Recaps

Chen Fan realized the Yellow Robe Army planned to frame Black Wind Mountain for abducting the Prince of Xiushan’s consort, then sent his bandits to raid Liu Family Village. He learned that Zhang Shan had become an Eighth Rank martial artist and was likely coming to kill Black Wind Baleful Intent, leaving Chen Fan troubled by the prospect of Zhang Shan dying if he killed him.

• Chen Fan connected the missing princess consort, Zhou Tong’s visit, and the Yellow Robe Army’s movements, concluding that they meant to frame Black Wind Mountain and provoke the Prince of Xiushan.
• Chen Fan left the tea stall to scout a target, and three days later Iron-Armed Monkey led a raid on Liu Family Village, whose wealth and grain the bandits took.
• Smiling Tiger distributed three cartloads of grain to refugees, who praised the bandits as living bodhisattvas.
• Scouts reported that Zhang Shan had reached Eighth Rank in less than three months and had driven off a Seventh Rank fighter with Sword Qi.
• Chen Fan recognized Zhang Shan as the boy he had once helped and worried that Zhang Shan would die if he killed Black Wind Baleful Intent, while keeping his former identity as Zhao Long secret.

Chen Fan let Yun Niang leave Black Wind Mountain, then faced an investigation by captains from the Prince of Xiushan's Residence over the missing princess consort. After the captains found nothing and warned him about the Yellow Robe Army and the approaching imperial forces, a Daoist arrived alone and asked to see Chen Fan by name.

• Chen Fan recognized Yun Niang's homesickness and promised to send her down the mountain; after spending the night with him, she left with two bandits and a bag of silver.
• Half a month passed as Iron-Armed Monkey led more raids, while the expected imperial army did not arrive.
• Li Zhong and five captains from the Prince of Xiushan's Residence came to investigate the missing princess consort, and Chen Fan allowed them to search the stronghold.
• The captains found no sign of the princess consort, and Li Zhong warned Chen Fan that the Yellow Robe Army and imperial army threatened the region.
• A frightened lookout reported that an armed Daoist had arrived alone and requested to see Chen Fan by name.

Chen Fan fought Zhang Shan when the young Daoist came to Black Wind Mountain seeking revenge, but spared him after defeating him. Back in his chamber, Chen Fan worried Zhang Shan would soon surpass him and began questioning the identity of the maid who had accompanied the Prince of Xiushan's consort.

• Chen Fan went alone to meet Zhang Shan and tried to provoke him into attacking.
• Zhang Shan and Chen Fan fought for a hundred moves, until Chen Fan tricked Zhang Shan and struck him down with the spine of his saber.
• Chen Fan spared Zhang Shan again, warning him not to return, and went back up the mountain.
• Chen Fan rested while Hong'e and Cuiqiao tended to him, then considered changing identities before Zhang Shan came back.
• Chen Fan recalled the maid who had accompanied the Prince of Xiushan's consort and suspected she had been trying to protect her mistress.

Chen Fan dismissed suspicions about Su Xin and chose to enjoy his life as Black Wind Mountain's chief. In Qinghe County, Su Xin revealed her plot to exploit Li Rong'er and provoke the Prince of Xiushan into attacking Black Wind Mountain, leaving Li Rong'er terrified and powerless.

• Chen Fan pushed aside his concerns about the suspicious maid and shut himself away with Hong'e and Cuiqiao.
• At the Yuelai Inn, Su Xin admitted to Li Rong'er that she had planned to use the princess consort's assault as leverage to make Black Wind Baleful Intent and his bandits serve the White Lotus Sect.
• Su Xin explained that Black Wind Baleful Intent had thwarted her plan by protecting Li Rong'er and refusing the Yellow Robe Army's recruitment.
• Su Xin proposed framing Black Wind Baleful Intent by placing Li Rong'er in his bed, barely clothed and drugged, so the Prince of Xiushan would attack Black Wind Mountain.
• Li Rong'er realized Su Xin intended to use her as bait and fell silent as Su Xin dismissed her threat to call on the prince.

Su Xin confirmed that Chen Fan was alone in his quarters and arranged for Li Rong'er to be used in a trap against him. Chen Fan returned to his stone chamber and found the princess consort bound on his bed beside his unconscious wives, realizing he had been framed.

