Recaps

At court, Emperor Yuanjing announced that Empress Shangguan had confessed to framing the crown prince and ordered her deposed, while also stripping Wei Yuan of his post. Xu Qi'an joined Huaiqing and the fourth prince to reopen Consort Fu’s case, and ended by pointing to Huang Xiaorou’s yellow silk as the key to why she had tried to kill herself.

• Emperor Yuanjing fined Wei Yuan and removed him as Left Censor-in-Chief after Wei Yuan accepted blame for failing to detect the northern barbarians’ invasion.
• Emperor Yuanjing ordered Empress Shangguan deposed after announcing that she had confessed to murdering Consort Fu and framing the crown prince, but Wei Yuan and other officials demanded a review by the Three Offices.
• Xu Xinnian learned that Xu Lingyin had been kicked out after spitting out and re-eating buns, a trick Xu Qi'an had taught her.
• Xu Qi'an met Wei Yuan, Huaiqing, and the fourth prince, who asked him to investigate the empress’s confession and clear her name.
• Xu Qi'an reconsidered the clues and realized Huang Xiaorou’s body had been deliberately placed where it would implicate the empress; he then examined the yellow silk found on her and questioned why the empress had saved her and why she had attempted suicide.

Xu Qi'an investigated the clues surrounding Huang Xiaorou and learned that the Three Offices had delayed Consort Fu’s case for political reasons, while the mastermind had tried to kill him to stop his inquiry. His examination suggested Huang Xiaorou had been pregnant, and Huaiqing ended the chapter by saying she had someone in mind.

• Xu Qi'an examined the yellow silk dated to the thirty-first year of Yuanjing, but Wei Yuan and Huaiqing knew of no major palace events from that year.
• Wei Yuan explained that the Three Offices had delayed investigating the crown prince to gain time, and Huaiqing concluded that the mastermind had sent assassins after Xu Qi'an because his return had disrupted the plan.
• Xu Qi'an entered the ice cellar with Huaiqing and the fourth prince, then had Huang Xiaorou’s corpse examined and found that she had not been a virgin.
• Xu Qi'an identified faint stretch marks and other signs suggesting Huang Xiaorou had given birth, then reasoned that the man involved must have had access to the harem and little protection from Emperor Yuanjing.
• After dismissing the fourth prince and the young eunuch, Huaiqing told Xu Qi'an that Huang Xiaorou’s suicide and the empress’s confession likely involved the same man, and said she had someone in mind.

Xu Qi'an and Princess Huaiqing uncovered the imperial uncle’s role in the Consort Fu Case and confronted him at the Shangguan residence. His confession explained Huang Xiaorou’s past, but Xu Qi'an concluded that someone else still held a secret that forced the empress to take the blame.

• Huaiqing identified the imperial uncle as her mother’s brother, and she and Xu Qi'an pieced together how he had abused Huang Xiaorou and how the empress had intervened.
• Huaiqing and Xu Qi'an left the palace to question the imperial uncle after discovering he had moved to the Shangguan old residence that morning.
• Xu Qi'an and Huaiqing interrupted the imperial uncle’s revelry, and Huaiqing announced that she had come to arrest him over Huang Xiaorou.
• Confronted with the yellow silk, the imperial uncle admitted he had impersonated Emperor Yuanjing and slept with Huang Xiaorou, who believed she had served the emperor.
• Xu Qi'an explained how Huang Xiaorou’s pregnancy and forced abortion led to her resentment, then accused the imperial uncle of hiding another secret that made the empress take the blame.

Xu Qi'an took the imperial uncle into custody and discussed the empress’s fate and the case with Princess Huaiqing, while avoiding the secrets he nearly revealed about Wei Yuan. He resumed investigating the suspects but was blocked from questioning a palace maid at Splendid Scenery Palace, so he left to ask Her Highness Lin'an to reimburse his bribe.

