Chapter Summaries

Yang Qianhuan learned that Xu Qi'an had stolen the spotlight at the Heaven and Human Contest and began following him to reclaim future opportunities. Daoist Jinlian recruited the Heaven and Earth Society members to help protect the Nine-Colored Lotus, while Emperor Yuanjing learned that the Prince Who Guards the North had sent for his princess consort.

• The white-robed Physician told Yang Qianhuan that Xu Qi'an had defeated Chu Yuanzhen and Li Miaozhen, and Yang praised Xu's poem after hearing how he had won the crowd's attention.
• Yang Qianhuan learned that Emperor Yuanjing had wanted him to intervene in the contest, but the Supervisor had kept him underground, so he went to Xu Qi'an's residence and vowed to watch for chances to steal back the spotlight.
• Daoist Jinlian gathered Xu Qi'an, Chu Yuanzhen, Hengyuan, Li Miaozhen, and Lina, then explained that the Nine-Colored Lotus he had hidden was nearing maturity and asked them to help him defend it from the Earth Sect's demonic Daoists.
• The group agreed to help Daoist Jinlian in exchange for lotus seeds, with Xu Qi'an receiving two because he had defeated Li Miaozhen and Chu Yuanzhen.
• Chu Xianglong told Emperor Yuanjing that he had been tasked with escorting the Prince Who Guards the North's princess consort to the frontier, and the emperor eagerly asked whether the prince was almost there.

Xu Qi'an brought his companions to the Directorate of Astronomy, where Susu hoped to see Song Qing's human-transmutation work. The visit ended with the alchemists eagerly surrounding Xu Qi'an, whose influence and alchemical writings astonished Li Miaozhen.

• Emperor Yuanjing learned that Chu Xianglong's cultivation had gone wrong and arranged for the princess consort to travel north with an investigative party in disguise.
• Xu Qi'an led Zhong Li, Li Miaozhen, and their companions to the Star Observation Tower while Chu Caiwei and Lina left to share food.
• The group learned that Song Qing had transmuted a person but kept the creation hidden from nearly everyone, disappointing Susu.
• When Zhong Li entered Song Qing's laboratory, the Alchemy Masters panicked over their experiments, but nothing exploded; Xu Qi'an then stopped Zhong Li from leaving.
• Xu Qi'an asked Song Qing to show his transmuted person, and Song Qing and the other Alchemy Masters welcomed Xu Qi'an enthusiastically, praising his help with alchemy and asking for the next volume of the Blue Book.

Xu Qi'an toured Song Qing's Life Alchemy workshop and discovered that his experiments included living hybrids and a body without a soul. Susu could not inhabit the body, so Xu Qi'an agreed to study Song Qing's notes and seek a solution.

• Xu Qi'an promised the Alchemy Masters that he would finish the Blue Book before the end of the year and discuss Alchemy with them.
• Song Qing led Xu Qi'an and the others into a secured chamber and showed them unusual weapons and his Life Alchemy experiments, including a Tree Cat and a short-lived human-horse embryo.
• Song Qing revealed a soulless humanlike body that was deteriorating and would likely die within days.
• Li Miaozhen suggested the body could serve as Susu's vessel, but Susu was expelled when she tried to possess it.
• Song Qing asked Xu Qi'an to teach him Life Alchemy, and Xu Qi'an requested his notes so he could study them.

Xu Qi'an persuaded Song Qing to prepare a beautiful female body for Susu and discovered a new way to train toward Fifth Rank. The court appointed him lead investigator of the Three-Thousand-Li Blood Massacre Case, and Wei Yuan hinted that the appointment had political motives.

• Xu Qi'an suggested that the Nine-Colored Lotus could awaken Song Qing's created body, then privately asked Song Qing to refine a beautiful female body with a large chest for Susu to possess.
• Xu Xinnian told Xu Qi'an that Miss Wang seemed attracted to his looks, and Xu Qi'an advised him to decide for himself whether to pursue her.
• Xu Qi'an experimented with the Heaven and Earth One-Saber Slash using physical strength alone and realized it could help him advance toward Fifth Rank faster.
• Emperor Yuanjing asked the court to choose a lead investigator for the Three-Thousand-Li Blood Massacre Case, and the officials agreed that Xu Qi'an should take charge.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Wei Yuan about why the court had chosen him, and Wei Yuan praised his growing political awareness before preparing to explain the appointment.