• Su Xin threatened Li Rong'er and left her alone in a private room before sneaking onto Black Wind Mountain.
• Su Xin located Chen Fan's stone chamber and confirmed he was there with only two ordinary bandit wives, then left to put the plan in motion.
• Chen Fan spent the next few days practicing with his saber by day and enjoying himself with Hong'e and Cuiqiao at night.
• Chen Fan returned to his chamber after a feast and found Hong'e and Cuiqiao unconscious, with Li Rong'er bound and gagged on the bed.
• Chen Fan recognized Li Rong'er as the Princess Consort of Xiushan and realized someone had set a trap to frame him.

Chen Fan learned that Su Xin of the White Lotus Sect had used the princess consort to frame him and provoke a conflict with the Prince of Xiushan, then stopped her from being violated by knocking her unconscious. As imperial troops surrounded Black Wind Mountain and demanded her surrender, Chen Fan ordered his men to prepare for battle and escort his two wives away.

• The princess consort told Chen Fan that Su Xin had abducted and drugged her to frame him and draw him into conflict with the Prince of Xiushan.
• Chen Fan recognized the plot behind the princess consort's capture and the other attempts to involve him in the White Lotus Sect's plans.
• When the aphrodisiac took effect, Chen Fan knocked the princess consort unconscious rather than take advantage of her.
• Smiling Tiger reported that imperial troops had surrounded Black Wind Mountain and were demanding the princess consort.
• Chen Fan ordered the bandits to prepare to fight and sent men to escort his two wives off the mountain by the back route.

Chen Fan tried to force Li Zhong to kill him during the prince’s troops’ assault on Black Wind Mountain, but Li Zhong captured him alive and recovered the unconscious Consort of the Prince of Xiushan. As the surviving bandits were slaughtered, the library pavilion at the Prince of Xiushan’s Residence caught fire and its books were stolen; Chen Fan was taken there in chains with the consort.

• Chen Fan rallied the panicked bandits to fight as a thousand of the prince’s personal guards charged up Black Wind Mountain.
• Iron-Armed Monkey led the bandits into battle, but the guards cut them down in a one-sided slaughter.
• Chen Fan fought Li Zhong, a Seventh Rank captain, and was badly wounded before Li Zhong struck him unconscious instead of killing him.
• Li Zhong ordered his guards to bind Chen Fan and retrieve the unconscious Consort of the Prince of Xiushan from the stone chamber.
• The library pavilion at the Prince of Xiushan’s Residence caught fire as assassins stole books, while Li Zhong led Chen Fan and the consort away under guard.

Chen Fan was imprisoned in the Prince of Xiushan's dungeon after the White Lotus Sect's plot left him blamed for the princess consort's disgrace. Li Zhong revealed that an assassin had stolen texts from the residence library, delaying Chen Fan's execution and giving him time to seek a better rebirth target.

• Guards dragged Chen Fan into the dungeon, where he reflected on Black Wind Mountain's destruction and his failed plan to die by Li Zhong's hand.
• Li Zhong questioned Chen Fan about the princess consort, but Chen Fan insisted he had done nothing and urged Li Zhong to kill him.
• Li Zhong revealed that the prince had sentenced Chen Fan to death by slow slicing, but the execution was postponed while the residence dealt with the library theft.
• Chen Fan realized the White Lotus Sect had used the scandal to distract the residence while an assassin stole important texts.
• Chen Fan told Li Zhong that the princess consort remained chaste, but Li Zhong said the rumors had already damaged her reputation and the residence's standing.
• After Li Zhong left, Chen Fan hoped the furious prince might come to interrogate him and become a high-value rebirth target.

Zheng Xian ordered the death of Black Wind Baleful Intent while Li Rong'er languished under house arrest, convinced her life was ruined. Chen Fan possessed the guard Lin Shou to survive, then learned the prince wanted him in the rear courtyard because Li Rong'er appeared to be attempting suicide.

• Zheng Xian blamed the White Lotus Sect and Black Wind Baleful Intent for the stolen secret manual and Li Rong'er's disgrace, then ordered a guard to kill the bandit chief.
• Li Rong'er wept in isolation and believed she would have been better off dying on Black Wind Mountain.
• Lin Shou dragged Chen Fan from the dungeon to kill him, but Chen Fan activated his possession ability and took over Lin Shou's body.
• Chen Fan concealed the corpse and blood, donned Lin Shou's identity, and left the dungeon as a prince's guard.
• A guard found Lin Shou and hurried him toward the rear courtyard, saying the prince wanted to question him because Li Rong'er seemed about to kill herself.

After taking over the body of Lin Shou, Chen Fan was ordered to guard Li Rong'er, the Princess Consort of Xiushan, after she attempted suicide. He learned that Zheng Xian valued her only as the mother of his sole heir, while the stolen secret manual remained unresolved.

