Recaps

Xu Qi'an won sixty taels of gold by throwing arrows blindfolded, exchanged it for silver notes, and went to the Imperial Music Bureau to visit Fuxiang. He entered Shadowed Plum Pavilion as its tea gathering was underway.

• Xu Qi'an won the jade mirror after landing an arrow in the pot, then agreed to sell the bodhi beads to a soldier for sixty taels of gold.
• Xu Qi'an threw three more arrows into the pot blindfolded, received the gold, and took the jade mirror after the old Daoist vanished with his stall.
• Xu Qi'an exchanged the gold for four hundred and eighty taels of silver notes and headed to the Imperial Music Bureau at dusk.
• Xu Qi'an introduced himself as Yang Ling, paid ten taels to enter Shadowed Plum Pavilion, and found that Fuxiang's tea gathering was accepting individual guests.

Xu Qi'an, Xu Xinnian, and Xu Pingzhi unexpectedly met at a courtesan's tea gathering, where their awkward reunion was compounded by their failure to impress Fuxiang. When Fuxiang invited the talented Young Master Zhao to her room, the three Xu men could no longer sit still.

• Xu Qi'an attended Fuxiang's tea gathering under the false name Yang Ling and impressed the guests with a matching couplet.
• Xu Xinnian arrived disguised as Xu Ping'an, recognized Xu Qi'an, and joined him at the gathering.
• Xu Pingzhi arrived, and the three Xu men silently endured the embarrassment of discovering one another there.
• Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian struggled to attract Fuxiang's attention as Young Master Zhao won praise with a clever couplet.
• Fuxiang invited Young Master Zhao to her room, prompting the three Xu men to react.

Xu Qi'an used a famous plum-blossom poem to attract Fuxiang’s attention, and she urgently summoned him after reading it. As he followed her maid to the bedchamber, the other guests questioned Xu Xinnian and Xu Pingzhi about the poem and why he had been invited in.

• Xu Qi'an had Xu Xinnian write a famous poem about plum blossoms and sent it to Fuxiang under the name Yang.
• Fuxiang read the poem, recognized its lines, and tearfully demanded to know who had sent it.
• Fuxiang rushed to stop Xu Qi'an from leaving and told her maid to bring him back.
• After the tea gathering, Xu Qi'an doubted why Fuxiang had initially seemed unmoved, while Xu Xinnian praised the poem.
• Fuxiang's senior maid found Xu Qi'an, confirmed he had composed the poem, and invited him to see her.
• Xu Qi'an followed the maid toward Fuxiang's bedchamber as the guests questioned Xu Xinnian and Xu Pingzhi about the invitation.

Xu Qi'an won Fuxiang’s favor with a poem about plum blossoms, while Xu Pingzhi and Xu Xinnian left the Shadowed Plum Pavilion to avoid revealing their connection. The guests spread out to share the poem and astonish the other tea gatherings.

• Xu Pingzhi deflected questions about the doggerel and left the Shadowed Plum Pavilion with Xu Xinnian to avoid exposing their connection.
• Xu Pingzhi offered Xu Xinnian five taels of silver, but another five-tael ingot fell from Xu Xinnian’s robes, leaving both of them silent.
• Xu Qi'an entered Fuxiang’s bedroom, praised her beauty, and was welcomed by the courtesan.
• Young Master Zhao learned that Fuxiang had chosen someone else, read Xu Qi'an’s poem, and admitted defeat.
• Young Master Zhao recited the plum-blossom poem as he left, and the guests hurried off to spread it at other tea gatherings.

Xu Qi'an drew Fuxiang into sharing what she knew about Zhou Li and learned that Zhou had molested the Marquis of Martial Might's concubine-born daughter before being warned not to offend again. The story gave Xu Qi'an an idea for framing Zhou Li, which he planned to discuss with Erlang.