Xu Qi'an prepared to investigate the bloodbath across three thousand li in the Northern Territory, gathering allies and magical resources before leading the delegation north. The chapter ended with him sailing from the capital while Li Miaozhen went ahead to meet him there.

• Wei Yuan warned Xu Qi'an that the court had chosen him as chief investigator partly to put him at risk, and advised him to investigate secretly with Yang Yan as his escort.
• Chu Xianglong informed the princess consort that she had been ordered to accompany the delegation to the Northern Territory, and she reacted with anger.
• Xu Qi'an recruited Li Miaozhen's help, then asked the Great Confucians at Cloud Deer Academy to record a spirit-summoning spell; Dean Zhao Shou gave him a book of spells and spoke to him about the people as the source of Fate.
• Xu Qi'an boarded the northbound ship with Yang Yan, the investigative delegation, and Chu Xianglong after saying farewell to his family and allies at the docks.
• Li Miaozhen secretly told Xu Qi'an she would go ahead to the Northern Territory, while Yang Qianhuan, Chu Caiwei, and Zhong Li watched him sail away.

Xu Qi'an traveled north with the delegation investigating the bloodbath across three thousand li, clashed with the princess consort, and treated sick imperial guards aboard the ship. After learning General Chu had confined the soldiers to the foul, poorly ventilated hold, Xu Qi'an ordered them onto the deck to scrub their chamber pots.

• Xu Qi'an encountered the disguised princess consort on deck and repeatedly called her “Auntie,” angering her.
• Fuxiang learned that Xu Qi'an had departed the capital on business and discovered a white hair in her reflection.
• The princess consort complained to Chu Xianglong about Xu Qi'an, then learned he was the chief official of the northward mission.
• Xu Qi'an treated the sick imperial guards with an antidote pill and learned General Chu had forbidden them from leaving the bottom hold.
• Xu Qi'an ordered the soldiers onto the deck to scrub their chamber pots, and they cheered and obeyed.

Xu Qi'an clashed with Chu Xianglong over the imperial guards’ harsh conditions aboard the boat and asserted his authority as chief investigator. With Chen Xiao and the soldiers backing him, Xu Qi'an forced Chu Xianglong to accept the soldiers’ deck schedule, recognize Xu’s command, and apologize.

• Chu Xianglong caught the imperial guards emptying chamber pots on deck and ordered them punished for violating his ban.
• Xu Qi'an defended the soldiers, gave them six hours of daily deck access, and attacked Chu Xianglong after he dismissed Xu’s authority.
• Several officials sided with Chu Xianglong and demanded Xu Qi'an apologize, while the princess consort listened from behind a group of maids.
• Xu Qi'an declared Chu Xianglong and his subordinates expelled from the delegation, but the imperial guards returned armed and drew their blades in support of him.
• Yang Yan refused Chu Xianglong’s appeal, and Chu Xianglong accepted Xu Qi'an’s conditions and apologized.

Xu Qi'an established his authority over the delegation, learned that Chu Xianglong was secretly escorting the Prince Who Guards the North’s consort, and spent the night entertaining the imperial guards and teasing the consort. The official ship reached Butter Commandery, where Xu Qi'an planned a shore leave while the exhausted consort blamed him for frightening her.

• Xu Qi'an intimidated Chu Xianglong into leaving the deck, then learned from Yang Yan that Chu Xianglong was escorting the consort to the Northern Territory under a verbal imperial order.
• Yang Yan warned Xu Qi'an that Chu Xianglong would likely make trouble for him and that the Three Offices could not be relied upon to pursue the case enthusiastically.
• Xu Qi'an regaled Chen Xiao and the imperial guards with embellished tales of his past cases, then promised them half a day off when the ship reached Jiang Prefecture.
• Xu Qi'an recited a poetic couplet to the consort, then frightened her with a story about a water ghost and laughed when a splash made her fall in fright.
• The ship docked at Butter Commandery the next morning, and Xu Qi'an arranged supplies and shore leave while the sleepless, seasick consort ignored him and returned to her cabin.

Xu Qi'an investigated why there were no refugees in Butter Commandery and grew suspicious of the Consort’s secret journey north with the delegation. After questioning her and observing Chu Xianglong’s reaction, he concluded that her trip might involve a confidential scheme or danger.