• Chen Fan arrived at the pavilion with Zhang Cheng and found Li Rong'er recovering after an attempt to hang herself.
• Zheng Xian berated Li Rong'er over her assault by bandits and ordered Chen Fan and Zhang Cheng to keep her alive until he uncovered the stolen secret manual.
• After Zheng Xian left, Zhang Cheng told Chen Fan that the prince cared about Li Rong'er chiefly because she had borne his only son.
• Chen Fan realized that Zheng Xian's anger stemmed from the disgrace threatening his heir and princely residence, not concern for his wife.
• Chen Fan and Zhang Cheng took up their guard post outside the pavilion, with Zhang Cheng warning that failure could cost them their heads.

Chen Fan learned that the White Lotus Sect had stolen the Zheng Imperial Clan’s Record of the Grand Progenitor’s Ascension to Immortality, placing him in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy. When Li Rong’er refused food and threatened herself, he entered her pavilion and tried to persuade her to eat.

• Chen Fan reflected on his role as a Ninth Grade guard and restrained himself from taking advantage of Li Rong’er’s distress.
• Chen Fan overheard guards say that the stolen library tome was the Zheng Imperial Clan’s Record of the Grand Progenitor’s Ascension to Immortality.
• Chen Fan realized the White Lotus Sect had abducted Li Rong’er and framed Black Wind Mountain to obtain the secret tome.
• The next morning, Li Rong’er refused breakfast and held a shard of porcelain against her wrist.
• The stewarding matron pushed Chen Fan into the pavilion to persuade Li Rong’er, and he offered her a steamed bun.

Chen Fan persuaded Li Rong'er to eat by reminding her that she was innocent and did not deserve to die over other people’s slander. After she began recovering, she asked whether he believed her, and his immediate yes brought her to tears.

• Chen Fan left a steamed bun for Li Rong'er and urged her not to take her life over the slander against her.
• Li Rong'er threw a pillow at Chen Fan, but later ate the bun, bringing relief to the servants in the courtyard.
• Chen Fan took over delivering Li Rong'er's meals, and she ate regularly without speaking to him.
• Several days later, Li Rong'er asked Chen Fan whether he believed she was innocent.
• Chen Fan said he believed her, and Li Rong'er broke down in tears.

Chen Fan kept his distance from Li Rong'er after she began relying on him, but was reassigned to join Li Zhong's squad when the prince's residence uncovered Su Xin's plot. The squad reached Qinghe County, where magistrate Zhao De reported that Su Xin was inside the city.

• Li Rong'er cried after Chen Fan said he believed her, but he cut her off when she tried to speak and left her pavilion.
• Chen Fan avoided Li Rong'er by having Zhang Cheng deliver her meals while unrest grew throughout the Prince of Xiushan's Residence.
• The investigation identified Su Xin as the White Lotus Sect member who had abducted Li Rong'er, framed Black Wind Mountain, and stolen the Record of the Grand Progenitor's Ascension to Immortality.
• Zheng Xian ordered Li Zhong to lead an elite squad to capture Su Xin and recover the secret tome, and Chen Fan was assigned to the squad.
• Li Zhong's squad rode to Qinghe County, where Zhao De met them and reported that Su Xin was in the city.

Chen Fan recognized Su Xin hiding among the musicians at the Courtyard of Red Delights, but she escaped after clashing with Li Zhong and using a smoke bomb. The search ended in failure, leaving Li Zhong furious and Zhao De cowering in the wrecked hall.

• Li Zhong led Zhao De, Chen Fan, and the guards to the Courtyard of Red Delights and ordered them to surround and search it.
• Chen Fan searched the rooms, recognized Su Xin disguised as a pipa player, and shouted her name.
• Su Xin tried to escape through a second-floor window, but Li Zhong pursued her and fought her through the brothel.
• Su Xin gained the advantage over Li Zhong, mocked him, then threw a smoke bomb and escaped through the broken window.
• Li Zhong returned to the wrecked hall, blamed Zhao De for the failed mission, and shattered a table in anger.

Chen Fan accepted gold from Zhao De for supposedly killing the bandit who had murdered Zhao's son, then endured punishment and buried the money for a future life. Meanwhile, Su Xin revealed that she had stolen only a fragment of the imperial secret text and ordered an investigation into Lin Shou, whose face was Chen Fan's.