• Huaiqing ordered Xu Qi'an to take the imperial uncle to the Nightwatchers' office after he accused Wei Yuan of plotting against him.
• Xu Qi'an interrupted the imperial uncle before he could reveal what Wei Yuan had done, then handed him over to the guards.
• In a carriage, Huaiqing said she intended to hand the imperial uncle over and claimed the empress had taken the blame only to protect her brother; she told Xu Qi'an to find the mastermind.
• Wei Yuan refused to see the imperial uncle and ordered Gold Gong Nangong to deal with him.
• Xu Qi'an went to question Sister Lang'er at Splendid Scenery Palace, but the eunuch at the entrance took his bribe and left him waiting outside.
• Xu Qi'an abandoned the attempt to enter the consort’s chambers and said he would ask Her Highness Lin'an to reimburse him.

Xu Qi'an used Lin'an’s support to question Lang'er about the missing Imperial Pharmacy records while investigating Consort Fu’s case. Lang'er truthfully denied tearing out the records, leaving Xu Qi'an to suspect an earlier theft or an insider at the pharmacy.

• Lin'an welcomed Xu Qi'an and took him to Splendid Scenery Palace after he claimed its gatekeeper had extorted him, where she made the eunuch return the silver and accept a reprimand.
• Xu Qi'an used the Qi-Observing Technique in the palace privy, then asked Lin'an about Lang'er and learned that she liked mung bean cakes.
• Lin'an summoned Lang'er to meet Xu Qi'an while she spoke with Noble Consort Chen, who had earlier urged Emperor Yuanjing to question the empress about the crown prince’s case.
• Xu Qi'an asked a young eunuch whether Emperor Yuanjing had gone to question the empress on his own, and learned Noble Consort Chen’s tearful accusation had prompted the visit.
• Lang'er admitted visiting the Imperial Pharmacy for medicine but denied tearing out its inventory records, and Xu Qi'an’s Qi-Observing Technique confirmed she was telling the truth.
• Xu Qi'an realized the thief had either entered the pharmacy more than five days earlier or had been an insider, and Lang'er’s truthful denial that she liked mung bean cakes surprised him.

Xu Qi'an uncovered Noble Consort Chen as the mastermind behind the plot against the empress and learned she had tried to kill him. After explaining her motives and hinting at a faction targeting Wei Yuan, Noble Consort Chen offered him Lin'an’s hand in marriage to win his support, and Xu Qi'an responded by proposing they consummate the match before the wedding.

• Xu Qi'an concluded that Lang'er was hiding the truth and suspected Noble Consort Chen was behind Consort Fu’s case, but he hesitated to report his discovery because he worried about Lin'an.
• Lang'er brought Xu Qi'an to meet Noble Consort Chen, who dismissed the others and confronted him about lying.
• Xu Qi'an admitted he had discovered Lang'er’s deception and explained how the clues in Consort Fu’s case pointed to Noble Consort Chen framing the empress.
• Noble Consort Chen revealed that she had plotted to secure the fourth prince’s succession, blamed Wei Yuan’s influence for the crown prince’s insecurity, and acknowledged that someone had helped her target the empress.
• Xu Qi'an inferred that Noble Consort Chen’s unseen ally was targeting Wei Yuan, and she offered to advance his rank and give him Lin'an in marriage if he joined her side.
• Noble Consort Chen warned Xu Qi'an that Lang'er could be made to die of illness, while Xu Qi'an joked that he wanted to consummate the marriage before its wedding.

Xu Qi'an confronted Noble Consort Chen over Lang'er, then reported what he had learned to Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan explained how a Heavenly Secrets Master could erase traces of himself and discussed his plan to save the empress, while Xu Qi'an hinted that he had made a move of his own.

• Xu Qi'an resisted Noble Consort Chen's efforts to recruit him, kept the young eunuch as a witness, and left Splendid Scenery Palace with Lin'an.
• Xu Qi'an bribed the young eunuch to report a misleading account of his private conversation with Noble Consort Chen to Emperor Yuanjing.
• Xu Qi'an returned to the Nightwatchers' office, told Wei Yuan that Noble Consort Chen was behind the plot, and recounted how Lang'er had torn up the Imperial Pharmacy's register.
• Wei Yuan said the culprit was not the Directorate of Astronomy and explained that a third-rank Heavenly Secrets Master could erase his own existence and alter people's memories.
• Wei Yuan said he planned to push the empress's brother forward as a scapegoat and make Emperor Yuanjing suspect Noble Consort Chen; Xu Qi'an then admitted he had acted on his own, leaving Wei Yuan to ask what he had done.

Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan how he had planted doubts about Noble Consort Chen in the emperor’s mind, then learned about the Primordial Unity Art and a safer body-tempering method associated with Buddhist martial monks. Emperor Yuanjing’s hopes of dual cultivating with Luo Yuheng were disappointed, and he summoned the eunuch who had supervised Xu Qi'an to question him about the palace investigation.

• Xu Qi'an recounted his plan to Wei Yuan, who approved of it and explained that it could make Emperor Yuanjing reconsider Consort Fu’s case and Noble Consort Chen’s role.
• Wei Yuan taught Xu Qi'an about the Primordial Unity Art and explained that Buddhist martial monks had a body-tempering method that avoided boiling and beatings.
• A Daoist from Numinous Treasure Temple invited Emperor Yuanjing to visit Luo Yuheng, and he hurried there hoping she would agree to dual cultivate with him.
• Luo Yuheng instead invited Emperor Yuanjing to meditate and practice breathing exercises, and she told him there was no need to refine the Four Seasons Divine Pills.
• After returning to the palace, Emperor Yuanjing ordered the Three Offices to conclude Consort Fu’s case within two days and said Xu Qi'an’s gold token should be retrieved.
• Emperor Yuanjing summoned the young eunuch who had supervised Xu Qi'an and asked what Xu Qi'an had investigated in the palace.

Emperor Yuanjing grew suspicious of Noble Consort Chen after Xu Qi'an’s encounter with Lang'er, and Wei Yuan used the imperial uncle’s confession to reshape the court’s judgment of Consort Fu’s case. The chapter ended with the Xu family preparing for Xu Xinnian’s spring examination while Xu Qi'an declared that the household would bring glory to its ancestors that day.

• The young eunuch told Emperor Yuanjing that Lang'er had detained Xu Qi'an for a private meeting with Noble Consort Chen, after which Xu Qi'an left looking troubled.
• The old eunuch found Lang'er dead at Splendid Scenery Palace and reported her death to Emperor Yuanjing.
• At court, Wei Yuan said Huang Xiaorou had framed the crown prince after the imperial uncle, Shangguan Ming, violated her and made her pregnant.
• Emperor Yuanjing sentenced Shangguan Ming to immediate execution, confined the empress for three months, confined the crown prince for six months, and demoted Noble Consort Chen.
• Noble Consort Chen concluded that Xu Qi'an had made Emperor Yuanjing suspect her and angrily blamed both Xu Qi'an and Wei Yuan.
• Xu Qi'an recovered his little mare, then joined his family at breakfast as they discussed Xu Xinnian’s coming examination and he announced that the household would bring glory to its ancestors.

Xu Qi'an received an imperial title as Viscount of Changle County, and the Xu household celebrated while Xu Erlang left to prepare for the spring examinations. Zhong Li emerged from seclusion at the Star Observation Tower, and Monk Shenshu urged Xu Qi'an to leave the capital.

• Xu Qi'an's family learned that an imperial edict had arrived, and he received the title of Third Class Viscount of Changle County, along with gold and farmland.
• Xu Pingzhi celebrated the family's new noble status, while Xu Qi'an gave the farmland deeds to Xu Lingyue to manage and Xu Erlang returned to the old residence to study.
• Zhong Li emerged from five years of seclusion beneath the Star Observation Tower, alarming the white-robed arcanists and meeting her teacher, the Supervisor.
• Xu Pingzhi took Xu Qi'an to honor their ancestors and arranged a feast, while Xu Erlang moved out so he could study for the spring examinations.
• Monk Shenshu appeared to Xu Qi'an and told him to leave the capital.

Xu Qi'an learned that the Buddhist Order of the Western Regions was coming for Monk Shenshu, so he planned to leave the capital temporarily. At the Star Observation Tower, the Supervisor arranged for Zhong Li to accompany him and used wine to persuade him he would not need to leave; the chapter ended with Li Miaozhen preparing to depart the Flying Swallow Army.

