Chapter Summaries

Xu Qi'an discussed Zhou Min’s mysterious death and the risks of investigating Yunzhou with Governor Zhang and Jiang Lyuzhong, then used the Earth Book group chat to learn that Number Two trusted Yang Chuannan despite the accusations against him. He persuaded Number Two to cooperate with the investigation and ended by preparing to reveal the sealed entity’s identity.

• Xu Qi'an met Governor Zhang and Jiang Lyuzhong, who suspected a Fourth Rank Dream Shaman had killed Zhou Min and asked Xu Qi'an to find the undercover agent’s hidden evidence in Yunzhou.
• Governor Zhang explained how years of war and failed suppression campaigns had made Yunzhou a stronghold for bandits, while Xu Qi'an raised the danger of provoking Yang Chuannan.
• Xu Qi'an told the Earth Book group that the court was sending a governor to investigate Yang Chuannan for aiding bandits, and Number Two insisted Yang was not guilty.
• Xu Qi'an urged Number Two to work with the governor to clear Yang Chuannan’s name, and Number Two agreed before criticizing Emperor Yuanjing.
• Xu Qi'an announced that he had never revealed the true identity of the entity sealed beneath Mulberry Lake, catching the group’s attention.

Xu Qi'an led the Heaven and Earth Society in discussing the identity of the severed hand sealed beneath Mulberry Lake, steering them toward the Buddhist Order and away from the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox. The discussion ended with Number Four recalling an event involving the Confucian School.

• Number Three revealed that the Mulberry Lake object was a severed hand belonging to a powerful expert, and said the Nightwatchers did not know its identity before the Demon Race took it.
• Number Nine, Number Three, and Number Four ruled out several supernatural systems and narrowed the likely possibilities to martial artists, the Demon Race, and the Buddhist Order.
• Number One inferred that the severed hand belonged to the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, but Xu Qi'an realized Number One knew the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons' remnants were involved despite never having shared that information.
• Xu Qi'an questioned whether the owner could have been Buddhist, and Number Six explained that the Buddhist Order had a martial monk system that cultivated strength without requiring Buddhist observances.
• Xu Qi'an asked the group to seek historical information about Buddhist experts from five hundred years ago, and the members agreed to look into it.
• Number Four began to raise past events involving the Confucian School.

Xu Qi'an learned that an ancient Confucian minister had established his destiny by suppressing Buddhism, then asked Jiang Lyuzhong about reaching the Spirit Refining Realm and revealed he had already reached the peak of Qi Refining. As his party neared Yuzhou, Xu Qi'an used the Qi-Observing Technique on a suspicious official vessel and saw bloody light around it.

• Four recounted how the Western Regions rejected scholars and explained that Confucian Chief Minister Du Zhongshu had suppressed Buddhism before entering the Establishing Destiny Realm; Number One concluded that suppressing Buddhism had been the destiny he established.
• Xu Qi'an learned that only one Gold Gong was openly accompanying the inspectors to Yunzhou, then spent the next morning discussing marriage and cultivation with Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng.
• Jiang Lyuzhong explained that reaching the Spirit Refining Realm required enduring prolonged wakefulness, and Xu Qi'an shocked him by saying he had already reached the peak of Qi Refining.
• After six days on the river, Xu Qi'an and the other Nightwatchers approached Yuzhou and noticed clerks on another official vessel react nervously to them.
• Xu Qi'an used a Qi-Observing Technique on the vessel and saw a mass of bloody light around it.

Xu Qi'an intercepted a Yuzhou Grain Transport Office barge after detecting something suspicious and led the Copper Gongs in a search. After uncovering evidence that the crew was hiding wrongdoing, he attacked and ordered the crew seized, then had to explain himself to Jiang Lyuzhong and Governor Zhang.