• Zhao De gave Chen Fan fifty taels of gold in gratitude for killing Black Wind Baleful Intent, who had murdered Zhao Long.
• Zheng Xian punished Li Zhong and the guards for failing to capture Su Xin, and Chen Fan was reassigned to guard the western wall.
• Chen Fan buried Zhao De's gold in the wilderness so he could retrieve it in a future reincarnation.
• Su Xin gave her ally a fragment of the Record of the Grand Progenitor's Ascension to Immortality and explained that the complete text existed in the imperial palace.
• Su Xin drew Lin Shou's face and ordered the black-robed figure to investigate his origins and connections.

Chen Fan received medicine from Li Rong'er and escorted Zheng Xun to reunite with his mother, then helped her clear the courtyard weeds. Meanwhile, Su Xin learned that Lin Shou had executed Black Wind Baleful Intent and concluded the bandit chief had revealed information about her disguise.

• Chen Fan learned that Li Rong'er had sent him top-grade white jade ointment and used it to treat his wounds.
• A steward eunuch summoned Lin Shou to escort Zheng Xun to see Li Rong'er, and the young prince reunited with his mother.
• Zheng Xun thanked Lin Shou for helping his mother eat before leaving, and Li Rong'er asked Lin Shou to clear the weeds in her courtyard.
• Li Rong'er spoke to Lin Shou about her isolation and her belief that the prince's heart had long been dead, while he silently continued working.
• Su Xin heard that Lin Shou had executed Black Wind Baleful Intent and realized the bandit chief had likely exposed her disguise to him.

Su Xin learned that Lin Shou had exposed her identity and ordered an assassin to kill him, while Chen Fan sensed that someone was watching him. When Li Rong'er decided to leave the residence for a walk, Chen Fan prepared to accompany her despite the danger.

• Su Xin realized the bandit chief had revealed her secret and sent a black-robed assassin to kill Lin Shou.
• Zheng Xun praised Chen Fan for caring for Li Rong'er, and the prince's steward promoted him to her personal guard with a doubled allowance.
• Chen Fan sensed a skilled assassin watching him and suspected Su Xin was behind it, but kept up his ordinary routine while staying alert.
• Li Rong'er ordered Chen Fan to prepare a carriage and horses so she could go for a walk, and he obeyed despite worrying that the outing would expose them to danger.

Chen Fan accompanied Li Rong'er on an outing through the capital while staying alert for an assassin. At the Treasure Pavilion, he won the Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix hairpin for Li Rong'er by reciting two lines of poetry, leaving her and the onlookers astonished.

• Chen Fan drove Li Rong'er and two maids through the crowded streets, watching for signs of an assassin.
• Li Rong'er entered the Treasure Pavilion and asked to buy a phoenix hairpin, but the pavilion master said it would go to whoever composed a poem that met his approval.
• Several scholars offered poems, but the pavilion master rejected them, and the gathered customers mocked his demanding test.
• Chen Fan stepped forward and recited two lines that stunned the crowd and delighted the pavilion master.
• The pavilion master declared the two lines sufficient and gave Chen Fan the phoenix hairpin, while Li Rong'er wondered how her guard Lin Shou could compose such poetry.

Chen Fan won the Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix hairpin for Li Rong'er with a poem, then recited its final lines to her on their carriage ride. Their growing intimacy was interrupted when an Eighth Rank assassin attacked Li Rong'er, leaving Chen Fan to face a foe far stronger than himself.

• Chen Fan accepted the Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix hairpin and presented it to Li Rong'er, who took it while hiding her emotional reaction.
• On the carriage ride, Li Rong'er asked Chen Fan for the rest of his poem, and he recited lines that left her deeply flustered and pleased to know the poem was hers alone.
• A black-clad assassin smashed into the carriage and lunged at Li Rong'er.
• Chen Fan abandoned the reins and blocked the assassin's dagger with his saber, but the clash revealed the attacker was an Eighth Rank martial artist.
• The assassin circled Chen Fan's blade and stabbed toward Li Rong'er again.

Chen Fan took a dagger meant for Li Rong'er and fought the assassin despite his grave injuries. Just as the assassin moved to kill him, Captain Li Zhong appeared behind the attacker.

• Chen Fan shoved Li Rong'er out of the dagger's path and was badly wounded across the back.
• Chen Fan fought the assassin with the Gale Saber Technique, but his saber broke and he was thrown through the carriage wall.
• The assassin advanced on Li Rong'er, but Chen Fan staggered up and blocked his path again.
• Chen Fan shouted for Captain Li to appear, making the assassin pause and turn toward the fleeing crowd.
• Captain Li Zhong appeared behind the assassin in the prince's residence's heavy armor.