• Xu Qi'an questioned a port foreman and searched Butter Commandery for refugees, finding none despite the reported fighting in the north.
• Xu Qi'an explained to the Silver Gongs that the absence of refugees made the massacre case more troubling, then reassured them with his confidence.
• Xu Qi'an brought lunch to Fu Wenpei and asked why the Consort was traveling with the party without his knowledge.
• The Consort ate the sour and spicy soup Xu Qi'an had brought, and Chu Xianglong warned her not to associate too closely with him.
• Xu Qi'an considered the Consort’s secret travel arrangements and suspected that her journey involved a hidden scheme or a threat requiring protection.

Xu Qi'an suspected the Consort of the Prince Who Guards the North was in danger, persuaded the delegation to travel overland, and left Yang Yan to test the river route. The ship was destroyed at Flowing Stone Shoal, but the attackers believed the princess consort was still with the delegation and planned to pursue her.

• Xu Qi'an carved butter jade gifts and wrote letters for seven women, then summoned Chu Xianglong and the officials to warn that the consort might be targeted in an ambush.
• Xu Qi'an persuaded the officials to switch to an overland route and wagered three thousand taels of silver and the Northern Territory garrison’s departure records against Chu Xianglong’s control of the delegation.
• The delegation left Butter Commandery by road while Yang Yan remained behind with six boatmen to test the water route.
• At Flowing Stone Shoal, a black-scaled flood dragon smashed the official ship, and Yang Yan escaped with the boatmen.
• A black-robed attacker and a white-robed man concluded that they had been deceived, then resolved to pursue the princess consort, whom they believed was still with the delegation.

Xu Qi'an kept the delegation safe from mosquitoes and learned from Yang Yan that a Flood Dragon had ambushed and sunk the ship at Flowing Stone Shoal. The princess consort realized Xu Qi'an had saved them from the attack, but ended the night trembling and wondering who would save her.

• Xu Qi'an gave the soldiers insect-repelling incense, earning their gratitude, while the assistant minister asked how confident he was about the suspected ambush.
• Xu Qi'an considered how to investigate the northern case without alerting the Prince Who Guards the North, then sensed someone approaching.
• Yang Yan arrived and told Xu Qi'an that a Flood Dragon had ambushed them at Flowing Stone Shoal and sunk the ship.
• Xu Qi'an woke the officials, and Yang Yan confirmed that the delegation would have been wiped out if it had stayed on the water route.
• Xu Qi'an ordered Chen Xiao to keep the delegation alert, while the officials praised Xu Qi'an for changing their route.
• The princess consort learned there had been an ambush, felt relieved that Xu Qi'an had saved them, and wondered who would save her.

After the delegation was ambushed by a Fourth-Rank flood dragon, Xu Qi'an suspected the northern barbarians and Demon Race were working together and resolved to gather more information before reaching the Northern Territory. Chu Xianglong led the delegation off the main road toward Jiang Prefecture, but a huge boulder came crashing toward them as they prepared to resume their march.

• Yang Yan reported that a Fourth-Rank black flood dragon had attacked the official ship, and Chu Xianglong identified it as Tang Shanjun.
• Xu Qi'an warned that the northern barbarians might also be lying in wait and realized the secret journey could be meant to guard against enemies within the imperial court.
• Chu Xianglong proposed abandoning carriages and baggage to travel through the mountains toward Jiang Prefecture, and the delegation set out that night.
• The old auntie asked Xu Qi'an whether they would reach the Northern Territory safely, but he refused to promise that the Nightwatchers would protect the princess consort.
• As the party prepared to continue after a brief rest, Xu Qi'an sensed danger and a twenty-foot boulder hurtled down the slope toward them.

Xu Qi'an and the delegation were ambushed by three Fourth Rank northern demons and barbarians, who targeted Yang Yan while Chu Xianglong fled with the princess consort. Xu Qi'an used a Buddhist spell and his Vajra Divine Art to halt the attackers, then rallied the delegation as the battle continued.

