Chapter Summaries

Xu Qi'an took Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin through the capital, found another unexplained piece of silver, and bought them treats. Their outing ended in danger when a young gentleman made his horse rear over Xu Lingyin.

• Xu Qi'an found a one-mace piece of silver and used it to buy candied hawthorns for his sisters.
• Xu Qi'an remained puzzled by his recurring luck at finding silver as he led his sisters past Laurel Moon Tower.
• Xu Qi'an bought three portions of fish balls after seeing his sisters crave them.
• Several retainers surrounded and harassed Xu Lingyue while a young gentleman watched from his horse.
• Xu Lingyin ran to confront the young gentleman, who made his horse rear and stamp toward her.

Xu Qi'an rescued Xu Lingyin and Xu Lingyue from a young master in brocade, then fought the young master's attendants and beat him after learning he was Xu Pingzhi's nephew. Head Constable Wang escorted both sides to the Changle County Yamen, where Xu Qi'an asked whether his second uncle had been notified.

• Xu Qi'an hurled copper coins at the young master in brocade, knocked his horse aside, and rescued Xu Lingyin.
• Xu Qi'an told Xu Lingyue to take Xu Lingyin to the Changle County Yamen and summon Xu Pingzhi through Head Constable Wang.
• After hearing Xu Qi'an was Xu Pingzhi's nephew, the young master ordered his attendants to cripple him.
• Xu Qi'an concealed his strength, broke through the attendants' coordinated attack, and beat the young master into submission.
• Head Constable Wang arrived with constables, took both sides to the Changle County Yamen, and Xu Qi'an asked whether Xu Pingzhi had been notified.

Xu Qi'an was arrested after defending Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin from Young Master Zhou, the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue. As the Ministry of Punishments took him away, Xu Qi'an had sent Head Constable Wang to seek help from Caiwei.

• Xu Qi'an learned that Young Master Zhou was the Vice Minister of Revenue's son, while County Magistrate Zhu failed to press Xu Lingyue's complaint.
• Xu Qi'an borrowed silver from Head Constable Wang and told him to fetch a blue-covered book and ask Caiwei at the Directorate of Astronomy for help.
• Xu Pingzhi arrived at the county yamen, heard what happened to his daughters, and tried to settle the matter with Young Master Zhou.
• Uncle Chen arrived from the Zhou Residence and used his Spirit Refining Realm aura to intimidate Xu Pingzhi.
• A fifth-rank official from the Ministry of Punishments arrived with soldiers, declared Xu Qi'an a criminal, and had him shackled and taken away.

Xu Qi'an was taken away by the Ministry of Punishments, and Head Constable Wang brought a dark-blue book and a plea for help to the Directorate of Astronomy. Song Qing received the book and read its opening line, while Chu Caiwei was away.

• The Ministry of Punishments took Xu Qi'an away, and Xu Pingzhi vowed to appeal to the emperor before County Magistrate Zhu urged him to seek help from Xu Xinnian.
• Head Constable Wang went to the Star Observation Tower and asked to see Chu Caiwei, delivering a message that Xu Qi'an was in trouble and needed saving.
• A white-robed disciple took the book upstairs and asked Song Qing to decide what to do with it.
• Song Qing paused his work refining counterfeit silver and opened the book, reading its preface: “Equivalent exchange, the unchanging principle of alchemy-Edward Elric.”

Song Qing recognized Equivalent Exchange as a core principle of Alchemy and found a mysterious book that could transform the Directorate of Astronomy, though its crucial instructions ended on a blank page. Meanwhile, Xu Xinnian learned that Xu Shou had been taken to the Ministry of Punishments and appealed to Zhang Shen and Li Mubai for help.

• Song Qing read the Alchemy book, connected Equivalent Exchange to Alchemy, and concluded it offered a chance for the Directorate of Astronomy to rise.
• Song Qing found the book's instructions for refining tax silver but turned to a blank page before learning the crucial final step.
• Xu Xinnian regretted speaking too bluntly to Zhang Shen and Li Mubai as their carriages traveled toward Sheep Pavilion.
• Xu Pingzhi told Xu Xinnian that Vice Minister Zhou's son had harassed Lingyin and that Xu Shou had been taken to the Ministry of Punishments.
• Xu Xinnian asked Zhang Shen and Li Mubai to save Xu Shou, and both scholars claimed they would handle the matter.

Xu Qi'an was taken from the Ministry of Punishments prison while Zhang Shen and Li Mubai raced there to demand his release. Their arrival, joined by Song Qing and the Directorate of Astronomy disciples, exposed that Director Huang had arranged Xu Qi'an's arrest without an official warrant.