• Xu Qi'an noticed that the barge's crew had bloody light above them and ordered Song Tingfeng to alert Gold Gong Jiang before leaping aboard with the Copper Gongs.
• The bearded ship-guarding constable captain claimed the barge carried iron ore, offered the Nightwatchers a bribe, and let Xu Qi'an inspect the cargo and documents.
• Xu Qi'an noticed the barge had not stopped when ordered and found its unusually high-quality iron ore suspicious, but the documents appeared valid.
• In the galley, Xu Qi'an struck the bearded captain and four cooks, then ordered the Copper Gongs to seize everyone aboard alive.
• Jiang Lyuzhong arrived and questioned Xu Qi'an about why he had stopped the Yuzhou barge, while Governor Zhang watched from the Nightwatchers' ship.

The author reported that "The Big Clapper Hits Harder" averaged twenty thousand subscriptions per chapter and that he posted 290,000 Chinese characters during the month. He explained that the new Yunzhou storyline and a cold had slowed his writing, promised to fulfill outstanding bonus chapters, and said another update was planned after midnight.

• The author said the book had reached an average of twenty thousand subscriptions per chapter and thanked readers for their support.
• The author reported posting 290,000 Chinese characters that month and explained that outlining the new storyline had slowed his updates.
• The author discussed foreshadowing from volume one and said he would follow up on earlier hints, including the thread involving Shenshu.
• The author said he would deliver outstanding alliance leader bonus chapters after sorting out the Yunzhou storyline, despite being ill and struggling to maintain a backlog.
• The author said he had written half a chapter and planned another update after midnight.

Xu Qi'an exposed a gang posing as canal guards and learned that Yuzhou officials had arranged for iron ore to be smuggled to Yunzhou. Governor Zhang concluded the Qi Faction was preparing a rebellion and led the group to investigate Yuzhou's canal transport office.

• Xu Qi'an identified signs of murder aboard the barge, and Jiang Lyuzhong confirmed that its crew carried bloody light.
• Jiang Lyuzhong's men arrested the disguised guards, and Fang He confessed that Yuzhou's convoy commissioner had hired his gang to seize iron ore and deliver it to Yunzhou.
• Fang He revealed that the gang had transported a hundred thousand jin of iron ore to Yunzhou in three shipments that year.
• Xu Qi'an questioned why the Qi Faction kept sending restricted military supplies, and Governor Zhang concluded that they were plotting rebellion and treason.
• Governor Zhang chose to investigate the convoy commissioner in Yuzhou, and his group arrived at the canal transport dock and headed for the office.

Xu Qi'an investigated the Grain Transport Office’s role in smuggling iron ore, but the death of Convoy Commissioner Yan Kai stalled the case. He suspected a hidden organizer was directing the smuggling, then joined the Nightwatchers at Yuzhou’s Imperial Music Bureau, where courtesan Hongxiu had yet to appear.

• Governor Zhang brought Xu Qi'an to the Yu Province Grain Transport Office, where he exposed that Yellow Flag Gang members had worn its uniforms to steal guarded goods.
• Transport Commissioner Yang Muhua denied knowing about the scheme, and the arcanists confirmed he was telling the truth; he led the group to arrest Convoy Commissioner Yan Kai.
• The officials found Yan Kai dead in his study, and Xu Qi'an deduced from the wound and the victim’s left-handedness that he had been murdered.
• Investigators searched the Grain Transport Office and questioned its staff, but found no trace of the killer, leaving the smuggling case without a lead.
• Xu Qi'an reasoned that the person directing the iron ore smuggling had limited control over the office, then went with the Nightwatchers to the Imperial Music Bureau, where Hongxiu had not yet arrived.

Xu Qi'an and the Nightwatchers attended a drinking gathering at the Yuzhou Imperial Music Bureau, where courtesan Hongxiu openly looked down on them. After learning that Xu Qi'an was the poet behind Fuxiang’s famous poem, Hongxiu collapsed in grief.