• Monk Shenshu warned Xu Qi'an that the Buddhist Order was coming, and Xu Qi'an decided to seek a temporary leave from the capital.
• Chu Caiwei visited the Xu Residence, where she and Xu Lingyin competed over pastries, then took Xu Qi'an to see the Supervisor.
• At the Star Observation Tower, Xu Qi'an met Zhong Li, the Supervisor's Fifth-Rank Prophet, and learned that her prophetic misfortune caused dangerous accidents.
• Zhong Li fell from the Eight Trigrams Platform after taking a small step backward, but the Supervisor pulled her back to safety.
• Xu Qi'an refused to take Zhong Li with him when he said he planned to leave the capital, but the Supervisor gave him wine and told him he would not need to go.
• At the military camp outside White Emperor City, Li Miaozhen changed into her Heaven Sect robes and prepared to leave with her belongings.

Li Miaozhen disbanded the Flying Swallow Army after the bandit campaign, while Lina received the Seven Absolutes Gu and was sent toward the capital after Heaven Gu Granny revealed a coming threat to the Gu God. In the capital, Xu Qi'an celebrated his new noble status with his family and went to help Xu Xinnian prepare for the metropolitan examination.

• Li Miaozhen thanked the Flying Swallow Army and sent its soldiers home after they refused to join Yunzhou's regular forces.
• Lina helped the Heaven Gu Tribe repair its dam, then received the Seven Absolutes Gu and learned Heaven Gu Granny's warning about the Gu God's possible awakening.
• Heaven Gu Granny told Lina to travel to the capital, where she could gain experience and become involved in the emergence of a mysterious object.
• Xu Qi'an attended a banquet celebrating his viscount title, while Lü Qing worried that his new rank put him beyond her reach as a marriage prospect.
• Xu Erlang explained the metropolitan examination to Xu Qi'an, and Xu Pingzhi learned that scholars called him a disgrace to humanity because of his son's poetry.
• Xu Qi'an visited Xu Xinnian that night and offered to guess the examination questions.

Xu Qi'an helped Xu Xinnian prepare for the metropolitan examination by drawing poetry topics and composing poems for him. After Xu Xinnian entered the examination compound, Xu Qi'an learned through the Earth Book group that Li Miaozhen, Number Four, and Lina were all heading to the capital, setting up a tense reunion.

• Xu Qi'an drew the topics “expressing aspirations” and “patriotism” and later gave Xu Xinnian poems written for them to memorize before the examination.
• Zhong Li fell repeatedly because of her bad luck, then stayed in Xu Qi'an’s room to avoid causing trouble for his family.
• Xu Xinnian entered the examination compound, where a bald man greeted him with a Buddhist invocation before leaving.
• Xu Qi'an read that Li Miaozhen had finished suppressing bandits and planned to travel to the capital.
• Number One described a former scholar who became a renowned swordsman, and Number Four revealed that he had already returned to the capital.
• Lina announced that she would travel to the capital, while Li Miaozhen warned her to conceal her Gu Race origins and challenged Number Four to a fight when they met.

Xu Qi'an learned that the Heaven and Human sects’ coming contest could escalate into a clash between their leaders, and Wei Yuan urged him to cooperate with Daoist Jinlian in keeping the peace. After Zhong Li accidentally burned down Spring Breeze Hall, Xu Qi'an took her to the Imperial Music Bureau, while Xu Xinnian separately encountered a strange swordsman after his examination.

