the three people opposing his control of the Fang Family.
• The Chiyin Ghost King refused to involve the Sect Master in the conflict with the You Family, explaining that he did not wish to provoke the old man from Medicine King Hall.

Fang Ketian planned to use the Soul-Losing Pill to weaken the three patriarchs and protect his bid to unite the Heavenly Demon Sect under the Fang Family. In Hangzhou, Huang Xiao and his companions learned that the princess they had been sent to protect was secretly known as Lingbo Fairy.

• Fang Ketian read the Chiyin Ghost King's instructions and resolved to poison the three patriarchs before they could remove him as family head.
• Fang Ketian sent a servant to arrange a visit with the patriarchs, using news about the You Family and Medicine King Hall as his pretext.
• Huang Xiao and his party reached Hangzhou and met Niu Tiangao, who explained that the Remnant Demon Sect planned to abduct the princess.
• Niu Tiangao told the group that the princess was staying on Lingbo Island, where Lingbo Fairy was said to live.
• Niu Tiangao revealed that Lingbo Fairy was actually Her Highness the Third Princess.

Huang Xiao and the others learned that the Remnant Demon Sect wanted to abduct Zhao Yunhui to force the emperor to hand over a cultivation method, and they prepared to travel to Lingbo Island. As they waited to depart, Huang Xiao opened the Sui Emperor Chapter to study it further.

• Niu Tiangao revealed that the Lingbo Fairy was Zhao Yunhui and that the Remnant Demon Sect sought to use her to threaten the emperor.
• Niu Tiangao said Hong Yi, Meng Jiu, and Dugu Sheng had already gone to Lingbo Island, prompting Yan Xi to insist that the group leave that afternoon.
• Niu Tiangao arranged an accelerated departure and warned that many young Jianghu experts would visit the island when Zhao Yunhui opened it to visitors in two days.
• Huang Xiao returned to his room, took out the Sui Emperor Chapter, and began studying it while the group waited to depart.

Huang Xiao and his companions headed for the Eastern Sea to protect the princess, but a crowd of young martial artists bound for Lingbo Island tried to claim their ship. Yan Xi confronted Ning Buli, a ranked young expert who had challenged the Six Gates, and revealed that she knew him.

• Huang Xiao joined Yan Xi, Zhou Ding, and the others, then rode with Niu Tiangao to the Qiantang River docks to board a ship for the Eastern Sea.
• At the crowded ferry landing, the group learned that young martial artists were traveling to Lingbo Island to see the Lingbo Fairy.
• The group found several young experts bidding for the ship, and Ning Buli offered ten thousand taels before declaring he would not yield to the Six Gates.
• Ning Buli threatened the constables guarding the ship, but Yan Xi stepped forward and challenged him by name.
• Han Jing identified Ning Buli as the Passionate Young Master, a Young Eagle Ranking expert and disciple of Gongsun Liang, the Heartless Daoist.

Huang Xiao and his companions left for Lingbo Island, where Yan Xi told him that Tuoba Xing had secretly deceived women and asked him to teach Tuoba a lesson. The next day, they spotted an island covered in peach blossoms, though it was already autumn.

• Ning Buli backed down and left after seeing Yan Xi accompanied by Six Gates retainers.
• Huang Xiao boarded the ship and spoke with Liu Sanfu about experiencing the sea for the first time.
• Yan Xi asked Huang Xiao about his strength and learned he was confident he could defeat Tuoba Xing, though he expected to be badly injured.
• Yan Xi accused Tuoba Xing of deceiving women and asked Huang Xiao to teach him a lesson.
• The next day, Huang Xiao and the others saw peach blossoms blooming across an island ahead.

Huang Xiao and his companions arrived at Lingbo Island, where Hong Yi warned them that the Remnant Demon Sect might be planning a major attack. As they followed him through the island’s formations to meet Zhao Yunhui, Huang Xiao recognized the peach grove’s design and was astonished by the changed presence of her guard, Yan Zhong.

• Yan Xi reunited with Dugu Sheng when Huang Xiao’s boat reached Lingbo Island, while Hong Yi welcomed Huang Xiao and explained that other visitors had docked elsewhere.
• Hong Yi, Meng Jiu, and Dugu Sheng discussed the possible threat from the Remnant Demon Sect and the difficulty of obtaining reinforcements from the Six Gates.
• Hong Yi led the group through a peach grove, where Huang Xiao recognized that its Confusion Formation resembled a simplified Nine Palaces Grand Mystery Formation.
• Lü Ling escorted the group to Zhao Yunhui, where Zhou Ding and his companions sensed an expert watching them.
• Huang Xiao recognized the old man beside Zhao Yunhui as Yan Zhong and was surprised that his presence now seemed unfathomable.

Huang Xiao questioned Yan Zhong’s strength, and Yan Zhong explained that a cultivation method had limited his power until recently. He revealed that he had reached Upper Peerless and brushed against the next threshold, leaving the group to prepare for Lingbo Island’s opening with greater confidence.

• Huang Xiao sensed that Yan Zhong’s aura far exceeded Low Peak and wondered whether he had concealed his strength.
• Yan Zhong warned the retainers to stay vigilant against the Remnant Demon Sect’s covert attacks and praised Huang Xiao’s rapid advancement.
• Zhao Yunhui explained that Yan Zhong had not concealed his strength, and Yan Zhong said his cultivation method had kept him from using his full power.
• Yan Zhong clarified that he was at Upper Peerless and had recently brushed against the threshold beyond it.
• Hong Yi and Yan Xi said Yan Zhong’s strength reassured them, and Zhao Yunhui dismissed the group to rest before Lingbo Island opened.

Zhao Yunhui concealed the danger in her divination, which tied her survival and marriage fate to Huang Xiao, while Huang Xiao and his companions watched a mysterious youth in black defeat Ning Buli. The youth left after glancing toward them, and the group discussed how much their martial arts had improved.

• Zhao Yunhui told Yan Zhong that her divination predicted no danger, though she privately feared a perilous tribulation that Huang Xiao might help her overcome.
• Huang Xiao, Hong Yi, Dugu Sheng, and Meng Jiu surveyed the crowd gathered on Lingbo Island before its opening.
• A youth in black cut Ning Buli’s face, disarmed him, and drove him away with a near-fatal saber strike.
• The youth in black glanced toward Huang Xiao and his companions before leaving, but none of them recognized him.
• Dugu Sheng revealed that he had comprehended all eighty-one forms of his sword technique, while Hong Yi and Meng Jiu discussed their own progress.