• Xu Qi'an listened to Fuxiang play the qin and asked about buying her freedom, then heard her recount the Consort of the Prince Who Guards the North's rise and Duke Wei's role in the victory at Shanhai Pass.
• Xu Qi'an guided the conversation toward Zhou Li, and Fuxiang said she disliked him for his lecherous behavior.
• Fuxiang told Xu Qi'an that Zhou Li had molested the Marquis of Martial Might's concubine-born daughter at last year's Lantern Festival and injured her attendants.
• Fuxiang explained that the emperor had docked Vice Minister Zhou a year's salary, ordered him to pay five thousand taels, and confined Zhou Li for three months, warning that another offense would bring severe punishment.
• Xu Qi'an connected the warning and Zhou Li's recent troubles to a plan to frame him for abducting the marquis's daughter, and decided to work out the details with Erlang.

Xu Qi'an discovered that the jade mirror could store and release his banknotes, then returned home and described his plan to abduct the Marquis of Martial Might’s concubine-born daughter. The chapter ended with Xu Qi'an visiting the Directorate of Astronomy to see Song Qing.

• Xu Qi'an pretended to fall asleep to avoid intimacy with Fuxiang, then found his banknotes inside the jade mirror the next morning and released them by shaking it.
• Xu Qi'an left the Imperial Music Bureau before Fuxiang woke and returned to the Xu Residence, where he explained what he had learned and presented his plan.
• Xu Xinnian questioned how they would abduct the Marquis of Martial Might’s concubine-born daughter, and Second Uncle Xu suggested watching her and creating a disturbance to seize an opportunity.
• Xu Qi'an hinted that he could solve the problem of getting close to the woman without attracting the Imperial Saber Guard or breaking into the marquis’s residence.
• Old Zhang found a servant unconscious in the Xu Residence’s garden; the servant remembered being called into Xu Qi'an’s room while Xu Qi'an bathed but nothing afterward.
• Song Qing wrote excitedly about grafting humans and horses when a white-robed disciple announced that Xu Qi'an had come to see him.

Xu Qi'an persuaded Song Qing to accept his alchemy theory, then used a staged kidnapping to make Zhang Yuying accuse Zhou Li of abducting her. He left the story waiting on the Imperial Saber Guards’ response as curfew began.

• Xu Qi'an offered Song Qing a theoretical foundation for alchemy, telling him that alchemy followed the principle of Equivalent Exchange.
• Zhou Li’s men kidnapped Zhang Yuying from her sedan and discussed their plan to abuse and kill her.
• Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian watched from across the courtyard as Zhang Yuying escaped by climbing over a wall.
• Zhang Yuying reached an Imperial Saber Guard patrol and accused Zhou Li of kidnapping her.
• Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian left to find an inn and planned to return home the next day to await news.

After Zhang Yuying accused Zhou Li of abducting her, Xu Qi'an used the Directorate of Astronomy to ensure the politically charged case ended with Zhou Li exiled and Vice Minister Zhou dismissed. As the Xu family rode onward, Xu Qi'an explained the scheme to Xu Xinnian and urged him to navigate official life through practical self-interest.

• Zhang Yuying told the Marquis of Martial Might that Zhou Li had abducted her and tried to kill her, prompting the Marquis to denounce Vice Minister Zhou at court.
• Emperor Yuanjing ordered the three judicial offices to investigate, and their conflicting verdicts left Zhou Li's case unresolved until a white-robed member of the Directorate of Astronomy declared that Zhou Li was lying.
• Three days later, Vice Minister Zhou was dismissed and sent to serve in the military, while Zhou Li was exiled to the Southern Frontier.
• As the Xu family rode along the official road, Xu Xinnian asked Xu Qi'an how the frame-up had succeeded, and Xu Qi'an explained that he had enlisted the Directorate of Astronomy's arcanists.
• Xu Qi'an advised Xu Xinnian to be a capable official who understood self-interest, and the brothers jokingly vowed to stop each other if either became a threat to the family.

The eldest princess visited Clear Cloud Mountain, recognized that Xu Qi'an had sent his family there in response to the tax silver case, and found Headmaster Zhao Shou transformed. At the academy, the great scholars praised a celebrated plum-blossom poem, only for Xu Xinnian to reveal that Xu Qi'an had written it.