• Daoist Jinlian decided Xu Qi'an might be needed to mediate between Li Miaozhen and the Human Sect disciple, but worried that Xu Qi'an was not strong enough.
• Xu Qi'an learned that the capital was preparing for the Heaven and Human disciples’ contest and received his promotion to Silver Gong from Wei Yuan.
• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that Li Miaozhen belonged to the Heaven and Earth Society and that the Human Sect had sent the capital’s foremost swordsman; Wei Yuan instructed him to cooperate with Daoist Jinlian.
• Wei Yuan warned Xu Qi'an that the Heaven Sect’s Daoist leader was First Rank and that the Western Church would soon arrive in the capital.
• Zhong Li accidentally set Spring Breeze Hall ablaze while meditating, and Xu Qi'an took her to bathe and change after the Nightwatchers extinguished the fire.
• After the first session of the metropolitan examination, Xu Xinnian met an azure-robed swordsman who invited him to the Imperial Music Bureau, but Xu Xinnian fled; later, Xu Qi'an brought Zhong Li there to visit Fuxiang.

Xu Qi'an visited Fuxiang at the Imperial Music Bureau and met Chu Yuanzhen, Earth Book Number Four, who had returned to the capital. After learning that Chu planned to fight Li Miaozhen in the Heaven and Human Contest, Xu Qi'an sought to win his favor and found inspiration for a poem.

• Zhong Li guessed that Fuxiang was Xu Qi'an's lover and revealed that she knew the Qi-Observing Technique.
• Xu Qi'an arrived at the Shadowed Plum Pavilion and learned that Chu Yuanzhen, the capital's foremost swordsman, was entertaining guests there.
• Mingyan praised Xu Qi'an's deeds to the guests, and Fuxiang welcomed him when he entered the hall.
• Xu Qi'an and Chu Yuanzhen introduced themselves, and Xu Qi'an realized Number Four did not know he had returned from the dead.
• Xu Qi'an asked about Chu Yuanzhen's sheathed sword and, after hearing about its Sword Qi, claimed that inspiration had struck and he wanted to compose a poem.

Xu Qi'an entertained Chu Yuanzhen and the courtesans with poetry and a blindfolded pitch-pot contest, then Chu Yuanzhen met Hengyuan and learned more about Xu Qi'an. Three days later, Xu Qi'an escorted Xu Xinnian to the metropolitan examination and jokingly made him take the blame when he thought a monk and swordsman were plotting against him.

• Xu Qi'an recited an opening couplet about honing a sword for ten years, then disappointed Chu Yuanzhen by saying he had not thought of the rest.
• Xu Qi'an and Chu Yuanzhen competed in blindfolded pitch-pot, and Xu Qi'an won by throwing his last five arrows at once.
• Xu Qi'an told Fuxiang he would buy her freedom, then the bed collapsed while they were together.
• Chu Yuanzhen flew to the Nourishing Life Hall, met Hengyuan, and learned that Xu Qi'an had survived Yunzhou; they agreed to visit Number Three together.
• Three days later, Xu Qi'an accompanied Xu Xinnian to the metropolitan examination, where Xu Xinnian mistook Chu Yuanzhen and Hengyuan for conspirators and Xu Qi'an joked that he was carrying the blame.

Song Tingfeng reflected on how the war had changed him and resolved to pursue the Spirit Refining Realm instead of returning to his old life. Xu Qi'an punished two prominent Jingzhou clans for brawling, then visited Luo Yuheng at the Numinous Treasure Temple, where Chu Yuanzhen’s presence left him scrambling to conceal his connection to the Earth Book Fragment.

• Song Tingfeng told Zhu Guangxiao that he planned to exchange his military merit for a Spirit Refining Realm visualization diagram and would never visit the Imperial Music Bureau again.
• While patrolling, Xu Qi'an intervened when men from the Lu and Zhao Clans fought on a rooftop and ordered both groups to the Nightwatchers' office.
• Xu Qi'an defeated the Zhao Clan's young lady and breached the Bronze Skin Iron Bone elder's defenses, then arranged fines for the detained groups.
• Xu Qi'an rode to the Numinous Treasure Temple to seek Luo Yuheng's guidance on the Heart Sword manual.
• Xu Qi'an found Chu Yuanzhen with Luo Yuheng and tried unsuccessfully to warn her privately, prompting Chu Yuanzhen to ask whether he should step outside.

