Chapter Summaries

Chen Fan sent Iron-Armed Monkey and the bandits to raid wealthy households near Qinghe County and distribute some of the stolen grain to refugees. When they returned, they brought back two captive women without his permission, leaving Chen Fan facing an unexpected confrontation.

• Smiling Tiger showed Chen Fan a list of wealthy households accused of exploiting the people, and Chen Fan approved a raid.
• Iron-Armed Monkey led more than a hundred bandits down Black Wind Mountain while Chen Fan stayed behind.
• The bandits returned with carts of stolen goods and gave a small portion of their grain to refugees at the mountain's foot.
• Chen Fan noticed that the bandits had also brought back two bound women, though he had not ordered them to abduct anyone.
• Iron-Armed Monkey presented the woman in brocade to Chen Fan as a gift, and she cursed the bandits and vowed to avenge the blood debt.

Chen Fan silenced his bandits’ threats and ordered a brocade-clad woman and her maid escorted safely off Black Wind Mountain. Back in his quarters, Cuiqiao asked whether the woman might return with people seeking revenge.

• The bandits jeered at the brocade-clad woman and threatened to assault her, but Chen Fan stopped them and asked who she was.
• The woman claimed she and her maid were a merchant family fleeing disaster, and Chen Fan ordered Smiling Tiger to escort them down the mountain.
• Iron-Armed Monkey protested Chen Fan’s decision, but Chen Fan’s cold stare silenced him and the other bandits.
• The woman helped her maid leave without thanking Chen Fan, and the bandits resumed drinking and dividing the spoils.
• Chen Fan left the Gathering Hall and went to his quarters, where Hong'e and Cuiqiao welcomed him while Yun Niang remained timidly apart.
• Cuiqiao asked Chen Fan whether the woman he released might return with others to demand blood revenge.

Chen Fan enjoyed a prosperous, comfortable half month on Black Wind Mountain until a dozen men from the Yellow Robe Army arrived and asked for him by name. Their commander, Zhou Tong, told Chen Fan they had come to find him, leaving their purpose unclear.

• Smiling Tiger used Black Wind Mountain’s plunder to enrich the stronghold and distribute a small share to the poor, while the bandits trained and raided with renewed energy.
• Chen Fan settled into a life of luxury, practicing the Gale Saber Technique and spending time with his wives.
• A mountain guard reported that a dozen unarmed men calling themselves a righteous army had gathered at the foot of the mountain and asked for Chen Fan.
• Chen Fan ordered the visitors brought into the Gathering Hall despite Iron-Armed Monkey’s objections.
• Their leader introduced himself as Zhou Tong, a thousand-man commander of the Yellow Robe Army, and told Chen Fan they had come to find him.

Zhou Tong tried to recruit Chen Fan and Black Wind Mountain into the Yellow Robe Army’s rebellion, offering grain and weapons, but Chen Fan refused. Zhou Tong warned that the imperial army was advancing and Black Wind Mountain could be destroyed, leaving the threat hanging over the stronghold.

• Zhou Tong praised Chen Fan’s actions and urged him to raise a righteous army in Xiushan Province alongside the Yellow Robe Army.
• Zhou Tong offered three thousand shi of military grain and five hundred sets of arms and armor, exciting the bandits.
• Chen Fan rejected the offer, saying he was not interested in rebellion, and ordered Smiling Tiger to see Zhou Tong and his men out.
• Iron-Armed Monkey tried to challenge Chen Fan’s decision but fell silent after Chen Fan gave him a calm look.
• At the cavern entrance, Zhou Tong warned that the imperial army had reached Jing Province and could wipe out Black Wind Mountain before departing.

Chen Fan dismissed the Yellow Robe Army’s warning and kept Black Wind Mountain out of its conflict with the court. While gathering news at a tea stall, he heard that the Prince of Xiushan’s missing consort had once been a merchant’s family member fleeing disaster, and he suspected she was the woman his bandits had captured.

• Zhou Tong warned that the imperial army was coming, but Chen Fan refused the Yellow Robe Army’s offer and told the bandits not to panic.
• Chen Fan considered the danger of war and decided he did not want Black Wind Mountain to help ignite a rebellion.
• Black Wind Mountain resumed its routine, while Smiling Tiger divided seized money and grain among the bandits, their stores, and refugees.
• Chen Fan and Smiling Tiger went down to Qinghe County and heard that the Prince of Xiushan’s consort had disappeared and that troops were searching the province.
• Chen Fan recognized that the consort’s reported past resembled the story told by the woman his bandits had captured, and he learned that the Yellow Robe Army was accused of kidnapping her.

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.