• The eldest princess visited Cloud Deer Academy and saw Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin staying there for refuge.
• The eldest princess connected the family's arrival to Xu Qi'an's conflict with Vice Minister Zhou and wondered what he was planning.
• The eldest princess found Zhao Shou looking healthier, and he hinted that someone young might have become his teacher.
• Zhang Shen, Li Mubai, and Chen Tai read the popular poem dedicated to Fuxiang and agreed that its author, Yang Ling, should be recruited to the academy.
• Xu Xinnian visited his teachers with Xu Ningyan, and the great scholars discussed the poem's brilliance and warned Xu Ningyan not to grow conceited.
• Xu Xinnian revealed that his eldest brother had also written the poem.

Xu Qi'an reunited with his family after leaving the academy, then was summoned by two Nightwatchers. On the journey to their office, he bribed the smiling Nightwatcher for information, but the reason for his summons remained unknown.

• Li Mubai and Zhang Shen learned that Xu Qi'an had written the poem under the alias Yang Ling and scolded him for dedicating it to Fuxiang.
• Xu Xinnian asked about Xu Lingyin's lessons, and the scholars said she had driven four teachers to quit in ten days.
• The Xu family reunited, and Xu Qi'an rode home with Xu Lingyue while Xu Xinnian carried Xu Lingyin.
• Three days later, two Nightwatchers arrived at the Xu residence and ordered Xu Qi'an to come with them.
• Xu Qi'an accepted the summons and gave the smiling Nightwatcher thirty taels to learn what was happening, but the Nightwatcher did not explain the reason.

Xu Qi'an was brought to the Nightwatchers' yamen and questioned about the tax silver case and the Marquis of Martial Might's abducted daughter. After the Silver Gongs revealed that they had secretly followed him and witnessed his schemes, he realized their evidence was a test and learned that the Nightwatchers wanted to invite him rather than punish him.

• Two Nightwatchers escorted Xu Qi'an to the yamen for questioning.
• Li Yuchun and another Silver Gong questioned Xu Qi'an about Vice Minister Zhou, his movements, and the abduction; Xu Qi'an denied wrongdoing and concealed what he could.
• The unfamiliar Silver Gong read from a notebook describing Xu Qi'an's recent actions, revealing that the Nightwatchers had followed him.
• Xu Qi'an recognized that the Nightwatchers could have exposed him earlier, then confessed to everything to test their intentions.
• Li Yuchun explained that the questioning and evidence had been a test, and told Xu Qi'an that the Nightwatchers wanted to invite him.

Xu Qi'an joined the Nightwatchers under Li Yuchun after the Eldest Princess recommended him, choosing a boss whose principles matched his own. He passed the organization’s intelligence aptitude test in twelve breaths, impressing Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao.

• Li Yuchun explained that the Nightwatchers would recruit Xu Qi'an despite his low cultivation, and said the Eldest Princess had recommended him.
• Xu Qi'an rejected Silver Gong Sun’s offer and chose to work under Li Yuchun, who warned him to keep a clear conscience and offered to help him open the Heaven’s Gate for four hundred taels.
• Xu Qi'an completed his enrollment formalities with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao, and agreed to join them at the Imperial Music Bureau that night.
• Song Tingfeng explained the Nightwatchers’ aptitude tests and presented Xu Qi'an with a logic puzzle involving two brocade boxes and truth-telling and lying clerks.
• Xu Qi'an solved the puzzle in twelve breaths, leaving Song Tingfeng impressed by his intelligence.

Xu Qi'an endured the Nightwatchers' Heart-Questioning Trial, where his refusal to bow before the sacred statues nearly marked him as irredeemable. He passed a secret sixth test by writing a poem about officials' duty to the people, and the clerk rushed to deliver his assessment to Duke Wei.

• Song Tingfeng explained the Heart-Questioning Trial and its aptitude ratings before Xu Qi'an climbed the tower alone.
• Xu Qi'an passed the Buddha, Dao Venerable, and Confucian School Sage without bowing, then struggled to kowtow before the sovereign while fighting the mirror's calming influence.
• The clerk revealed that Wei Yuan had created a sixth trial for anyone who passed all five floors without bowing, and led Xu Qi'an to a poem carved on a wooden platform.
• Xu Qi'an concluded the sixth trial tested whether he possessed a moral quality worth saving and wrote a poem condemning officials who abused the people.
• The clerk declared the trial over and hurried to deliver Xu Qi'an's work to Duke Wei, while Xu Qi'an asked Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao for a place to rest.