• Hongxiu arrived late, played the zither, and showed little interest in the Nightwatchers, while Xu Qi'an noticed her disdain for martial artists.
• Song Tingfeng revealed that Xu Qi'an was Fuxiang’s lover, and Xu Qi'an said Fuxiang ranked among the five most beautiful women he had seen.
• Hongxiu left without inviting any of the Nightwatchers to stay, then welcomed Young Master Wei and his fellow scholars with renewed enthusiasm.
• Young Master Wei told the scholars that Fuxiang’s lover and the poet behind her famous poem was a Nightwatcher named Xu Qi'an, courtesy name Ningyan.
• Hongxiu dropped her wine cup and broke down in tears after hearing Xu Qi'an’s name.

After Governor Zhang reported the grain-transport corruption, the imperial envoy’s party continued toward Yunzhou and encountered a Water Wraith on the way. They arrived in Qingzhou, where Governor Zhang revealed that the local administrative commissioner was a famous Great Confucian.

• Young Master Wei and the other scholars suspected that Xu Ningyan had come to Yuzhou and planned to visit the post station.
• Governor Zhang returned to the post station and wrote a memorial accusing Yan Kai of stealing iron ore and praising Xu Qi'an’s role in exposing the scheme.
• Xu Qi'an and his colleagues joked about courtesans aboard the ship before a Tiger Guard fell into the water and was rescued from a Water Wraith.
• The boatman warned the party about Water Wraiths, and Xu Qi'an later went onto the deck at night hoping to see one.
• The imperial envoy’s party arrived at Qingzhou, where Governor Zhang told Xu Qi'an that the administrative commissioner was Yang Gong, also known as Layman Ziyang.

Xu Qi'an accompanied Governor Zhang to Qingzhou, where Layman Ziyang welcomed him warmly after learning he was present. At a banquet, a Qingzhou official recognized Xu Qi'an as the poet behind a famous couplet.

• Governor Zhang told Xu Qi'an how Layman Ziyang had purged Qingzhou's officialdom and was struggling to choose an inscription for admonition steles.
• When Layman Ziyang learned that Xu Qi'an had accompanied Governor Zhang, he hurried back to the Provincial Administration Office to meet him.
• Layman Ziyang welcomed Xu Qi'an as a student and listened as Governor Zhang described recent cases and factional struggles in the capital.
• Layman Ziyang hosted Governor Zhang, Jiang Lyuzhong, Xu Qi'an, and Qingzhou officials at a banquet.
• A crimson-robed official asked Xu Qi'an whether he had written the couplet about sparse shadows and a subtle fragrance beneath the evening moon.

At a Qingzhou banquet, Xu Qi'an stunned the officials by reciting a poem warning them not to oppress the people, then received Layman Ziyang’s jade thumb ring. After the banquet, Layman Ziyang hinted that Yunzhou’s enduring bandit problem had a deeper cause, and Xu Qi'an asked him to explain.

• The prefect of Qingzhou recognized Xu Qi'an as the author of a famous poem, and Governor Zhang recited another of his poems to the assembled officials.
• Layman Ziyang praised the poem and asked Xu Qi'an for a title, while the prefect asked him to write an inscription for the government offices’ admonition steles.
• Xu Qi'an initially refused, but accepted Layman Ziyang’s jade thumb ring, which had been imbued with Vast Righteous Qi, and agreed to compose a poem.
• Xu Qi'an recited four lines condemning officials who oppressed the people, and his Lion’s Roar made the poem ring through the banquet, leaving many officials ashamed.
• After the banquet, Xu Qi'an went to the pond to pick red lotuses, and Layman Ziyang told him Yunzhou’s bandit scourge was rooted in something unique to the province.
• Xu Qi'an addressed Layman Ziyang as a teacher and asked him to explain the cause.

Xu Qi'an prepared to enter Yunzhou after discussing the region and his mission with Layman Ziyang, while Yang Gong spread Xu Qi'an's poem across Qingzhou's government offices. At a border post station, Xu Qi'an wrote seven letters to people in the capital, leaving his family and romantic interests with updates and reminders.