• Li Mubai and Zhang Shen transformed their carriages and raced each other to the Ministry of Punishments, while Xu Xinnian identified their powers as the Confucian fifth rank, Virtue.
• Xu Qi'an reflected on the danger of offending powerful officials, then obeyed a jailer who came to take him for his last meal.
• Li Mubai and Zhang Shen arrived at the Ministry of Punishments and Zhang Shen asked Minister Sun to release his disciple, Xu Qi'an.
• Song Qing led Directorate of Astronomy disciples into the compound and also demanded Xu Qi'an's release.
• Minister Sun learned that no arrest warrant named Xu Qi'an and that Director Huang had sent men to arrest him.

Minister Sun ordered Xu Qi'an released after Director Huang confessed that he had arrested him to help Young Master Zhou. Zhou Li tried to force Xu Qi'an to sign a false confession, but a green-robed official arrived and took Xu Qi'an away.

• Director Huang admitted that Young Master Zhou wanted Xu Qi'an to die in prison and that he had arrested him to curry favor.
• Minister Sun ordered Xu Qi'an released, but Xu Qi'an was taken into the torture chamber before the order reached it.
• Zhou Li threatened Xu Qi'an with torture and tried to add Xu Pingzhi to a fabricated confession.
• A green-robed official entered the chamber and ordered the jailers to take Xu Qi'an away.

Xu Qi'an was released from the Ministry of Punishments after the Directorate of Astronomy and two great scholars demanded his freedom. Before leaving, he struck Zhou Li with a cangue and challenged the old man to retaliate, then reunited with Xu Erlang and Second Uncle Xu as Li Mubai and Zhang Shen invited him to study at Cloud Deer Academy.

• The official in green brought Xu Qi'an into the Ministry of Punishments courtyard, where the Directorate of Astronomy and two great scholars had gathered to demand his release.
• Xu Qi'an introduced himself as the Supervisor's newest disciple, and Minister Sun confirmed that the visitors had come for him.
• Li Mubai and Zhang Shen recognized Xu Qi'an's poem, and a jailer removed his restraints so he could leave with the group.
• Xu Qi'an turned back, smashed Zhou Li over the head with a cangue, and dared the lean old man to strike him in front of the gathered officials and scholars.
• Xu Erlang and Second Uncle Xu arrived, and Li Mubai and Zhang Shen invited Xu Qi'an to cultivate the Confucian Dao at Cloud Deer Academy.

Xu Qi'an accepted the great scholars’ invitation to Cloud Deer Academy after realizing they wanted his poetry, then learned that Vice Minister Zhou Xianping was behind the tax-silver case and that Zhou’s son may have planned to use Xu Lingyue as a pretext to kill him. The chapter left Xu Qi'an wary of the danger posed by the Zhou family.

• Xu Qi'an agreed to visit Cloud Deer Academy, and Zhang Shen ordered Xu Xinnian to copy the Sage’s sayings three hundred times.
• Xu Xinnian explained the Virtue Realm’s ability to alter rules through words, and Xu Qi'an asked him to promise to call him Diaochan when he reached that realm.
• Xu Qi'an visited the Star Observation Tower with Song Qing and met Chu Caiwei eating on the seventh floor.
• Chu Caiwei told Xu Qi'an that Lu Changzhi and Zheng Xin had swapped the tax silver, with Vice Minister Zhou Xianping as their backer.
• Xu Qi'an realized Zhou Xianping’s son may have targeted Xu Lingyue to provoke a fight and kill him.

Xu Qi'an learned how Chu Caiwei read fortune and heard that Vice Minister Zhou had been impeached, then joined the Directorate of Astronomy’s alchemists as Song Qing successfully produced fake silver. The arcanists looked to Xu Qi'an for an explanation, but he urged Song Qing to find the answer himself.

• Xu Qi'an asked Chu Caiwei to read his fortune, and she saw pale red Qi mixed with black misfortune.
• Chu Caiwei told Xu Qi'an that a Ministry of Revenue secretary had impeached Vice Minister Zhou, but the emperor had withheld the memorial and two people had died by suicide.
• Xu Qi'an invited Chu Caiwei to his home to try his cooking after she struggled to calculate the cost of their meal.
• Song Qing followed the alchemical process while Xu Qi'an watched, and the white-robed arcanists held their breath when he told them to.
• Song Qing used lightning on melted salt and produced silver-like lumps, stunning the arcanists.
• Song Qing asked Xu Qi'an why the experiment had worked, and Xu Qi'an told him to think independently and identify the crux himself.

Xu Qi'an explained voltage to the Directorate of Astronomy's alchemists and promised to share a secret alchemy manual in exchange for payment. At the Changle County Yamen, Xu Lingyue learned of her eldest brother's integrity and begged Xu Pingzhi to save him.