Wei Yuan reviewed Xu Qi'an’s recruitment records, rated him Upper first-class, and discussed his unruly outlook with Yang Yan and Qianrou. Xu Qi'an began the treatment for Qi Refining and asked Li Yuchun about the limits of the world’s cultivation systems.

• Wei Yuan reviewed Xu Qi'an’s background and test results, noted that the eldest princess had recommended him, and assigned him to Li Yuchun under Yang Yan’s command.
• Wei Yuan read Xu Qi'an’s words about the people and Heaven, discussed his views with Yang Yan and Qianrou, and marked his assessment Upper first-class.
• Li Yuchun had Xu Qi'an sit in a tub of Marrow-Cleansing Liquid to prepare for the Qi Refining Realm.
• Xu Qi'an asked Li Yuchun about martial artists and other cultivation systems, and Li Yuchun said a greater secret concerned their upper limits.

Li Yuchun explained the cultivation ranks to Xu Qi'an and opened his Heavenly Gate, only for Xu Qi'an to sense Qi and enter the Qi refining realm after a single cycle. Astonished by his apparent talent, Li Yuchun went to ask Wei Yuan about Xu Qi'an's aptitude grade.

• Li Yuchun told Xu Qi'an that the Sage, the Gu God, the Shaman God, the Dao Venerable, and the Buddha stood outside the nine cultivation ranks, and that martial artists had no transcendent rank.
• Li Yuchun explained how difficult martial cultivation was and warned Xu Qi'an that the painful medicinal bath would prepare him for the Heavenly Gate ritual.
• Li Yuchun circulated Qi through Xu Qi'an, who sensed it after one cycle and entered the Qi refining realm after completing three cycles.
• Xu Qi'an tested his new strength by striking a window from a distance, and Li Yuchun left the chamber wondering whether he had found a peerless genius.
• Li Yuchun went to the Righteous Qi Tower, where Wei Yuan said Li Yuchun was fortunate to have gained a talented man; Li Yuchun asked about Xu Qi'an's grade.

Li Yuchun learned that Xu Qi'an had earned an unprecedented A-plus aptitude rating and sensed Qi in a single cycle, while Xu Qi'an settled into the Qi Refining Realm and joined the Nightwatchers. Li Yuchun sent Xu Qi'an and his new squad to investigate a man-eating monster on Mount Dahuang, making the mission his first live combat test.

• Li Yuchun saw Xu Qi'an's A-plus rating in the household register, learned he had sensed Qi in one cycle, and agreed to keep the rating secret.
• Wei Yuan and Yang Yan discussed watching Xu Qi'an's progress without giving him special treatment, while Wei Yuan suggested the talent might motivate his adopted son.
• Xu Qi'an spent the day circulating Qi, felt his body grow stronger, and tested his power by striking the ground and cracking it.
• At the Xu Residence, Xu Pingzhi and the family worried about Xu Qi'an's absence until Old Zhang delivered his message that he had become a Nightwatcher and would not return that night.
• Xu Qi'an collected his Nightwatcher equipment and learned from Song Tingfeng that he would join his squad for patrols.
• Li Yuchun assigned Xu Qi'an and his colleagues to investigate the man-eating monster on Mount Dahuang and told Xu Qi'an to treat the mission as his live combat test.

Xu Qi'an and the Nightwatchers joined Capital Prefecture constables to investigate a monster preying on lime workers at Mount Dahuang. Xu Qi'an inferred that the monster was driving people away from something on the mountain, and the group set out with a new lead.