• Yang Yan shattered a boulder, and Xu Qi'an spotted a giant, a massive black flood dragon, and a red-dressed snake demon surrounding the delegation.
• Chu Xianglong identified the attackers as Tang Shanjun, Zhaermuha, and Hongling, all Fourth Rank, while Xu Qi'an deduced that an arcanist had helped them locate the delegation.
• Tang Shanjun, Zhaermuha, and Hongling attacked Yang Yan, while Chu Xianglong seized the veiled princess consort and escaped with his guards, abandoning the delegation.
• Xu Qi'an ordered Yang Yan to face Hongling and used a Buddhist commandment spell to make Tang Shanjun halt and drop his aggression.
• Xu Qi'an struck Zhaermuha with his Vajra body, revealing his strength to the delegation, and Chen Xiao rallied the imperial guards to fight beside him.

Xu Qi'an held off Tang Shanjun and Zhaermuha long enough for the officials to escape, then joined the effort to rescue the princess consort. He arrived at the northern experts’ camp, where the white-robed arcanist’s attempt to inspect him with the Qi-Observing Technique ended with blood streaming from his eyes.

• Xu Qi'an ordered Chen Xiao, the imperial guards, and the officials to retreat while he fought Tang Shanjun and Zhaermuha with Dean Zhao Shou’s spellbook.
• Xu Qi'an used the spellbook to defend himself and attack the two Fourth Ranks until the red-dressed woman signaled their withdrawal, then told Yang Yan to find the delegation while he rescued the princess consort.
• Tianlang ambushed Chu Xianglong with arrows, captured the real princess consort among the maidservants, and fatally wounded Chu Xianglong.
• Hongling killed the false princess consort by draining her life, while the northern experts questioned the captured maidservants about the real princess consort’s identity.
• The white-robed arcanist arrived and proposed stripping the maidservants to identify the princess consort, but Xu Qi'an appeared and challenged the northern experts.
• The white-robed arcanist used the Qi-Observing Technique on Xu Qi'an, screamed as blood poured from his eyes, and urged the others to flee while asking them to take him along.

Xu Qi'an, controlled by Shenshu, killed the four northern experts and the other survivors, then questioned their souls about the ambush on the consort. He learned that her spiritual essence could help the Prince Who Guards the North advance, and that the mysterious arcanist Xu Shengzu had revealed her secret to the barbarians; the chapter ended with Xu Qi'an asking whether they had caused the bloodbath across three thousand li.

• Hongling recognized the danger in Xu Qi'an, but Zhaermuha attacked while Tianlang and Tang Shanjun prepared to fight.
• Shenshu took control of Xu Qi'an, killed Zhaermuha, Tianlang, Tang Shanjun, and Hongling, then Xu Qi'an killed Chu Xianglong and the white-robed arcanist.
• Xu Qi'an used the Yin-Gathering Array to summon the dead experts' souls and learned that Xu Shengzu had informed the barbarians about the consort.
• Zhaermuha's soul revealed that the Prince Who Guards the North needed the consort's rare spiritual essence to reach the third rank.
• Hongling's soul repeated the spiritual-essence claim and recited a poem about the consort that Xu Qi'an had previously heard from Fuxiang.
• Xu Qi'an connected Xu Shengzu to the court's mysterious arcanist and suspected the Supervisor was playing a hidden game against him before asking whether the barbarians caused the bloodbath across three thousand li.

Xu Qi'an questioned the captured souls and learned that the northern Barbarian and Demon Races knew nothing about the alleged border massacre, while Chu Xianglong believed it was a plot against the Prince Who Guards the North. After rescuing the old auntie and sparing the maidservants, Xu Qi'an discovered that the auntie’s bead bracelet had caught his attention and forcibly slipped it off.

• Xu Qi'an questioned Zhaermuha, Tianlang, Tang Shanjun, and Chu Xianglong, finding that only Chu Xianglong believed the supposed massacre was a court scheme against the Prince Who Guards the North.
• Xu Qi'an learned that Chu Xianglong planned to keep him under watch or house arrest and that he considered the Prince Who Guards the North a loyal commander, not a would-be rebel.
• Xu Qi'an questioned the deranged arcanist Xu Shengzu, placed the souls in Li Miaozhen's sachet, stored their corpses in the Earth Book Fragment, and spared the maidservants.
• The old auntie woke beside Xu Qi'an's campfire, doubted his identity, then recognized him after he recalled their earlier encounters.
• The old auntie ate Xu Qi'an's roasted rabbit and insisted the dead princess consort had been a pitiful woman.
• Xu Qi'an asked to inspect the old auntie's bodhi bead bracelet, dragged her back when she resisted, and slipped it off amid her screams.