• Song Qing realized the intensity of the lightning strike had caused the alchemy failures, and Xu Qi'an named the relevant measure voltage.
• Xu Qi'an used flowing water to explain voltage, and Song Qing and the other alchemists connected his explanation to the difference between weak electricity and heavenly lightning.
• Xu Qi'an promised to share his secret alchemy manual with the Directorate of Astronomy, insisting that its knowledge and his guidance required equivalent exchange.
• At the yamen, Head Constable Wang told Xu Lingyue that Xu Qi'an refused to extort people and had quietly returned silver given to him.
• Xu Pingzhi and his son returned to the yamen, and Xu Lingyue pleaded with her father to save Xu Qi'an.

Xu Ningyan’s connections helped secure the release of Ningyan, surprising County Magistrate Zhu and Xu Lingyue. At the Star Observation Tower, Xu Qi'an discussed alchemy with Song Qing and earned the offer of a powerful crossbow.

• Xu Xinnian told County Magistrate Zhu that Xu Ningyan had secured help from Master Mubai and the white-robed members of the Directorate of Astronomy, prompting Zhu to reconsider Xu Ningyan’s status.
• Xu Lingyue realized Xu Ningyan’s farewell poem might have earned Master Mubai’s support and wondered how her eldest brother had met the Directorate of Astronomy members.
• Xu Qi'an followed Song Qing into a secret chamber and saw a cat Song Qing had fused with a tree.
• Xu Qi'an suggested hybridization technology and advised Song Qing to experiment with plants, presenting the idea as a way to explore whether living things fell within alchemy.
• Song Qing offered Xu Qi'an three gifts and described a military crossbow whose formation could threaten Spirit Refining Realm experts before Xu Qi'an asked whether it was a Law Artifact.

Xu Qi'an learned about Law Artifacts and traded an alchemy technique to Song Qing for three of them, then encountered Duke Wei and his two companions at the Star-Gazing Tower. At the Xu residence, Lü'e urged Auntie to make winter clothes for Xu Qi'an, but Auntie refused before the steward announced that the master had returned.

• Song Qing explained how Formation Masters inscribed formations on Alchemists' creations to make Law Artifacts, and Xu Qi'an received a weapon, a heart-protecting mirror, and Bone-Eroding Heart-Scorching.
• Xu Qi'an taught Song Qing about plant grafting, exciting the alchemist, and left the Star-Gazing Tower carrying the three Law Artifacts.
• Xu Qi'an encountered Duke Wei and two young men on the stairs, felt hostility from the feminine young man, and continued on his way.
• Song Qing told Duke Wei that Xu Qi'an was a genius of alchemy who had taken the wrong path in cultivation.
• Lü'e asked Auntie to make winter clothes for Xu Qi'an, but Auntie refused, and the steward announced the master's return.

After Xu Qi'an rescued Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin, his family learned what had happened and Auntie showed her gratitude by including him in the winter clothes. Xu Qi'an returned home and told Xu Pingzhi and Xu Xinnian that Vice Minister Zhou was behind the tax silver case.

• Auntie learned that Xu Qi'an had saved Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin and been taken to the Ministry of Justice, then worried over him and ordered a winter garment made for him.
• Xu Qi'an returned to the residence, reflected on ways to gain power, and decided to rely on the Bureau of Astronomy and Cloud Deer Academy while investigating the tax silver case.
• Xu Qi'an teased Xu Lingyin as she practiced martial arts, then joined the family for dinner, where Xu Lingyue offered to make his winter clothes.
• Xu Qi'an called Xu Pingzhi and Xu Xinnian to the study and revealed that Vice Minister Zhou was the mastermind behind the tax silver case.

Xu Qi'an, Xu Xinnian, and Xu Pingzhi discussed Vice Minister Zhou's role in the tax silver case and the danger he posed to the Xu family. They decided to exploit Zhou Li's vulnerability and look for a way to help Zhou Xianping's political enemies bring him down, though Xu Qi'an had only a direction, not a complete plan.

• Xu Qi'an told Xu Xinnian and Xu Pingzhi that Chu Caiwei had identified Vice Minister Zhou as the mastermind behind the tax silver case, and Xu Xinnian concluded Zhou Li's attack had been deliberate revenge.
• Xu Qi'an warned that Zhou Xianping could retaliate against the Xu family, while Xu Xinnian reasoned that imperial factional balance might explain why the Vice Minister had escaped punishment.
• Xu Qi'an proposed that Zhou Xianping had embezzled the tax silver to cover a shortfall needed to survive the coming capital evaluation, and Xu Xinnian suggested targeting Zhou Li instead.
• Xu Xinnian proposed giving Zhou Xianping's political enemies grounds to impeach him through his son's misconduct, while cautioning that framing Zhou Li might fail.
• Xu Qi'an said they should act as the final straw against Zhou Xianping rather than lead the attack, then promised to offer a direction for what to do next.