• Xu Qi'an, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao reviewed a sparse case file about a monster killing lime workers near Mount Dahuang.
• Xu Qi'an found that his silver fragment had grown heavier, while Li Yuchun discovered that three mace of silver were missing from his pouch.
• The Nightwatchers met Capital Prefecture head constable Lü Qing and learned that the monster's attacks had spread from the river into the mountains, where more than twenty lime workers had recently vanished.
• Xu Qi'an studied a map and argued that the monster's attacks were deliberate because it targeted lime workers but ignored nearby villages.
• Lü Qing concluded that something on Mount Dahuang mattered to the monster.

Xu Qi'an and the Nightwatchers searched Mount Dahuang for the Yao blamed for the lime workers’ deaths, but found no trace of it in the river or on the mountain. At a remote lime kiln, Xu Qi'an discovered that the site concealed a mining tunnel and identified the white ore as saltpeter.

• Xu Qi'an and the others tried to drive the Yao from the river with explosive charges, but it did not surface.
• The group searched Mount Dahuang and learned from Lü Qing that the lime workers’ heavy taxes had left them without a livelihood.
• Xu Qi'an proposed finding the headmen of nearby villages, and the returning constable brought back Zhang, the headman of Hegou Village.
• Zhang led the group to a southern lime kiln where workers had died, and Xu Qi'an spotted that its tunnel was far deeper than a kiln should be.
• Xu Qi'an crushed a piece of white ore and tested its powder in a torch, causing violet-tinged flames and recognizing the ore as saltpeter.

Xu Qi'an and the Nightwatchers discovered a saltpeter deposit on Mount Dahuang, but a powerful salamander demon ambushed them before they could report it. After helping his colleagues weaken the demon, Xu Qi'an killed it with an enchanted crossbow as it tried to escape into the river.

• Xu Qi'an identified the cave's mineral as saltpeter, and Song Tingfeng ordered the team to return to the capital and report the discovery.
• A salamander demon attacked Xu Qi'an, shattered his copper gong, and fought Lü Qing, Song Tingfeng, Zhu Guangxiao, and the others.
• Xu Qi'an regained consciousness, used Bone-Eroding Poison to aid the fight, and rescued Lü Qing from the demon's attacks.
• The demon fled into the forest, and Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao struck it as Lü Qing and Xu Qi'an pursued.
• When the demon plunged into the river, Xu Qi'an fired an enchanted crossbow bolt through its head and killed it.

Xu Qi'an and the constables killed the demon and discovered that it had driven lime workers away from a saltpeter mine, prompting Li Yuchun to suspect the Demon Race. After earning time off, Xu Qi'an joined Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao on a visit to Shadowed Plum Pavilion, where he intended to confront his humiliation.

• Xu Qi'an killed the demon with a military crossbow, and he and Lü Qing dragged its body ashore before questioning the village head about the abandoned quarry.
• The village head and villagers thanked the constables, and Xu Qi'an accepted their basket of eggs before the group returned to the capital with the demon's corpse.
• Xu Qi'an told Li Yuchun that the demon had driven workers away to claim the saltpeter mine, and Li Yuchun began writing after murmuring that the Demon Race was involved.
• Song Tingfeng and Xu Qi'an filed injury paperwork to secure two days off, then Song and Zhu Guangxiao reminded Xu of their planned visit to the Imperial Music Bureau.
• Xu Qi'an paid for a tea gathering at Shadowed Plum Pavilion, arriving there with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao to wash away his humiliation.

Xu Qi'an visited the Imperial Music Bureau, where Fuxiang recognized him as the poet Yang Ling and invited him to her room. After returning home and learning more about his family’s progress, he awoke to a message on the jade mirror asking where he was.

• At the Shadowed Plum Pavilion, Xu Qi'an learned that scholars were searching for Yang Ling, the poet behind a celebrated plum-blossom verse, and Fuxiang appeared after recognizing him.
• Fuxiang invited Xu Qi'an to her room, where they spent the night together and discussed Vice Minister Zhou’s exile; Xu Qi'an answered her questions cautiously and recited poetry for her.
• Xu Qi'an left the Imperial Music Bureau with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao, then returned to the Xu Residence carrying silk for his aunt and sisters.
• Xu Qi'an told Second Uncle Xu and Xu Xinnian about his recent troubles, and learned that Xu Xinnian had entered the Confucian School’s Self-Cultivation Realm.
• After Xu Qi'an returned to his courtyard and fell asleep, a message appeared on his jade mirror: “Where are you?”