Xu Qi'an sparred with Chu Yuanzhen at Numinous Treasure Temple and revealed an extraordinary grasp of the Heart Sword, prompting Luo Yuheng and Emperor Yuanjing to recognize his talent. As the fight ended, Chu Yuanzhen asked Xu Qi'an to use his ultimate technique, and Xu Qi'an warned that it might injure him before the Heaven and Human Contest.

• Luo Yuheng left Xu Qi'an with Chu Yuanzhen to discuss the Heart Sword, and Xu Qi'an revealed that he had mastered its basics in about ten days.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Chu Yuanzhen about the Human Sect, Li Miaozhen, and the State Preceptor's karmic fire before agreeing to spar with him.
• Emperor Yuanjing and Luo Yuheng heard the fight and went to watch Xu Qi'an face Chu Yuanzhen's sword formation.
• Xu Qi'an used his mental power to disrupt the thought power guiding Chu Yuanzhen's flying branches and broke the sword formation.
• Luo Yuheng told Emperor Yuanjing that Xu Qi'an had learned the Heart Sword's basics in ten days, while Chu Yuanzhen had taken a month to master all three sword techniques.
• Chu Yuanzhen asked Xu Qi'an to show his ultimate technique, and Xu Qi'an warned that he might accidentally injure him.

Xu Qi'an sparred with Chu Yuanzhen, then shared stories and discussed the ancient Gods and Devils before reading Number Five's message that she had been swindled out of her silver. He was left wanting to join the Heaven and Earth Society's worried replies while concealing that he was present in the capital.

• Xu Qi'an used his saber technique against Chu Yuanzhen, who blocked the strike but admitted it could have badly injured him if Xu Qi'an were at the Fifth Rank.
• Emperor Yuanjing praised both men and left with Luo Yuheng, while Xu Qi'an and Chu Yuanzhen went inside to drink tea and talk.
• Chu Yuanzhen told Xu Qi'an about the northern barbarians' possible Gods and Devils ancestry, the Gu God, and a polar race whose females became males to preserve their people.
• Xu Qi'an recounted his case-solving exploits, and Chu Yuanzhen grew more convinced that Daoist Jinlian had deliberately drawn both Xu Qi'an and Number Three into the Earth Book Society.
• After Chu Yuanzhen left the room, Xu Qi'an read Number Five's message saying she had been swindled out of her silver and watched the others offer her advice.

Xu Qi'an and the Heaven and Earth Society discussed how to help Lina after a swindler took her money, while the Prince of Huai's consort briefly went missing. The chapter ended with Xu Erlang entering the examination compound for the final poetry session of the metropolitan examination.

• Lina told the Heaven and Earth Society that a Daoist had sold her a fake treasure basin, leaving her penniless in Yongzhou.
• Luo Yuheng discussed the Gu Race and the descendants of Gods and Devils with Xu Qi'an, while Daoist Jinlian asked the Society how to help Lina find food and lodging.
• Xu Qi'an suggested Lina keep admirers as she traveled, but Daoist Jinlian ignored the advice and passed along the other members' suggestions.
• The Prince of Huai's chief guard told Luo Yuheng that the princess consort was missing, and Second Uncle Xu later said she had returned home after the capital's guards searched for her.
• Xu Erlang entered the examination compound at dawn for the final poetry session, while Chu Yuanzhen and Hengyuan discussed their upcoming duel.

Xu Xinnian used the poem Xu Qi'an had given him to answer the final spring examination prompt, and the examiners praised it as a work destined for fame. After the examinations, Xu Xinnian asked Xu Qi'an about the poem’s allusions, while Zhong Li reported that one of Xu Qi'an’s younger sisters had a tough fate.

• Xu Xinnian recognized the examination prompt as a call to express one’s aspirations and grew excited that Xu Qi'an had predicted it.
• Xu Xinnian adapted Xu Qi'an’s poem, “The road is hard,” for his examination answer, replacing the unfamiliar Yellow River and Taihang with other names.
• The marking examiners passed Xu Xinnian’s poem around and praised its stirring expression of hardship and resolve.
• Grand Secretary Zhao Tingfang read the poem and considered naming its author metropolitan laureate if his other examination answers were excellent.
• After the examinations, Xu Xinnian told Xu Qi'an that he had guessed the prompt and asked about the poem’s allusions; Xu Qi'an dismissed his questions and invited him to the Imperial Music Bureau.
• Xu Qi'an found Zhong Li bandaging her head, and she told him that one of his younger sisters had a very tough fate.