Chen Fan died after taking a fatal blow for Li Rong'er, then the Substitute Death Reincarnation System possessed the White Lotus Sect assassin Chen Jinzhong. He awoke in Chen Jinzhong's Eighth Rank body as Li Zhong's saber came for his throat.

• Li Zhong confronted the black-clad assassin for the Record of the Grand Progenitor's Ascension to Immortality, but the assassin summoned a White Lotus Sect counter-ambush led by Su Xin.
• Li Zhong revealed that he had hidden armed reinforcements nearby, and both sides launched into battle as he charged at Su Xin.
• Li Rong'er realized that Chen Fan had been caught up in a scheme centered on her, while Chen Fan reassured her before dying from his wounds.
• The Substitute Death Reincarnation System identified Chen Jinzhong as Chen Fan's killer and possessed his body.
• Chen Fan regained consciousness in Chen Jinzhong's Eighth Rank body as Li Zhong's saber slashed toward his throat.

Chen Fan, inhabiting Chen Jinzhong’s body, escaped a failed White Lotus Sect operation after Su Xin poisoned Li Zhong. He regrouped with the surviving followers and learned that Li Zhong had died from the poison.

• Chen Fan recalled that Chen Jinzhong was assigned to keep Li Zhong occupied while the White Lotus Sect attacked the prince’s residence.
• Su Xin wounded Li Zhong with a poisoned strike and ordered the surviving followers to retreat.
• Chen Fan used his movement techniques and the battle’s confusion to escape Li Zhong and reach an abandoned warehouse.
• Chen Fan met Su Xin and the wounded survivors, concealed his identity, and accepted medicine from her.
• A follower reported that Li Zhong had died from the poison and the Prince of Xiushan’s Residence had raised white mourning banners.

After Li Zhong’s death, Su Xin warned the White Lotus Sect followers about the powerful enemies still standing in their way and ordered them to infiltrate the Prince of Xiushan’s Residence. She assigned Chen Fan to gather intelligence, then reminded him that the sect held his life in its hands.

• The White Lotus Sect followers celebrated Li Zhong’s death until Su Xin silenced them and warned them about the residence’s Fifth Grade Attendant and Regional Commander Zhou Zhenxiong, a Fourth Rank expert.
• Su Xin said the sect had experts who would handle Zhou Zhenxiong and would send another Fifth Grade expert, then ordered the followers to undermine the prince’s residence from within.
• Su Xin tasked Chen Fan with gathering intelligence about the residence’s defenses, its next captain, and personnel changes.
• Chen Fan accepted the assignment and headed out of the warehouse, hiding his reluctance behind a display of loyalty.
• Su Xin stopped Chen Fan and warned him that the sect had given him his life.

Chen Fan watched the prince's residence from hiding and learned that the prince had confined the princess consort after a bitter quarrel. Zhang Cheng's drunken account left Chen Fan thinking of the woman he had once protected.

• Chen Fan changed clothes, surveyed the heavily guarded prince's residence, and decided not to risk sneaking inside for Su Xin's mission.
• Chen Fan rented a room at the Welcome Inn and spent two days studying Chen Jinzhong's martial arts memories while listening for news.
• Zhang Cheng arrived drunk and told the inn's patrons that the prince had beaten servants to death for upsetting him.
• Zhang Cheng revealed that the prince and princess consort had quarreled, after which the prince confined her to Moon-Gathering Pavilion.
• Chen Fan remembered the princess consort and drained his cold wine.

Chen Fan realized Prince Zheng Xian might be using the White Lotus Sect to kill Li Rong'er, then attended a meeting where the sect learned that the Righteous Dao Alliance had arrived in Xiushan Province. The old woman pressed Chen Fan about infiltrating the prince's residence and revealed she knew the Dragon Traversing Sect belonged to the Alliance.

• Chen Fan left the inn, suspecting Prince Zheng Xian had arranged for Li Rong'er to be killed by a White Lotus Sect assassin, but decided not to tell Su Xin.
• Chen Fan passed minor intelligence to the White Lotus Sect for several days before attending another meeting at the abandoned dock warehouse.
• An old woman revealed that the Righteous Dao Alliance had sent Fifth Grade martial artist Song Yuanxing and thirty elite disciples to hunt the sect.
• Su Xin said Chen Jinzhong had found that tight security and panic at the prince's residence created an opportunity to infiltrate it.
• The old woman challenged Chen Fan about needing more time, then pointed out that the Dragon Traversing Sect was part of the Righteous Dao Alliance.