Xu Qi'an investigated the messages appearing on his jade mirror and discovered that they came from a Daoist named Zilian, who identified the mirror as a magical treasure of the Earth Sect. The exchange left Xu Qi'an learning that the Daoist Order was divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human sects.

• Xu Qi'an ignored the first message on the mirror, then attended a farewell banquet with County Magistrate Zhu and his colleagues at Dawn Moon House.
• Xu Qi'an escorted Xu Lingyue home by leaping over a courtyard wall, then received the same message from Nine again.
• Xu Qi'an replied to the mirror and learned that the sender was looking for Senior Brother Jinlian, the old Daoist who had given Xu Qi'an the mirror.
• Xu Qi'an refused to give his name but told Nine that an old Daoist had given him the mirror.
• Nine introduced himself as Zilian, identified the mirror as an Earth Sect treasure, and explained that the Daoist Order had Heaven, Earth, and Human sects.

Xu Qi'an researched the Earth Book and the Heaven and Earth Society in the Nightwatchers' archives, then bound the mirror to himself with his blood. The mirror connected him to its other holders, and Number Six warned him not to trust Number Nine.

• Xu Qi'an agreed to return the Earth Book to Number Nine in exchange for the five hundred taels of gold Jinlian had charged him.
• Xu Qi'an visited the archives and learned about the Daoist Order, including the Earth Sect's pursuit of merit and the Human Sect's national preceptor.
• Xu Qi'an read that the Heaven and Earth Society was a semi-secret martial-world group with a history of helping suppress bandits, but found little about its current power.
• Xu Qi'an discovered that the Earth Book was an ancient treasure that recognized its master through blood, then smeared his blood onto the jade mirror.
• Xu Qi'an saw eight other points of light through the mirror's connection and received a message from Number Six warning him not to trust Number Nine.

Xu Qi'an learned that Number Nine could use the Earth Book fragment to locate him, but he distrusted Number Six’s warning as well. He handed the mirror over to Wei Yuan, who arranged to handle the planned exchange, and Xu Qi'an left the Nightwatchers' yamen mourning the treasure and gold he had given up.

• Number Six warned Xu Qi'an that Number Nine belonged to the Earth Sect and could use the Earth Book to pinpoint his location, then offered an address for returning the fragment.
• Xu Qi'an weighed returning the mirror, trading it for five hundred taels of gold, or giving it to the Nightwatchers, and chose to report it to Wei Yuan.
• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan how he had obtained the Earth Book and what had happened when he exchanged messages through it.
• When Number Nine asked about the trade, Wei Yuan told Xu Qi'an to set it for two hours later at Laurel Moon Tower, and Xu Qi'an sent the reply.
• Wei Yuan told Xu Qi'an to leave the matter to him, and Xu Qi'an left the yamen planning to soothe his disappointment at a pleasure house.

Xu Qi'an tried to understand the Earth Book fragments while relaxing at the Imperial Music Bureau, as Yang Yan pursued a covert exchange involving a jade mirror. Yang Yan defeated the Earth Sect elder’s body, but the elder’s Yin Spirit was trapped by a merit formation, and Xu Qi'an was summoned by Duke Wei the next morning.

• Xu Qi'an wondered how the Earth Book fragments communicated and speculated that the Heaven and Earth Society and Earth Sect were connected.
• A condemned Nightwatcher exchanged a small jade mirror for banknotes with a cloaked man at Laurel Moon Tower, but the cloaked man killed him and fled with the mirror.
• The cloaked man delivered the mirror to an old Earth Sect leader, who recognized that he had brought an enemy and killed him as Yang Yan arrived.
• Yang Yan broke the Hundred Ghosts Formation with his spear and destroyed the old man's body, but the old man's Yin Spirit escaped.
• The old man's Yin Spirit tried to enter a village, but a five-colored merit formation trapped it around an old Daoist.
• Xu Qi'an reported to the Nightwatchers' office the next morning, and a clerk summoned him to meet Duke Wei.