Xu Qi'an learned that Zhong Li's misfortune had concealed his fortune and heard Daoist Jinlian explain that the warlock system may have originated from the shaman system. As martial heroes gathered in the capital, Xu Qi'an headed toward the Heroic Platforms, but Lin'an's guard summoned him to the palace over a life-or-death emergency.

• Xu Qi'an tested whether Xu Lingyin was unaffected by Zhong Li's bad luck, but an orange cat knocked a falling orchid pot aside and it struck Zhong Li instead.
• Daoist Jinlian told Xu Qi'an that the warlock system was created after Great Feng's founding emperor reneged on a promise to make the Shaman God Cult the state religion, leading Xu Qi'an to suspect warlocks came from shamans.
• Xu Qi'an confronted Zhong Li about his lost fortune, and she promised to compensate him with two magical artifacts.
• Xu Qi'an stopped Auntie from beating Xu Lingyin over the broken orchid, then handed the feather duster back when Xu Lingyue explained the reason.
• Xu Qi'an heard about the martial heroines gathering in the capital and chose to patrol the southern Heroic Platform.
• A guard serving Lin'an summoned Xu Qi'an to the palace, saying Lin'an's life depended on him.

Xu Qi'an accompanied Lin'an as she tried and failed to confront Huaiqing, then pondered how to keep Consort Chen from using Lin'an in her feud with the empress. While patrolling the southern city, he picked up a woman's purse and flirted with a heroine at a restaurant before its owner confronted him.

• Xu Qi'an escorted Zhong Li back toward the Directorate of Astronomy, then entered the palace after Lin'an summoned him.
• Lin'an told Xu Qi'an that Huaiqing had struck her and asked him to accompany her back to Ivy Garden to fight Huaiqing.
• Huaiqing ordered her guards to kill unauthorized intruders, so Lin'an and Xu Qi'an retreated without confronting her.
• Xu Qi'an escorted Lin'an back to Shaoyin Garden, entertained her, and later worried that Consort Chen would use her against the empress.
• While patrolling the southern city, Xu Qi'an found a pale green purse and pocketed it.
• Xu Qi'an ordered wine for a seductive heroine at a restaurant, and a furious woman arrived demanding that he return her purse.

Xu Qi'an kept a lost purse of gold from an older woman, then returned it by throwing it down onto her toes before flirting with Ecstasy Hand Rongrong. The chapter ended when a Bronze Skin Iron Bone expert challenged Xu Qi'an to come down and apologize, drawing a crowd.

• A boy identified Xu Qi'an as the man who had picked up the woman’s purse, but Xu Qi'an paid him to deny seeing anything.
• The woman ate at Xu Qi'an’s table while he dismissed her complaints and traded insults with nearby young heroes.
• Rongrong joined Xu Qi'an, and he impressed her by claiming powerful family connections and identifying a staged arena fight.
• The woman demanded her purse again, and Xu Qi'an tossed it from the second floor, striking her toes before she limped away with it.
• A burly man in the arena called out Xu Qi'an and demanded that he kneel and apologize, attracting a crowd of spectators.

Xu Qi'an defeated a bronze skin iron bone martial artist with one slash, then discovered that Miss Rongrong had stolen his Earth Book Fragment. He realized the fragment could be tracked and set off to find it, planning to seek Daoist Jinlian.

• Xu Qi'an cleared the bystanders from the arena and challenged the man who had publicly called him out.
• Xu Qi'an cut down the sixth-rank martial artist with one slash, impressing the crowd and revealing his strength to Miss Rongrong and the young heroes.
• Xu Qi'an ordered Copper Gongs to take the wounded man to a physician and then to the Nightwatchers' office.
• Xu Qi'an discovered that Miss Rongrong had stolen his Earth Book Fragment after touching his arm, and he left to investigate and find Daoist Jinlian.