• Layman Ziyang explained Yunzhou's resources and strategic position, advised Xu Qi'an to investigate the case and protect Zhang Xingying, and offered him a trained hawk for sending messages.
• Xu Qi'an asked Layman Ziyang about the Buddhist Order and the sealed Sub-Sage's Academy, but Layman Ziyang said the dean knew the secrets surrounding the Buddhist Order.
• Yang Gong had Xu Qi'an's poem carved on admonition steles throughout Qingzhou, and officials and scholars praised Xu Qi'an's writing and character.
• Xu Qi'an left Qingzhou with Layman Ziyang's farewell advice to serve the court and act for the people, then traveled toward Yunzhou without sleeping for seven days as he practiced cultivation.
• At a post station on Qingzhou's border, Xu Qi'an wrote letters to Princess Huaiqing, Princess Lin'an, Miss Caiwei, Miss Fuxiang, Little Sister Lingyue, Auntie, and Second Uncle, enclosing red lotus petals with five of them.

Governor Zhang and Xu Qi'an traveled through impoverished Yunzhou as a caravan carrying Yang Yingying was ambushed by armed bandits. Jiang Lyuzhong’s force entered the battle, and he ordered Xu Qi'an to kill at least ten enemies for practice.

• Governor Zhang explained that Yunzhou’s population had fallen sharply because of heavy taxes and rampant banditry, while Xu Qi'an struggled to stay awake after eight sleepless days.
• Yang Yingying traveled with Zhao Long’s caravan to leave Yunzhou while protecting an object concealed beneath her clothes.
• Armed men carrying military crossbows and regulation sabers ambushed Zhao Long’s caravan, slaughtering its people and scattering its goods.
• Jiang Lyuzhong led the governor’s procession into the woods, where the Tiger Guard and Nightwatchers fought the attackers.
• Jiang Lyuzhong sent Xu Qi'an into the battle and told him to kill at least ten enemies for practice.

Xu Qi'an uncovered that the bandits had targeted the rescued travelers rather than their goods, and exposed Yang Yingying as a fugitive with a hidden purpose. She revealed that she was Zhou Min’s widow and was seeking justice for his death, linking the attack to the Nightwatchers’ investigation into Yunzhou.

• Xu Qi'an killed three skilled bandits with his visualizations, impressing the watching Nightwatchers.
• The Tiger Guard rescued twenty-five merchants and ordinary travelers, while Governor Zhang promised to escort them to White Emperor City.
• Xu Qi'an noticed the bandits had left the goods untouched and deduced that they had targeted the people instead.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Yang Yingying and exposed inconsistencies in her story about traveling to join her husband in Qingzhou.
• Yang Yingying confessed that she was Zhou Min’s widow and was going to Qingzhou to seek justice for his murder.

Yang Yingying told Governor Zhang that her lover, Zhou Min, had been murdered and handed over a jade pendant he had left with her. In the palace, Huaiqing realized Lin'an’s five-in-a-row game could help her sister please Emperor Yuanjing, though Lin'an falsely claimed she had invented it.

• Yang Yingying asked to inspect Governor Zhang’s credentials before explaining that Zhou Min had sent her to deliver a secret item to Layman Ziyang after his death.
• Yang Yingying gave Governor Zhang half of a jade pendant, and he ordered the party to continue toward Yunzhou after burying the dead and taking the surviving merchants along.
• Huaiqing learned that five-in-a-row had spread through the palace and discovered that Lin'an had claimed credit for it.
• Huaiqing warned Lin'an to tell Emperor Yuanjing she had invented five-in-a-row because he disliked Xu Ningyan.
• At the family banquet, Lin'an praised Emperor Yuanjing when he asked about the game, and Huaiqing recognized her sister’s usefulness in pleasing their father.

Xu Qi'an arrived in White Emperor City with Governor Zhang and began investigating Zhou Min’s death, starting with the prefectural office’s handling of his belongings. After the prefectural administrator denied withholding any of Zhou Min’s estate, Xu Qi'an kicked him down and threatened him.