Xu Qi'an revealed that he had recognized the Consort of the Prince Who Guards the North and traveled with her toward Sanhuang County to investigate the mysterious massacre. Meanwhile, Yang Yan's delegation reached Wan Prefecture, where officials denied that a bloodbath over three thousand li had occurred.

• Xu Qi'an returned the consort's bracelet after seeing her true face, then told her he had suspected her identity since the prince's estate and confirmed it aboard the official ship.
• Xu Qi'an and the consort camped apart from the delegation, and he explained that they would go to Sanhuang County to contact a Nightwatchers agent and gather intelligence.
• Xu Qi'an and the consort traveled by mountain paths for five days while Yang Yan's delegation entered Wan Prefecture.
• Prefect Niu met Yang Yan's delegation and claimed the Barbarian Race had raided border villages but that no bloodbath over three thousand li had taken place.
• Censor Liu challenged Prefect Niu's denial, noting that reports from the Prince Who Guards the North described only repelled border incursions.

The delegation kept its northward journey slow while Xu Qi'an secretly investigated the princess consort’s disappearance and traveled with her through the mountains. At the relay station, a spy serving the Prince Who Guards the North questioned the officials about the attack and Xu Qi'an, while the princess consort remained with him on the trail.

• Prefect Niu denied knowing anything about the Northern Territory, and the delegation’s officials agreed that drawing the Prince of Huai’s attention would help protect Xu Qi'an’s secret investigation.
• Yang Yan suspected Xu Qi'an had rescued the princess consort, sent ten imperial guards to escort the maids back to the capital, and kept the princess consort’s whereabouts from the delegation.
• Xu Qi'an urged the princess consort to bathe at a waterfall, but she refused and later pelted him with stones as they continued along the mountain trail.
• Li Yuanhua arrived at the relay station with two hundred soldiers and a masked earth-grade spy, who questioned the delegation about the princess consort and the attack.
• The female spy asked Constable Chen and the Assistant Minister about Xu Qi'an’s recent deeds and character, and the Assistant Minister dismissed him as a callow brat.

Yang Yan questioned a masked agent about the missing princess consort while the agents concluded that Chu Xianglong had likely fled with a decoy and the real princess consort was taken by the northern tribes. Meanwhile, Xu Qi'an disguised himself as Xu Erlang and continued traveling with the princess consort, then received a message from Daoist Jinlian and contacted Li Miaozhen as he neared the Northern Territory.

• Yang Yan exchanged questions with the female agent, learned that Chu Xianglong had rendezvoused with her, and said he did not know where the princess consort or Xu Qi'an were.
• The female agent met a male agent at the Wan Prefecture Garrison, and they reasoned that Tianlang had ambushed the delegation and that the real princess consort was likely hidden among the maids before being captured.
• The male agent ordered Xu Qi'an's portrait circulated and instructed his people to watch Yang Yan and the delegation.
• Xu Qi'an disguised himself as Xu Erlang, ordered the princess consort to prepare a pheasant, and told her they would reach Sanhuang County before dusk.
• Xu Qi'an received a message from Daoist Jinlian asking him to block the others, then replied to Li Miaozhen that he would reach the Northern Territory that day and asked what she had found.

Xu Qi'an and Li Miaozhen investigated the supposed bloodbath across three thousand li, and Xu Qi'an advised her to seek out the hidden complainant through Chu Prefecture's martial world. Meanwhile, Xu Qi'an and the princess consort reached Sanhuang County, where he entered using a stolen travel permit and revealed that the Prince of Huai's men knew he had gone north.

• Li Miaozhen reported that grain prices in Chu Prefecture remained stable and that she had found no evidence of a large-scale bloodbath or occupied cities.
• Xu Qi'an reasoned that the roadside victim had likely carried evidence for local officials, and urged Li Miaozhen to travel incognito as the Flying Swallow Heroine to find the person behind the complaint.
• Xu Qi'an and the princess consort shared a meal at an impoverished farmhouse, and Xu Qi'an gave the family a small piece of silver.
• Xu Qi'an and the princess consort reached Sanhuang County, where Xu Qi'an used a stolen travel permit to get past the guards.
• After entering town, Xu Qi'an told the princess consort that the Prince of Huai's men knew he had gone north, but did not know she was with him.