• Governor Zhang assigned Xu Qi'an to investigate while Jiang Lyuzhong stayed by his side to protect him.
• Xu Qi'an gathered Nightwatchers and Tiger Guards and rode to the prefectural office to inspect Zhou Min’s belongings.
• Xu Qi'an found only twenty taels of silver recorded among Zhou Min’s possessions and accused the prefectural administrator of embezzlement.
• The prefectural administrator denied taking anything, so Xu Qi'an kicked him into a wall and threatened him with his authority to act at his discretion.
• The prefectural administrator protested that they were in the prefectural office.

Xu Qi'an recovered Zhou Min’s belongings, examined his body, and concluded that a shaman from the Shaman God Cult had killed him in a dream. When the Nightwatchers found no contact code among the belongings, Xu Qi'an reasoned that Zhou Min must have hidden the evidence another way, and began to analyze the case from the beginning.

• Xu Qi'an threatened the prefectural registrar into summoning the officials who had taken silver from Zhou Min’s estate, and the prefect returned one hundred and fifty taels.
• Xu Qi'an took Zhou Min’s belongings to the courier station and examined his body, finding no fatal injuries or evidence of external violence.
• Governor Zhang and the Nightwatchers searched Zhou Min’s belongings but found no contact code, leaving them unable to identify evidence against Yang Chuannan.
• Xu Qi'an argued that Zhou Min must have hidden the evidence by some method other than the Nightwatchers’ codes.
• Xu Qi'an began analyzing the case from the beginning to work out where Zhou Min had hidden the evidence.

Xu Qi'an questioned Yang Yingying about Zhou Min’s final evening and pieced together a hidden message from the character riddles they had shared. He announced that he had unraveled the mystery, but had not yet explained what the five characters meant.

• Xu Qi'an reasoned that Zhou Min would have left clues on two tracks and decided to question Yang Yingying about her meeting with him.
• Yang Yingying recalled Zhou Min bringing gifts and pork head meat, discussing official affairs and Yunzhou bandits, and giving her half a jade pendant.
• Yang Yingying recited five character riddles, whose answers were 思, 伯, 告, 皇, and 明.
• Governor Zhang solved several of the riddles aloud, while Xu Qi'an teased him with a riddle he could not answer.
• Xu Qi'an considered how a newcomer to Yunzhou might easily discover what the five characters indicated, then declared that he had unraveled the mystery.

Xu Qi'an followed the character-riddle clues to Siming Bridge and found a note containing two cryptic sets of numbers, while the search of Huangbo Street turned up nothing. Back at the relay station, the mystery remained unsolved, and Governor Zhang asked Xu Qi'an to attend a banquet with Yunzhou's officials.

• Xu Qi'an explained that the riddle characters might point to locations on a map, and the Nightwatchers split up to investigate Huangbo Street and Siming Bridge.
• Xu Qi'an, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao found a brocade pouch hidden in a stone brick at Siming Bridge, containing a slip with two sets of numbers.
• The Nightwatchers who searched Huangbo Street reported that it was a dog market that only opened at night and had yielded no clues.
• Xu Qi'an returned with the cryptic note, but Governor Zhang and the others could not interpret it.
• Xu Qi'an said he had not slept in twelve days and went back to his room to visualize, while Jiang Lyuzhong recognized his effort to break through to the Spirit Refining Realm.
• Governor Zhang asked Xu Qi'an to accompany him to a banquet to meet Yunzhou's officials.

Xu Qi'an attended a banquet where Governor Zhang met Yunzhou’s officials and encountered Li Miaozhen, whom he suspected was Number Two. When Commissioner Song presented seedless loquats as a blessing from the White Emperor Temple, Xu Qi'an exposed how they were made, leaving the officials stunned.

• Governor Zhang and Xu Qi'an attended a banquet hosted by Yunzhou officials, where Xu Qi'an was given a seat at the main table.
• Yang Chuannan introduced Li Miaozhen as the Flying Swallow Heroine, and Xu Qi'an suspected she was Number Two.
• Commissioner Song presented seedless loquats as a blessing from the White Emperor Temple, and the officials praised Yunzhou as a favored land.
• Xu Qi'an interrupted Commissioner Song and explained that plucking the center of a loquat flower produced seedless fruit, leaving the banquet silent.