Xu Qi'an organized his family’s efforts to gather information on Zhou Li and prepare an escape route if the Xu household could not survive the crisis. The next morning, he shared awkward and affectionate moments with Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin before leaving the house.

• Xu Qi'an told Xu Xinnian to gather intelligence on Zhou Li and tasked Xu Pingzhi with arranging surveillance of the Zhou Residence.
• Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian discussed the family’s possible escape from the capital and their childhood while sharing a bed.
• Xu Lingyue opened her window and screamed when she saw Xu Qi'an outside, then learned from Lan'er that he seemed kinder and more capable than before.
• Xu Qi'an found Xu Lingyin brushing her teeth herself and told her that boys grew up to play naughty while girls grew up to cry.
• Xu Lingyin delightedly declared herself a little troublemaker, and Xu Qi'an left without eating breakfast at home.

Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian rode to Cloud Deer Academy to seek protection for the Xu family’s women, while the academy’s scholars discussed how to revive students’ interest in the spring examinations. The scholars settled on poetry as a possible solution but admitted that Great Feng’s Confucian poets had fallen into decline.

• Xu Qi'an paid a struggling breakfast stallholder extra before leaving for work.
• Xu Qi'an obtained leave, then he and Xu Xinnian changed into scholarly robes and rode toward Cloud Deer Academy.
• Xu Qi'an asked Xu Xinnian about the Sage’s rank and lifespan as they traveled to the academy.
• Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian planned to ask Cloud Deer Academy to shelter the Xu family’s women from the vice minister of Revenue’s possible retaliation.
• Li Mubai, Zhang Shen, and Chen Tai discussed students’ lack of enthusiasm for the spring examinations and proposed using poetry to encourage them to study.

Xu Qi'an sought the academy's protection for the Xu women and agreed to compose a poem to win Chen Tai's help. He recited verses urging people to study before it was too late, leaving the three great scholars silently studying the poem.

• Zhang Shen and Li Mubai discussed their hopes that Xu Qi'an's cousin would produce more famous poetry, and Chen Tai warned them against chasing fame through him.
• Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian asked the teachers to let the Xu women stay at Cloud Deer Academy for safety from Vice Minister Zhou.
• Chen Tai offered to ensure their safety if Xu Qi'an composed a poem that pleased all three great scholars, and Zhang Shen set the theme as an exhortation to learning.
• Xu Qi'an chose not to use a poem that celebrated wealth and official success, then dictated new verses about studying while young to Xu Xinnian.
• Xu Xinnian wrote the poem, and Chen Tai, Zhang Shen, and Li Mubai silently examined it.

Xu Qi'an visited Cloud Deer Academy to seek help opening his Heavenly Gate, but the scholars explained other methods after admitting they could not assist him. His poem encouraging study was posted at the academy and inspired the students, while the great scholars lamented that Xu Pingzhi had sent such a gifted scholar into martial arts.

• Chen Tai offered to arrange a capital post for Xu Xinnian, then tried to recruit Xu Qi'an as his student, provoking Zhang Shen and Li Mubai.
• Xu Qi'an asked the scholars to help open his Heavenly Gate, but Zhang Shen said Confucians could not guide a martial artist's Qi.
• Chen Tai explained that the Heavenly Gate could also be opened through a childhood breathing method or the dangerous use of an external force such as a demon core.
• The academy posted Xu Qi'an's poem encouraging study, and students gathered around it, reflecting on their neglect of learning and resolving to work harder.
• Zhang Shen and Chen Tai realized Xu Qi'an had not written the poem down himself because he was not proficient in calligraphy, then lamented that he had pursued martial arts instead of the Confucian Dao.
• After learning that Xu Pingzhi had chosen Xu Xinnian for scholarship and Xu Qi'an for martial arts, Li Mubai condemned Xu Pingzhi for wasting Xu Qi'an's talent.

Li Mubai claimed authorship of the unsigned poem encouraging learning, provoking Zhang Shen and Chen Tai, while Dean Zhao Shou refused the eldest princess’s appeal to enter government service. The chapter ended with a teacher reporting that Li Mubai, Zhang Shen, and Chen Tai had started fighting.

• Li Mubai saw students and teachers praising the unsigned poem and wrote that he had composed it after his teacher urged him to study.
• Zhang Shen and Chen Tai spotted Li Mubai’s inscription and shouted for him to put down the brush.
• The eldest princess asked Dean Zhao Shou who wrote the poem, and Zhao Shou revealed that its author was a petty clerk in Changle County.
• The eldest princess urged Zhao Shou to take office and help restore Great Feng, but he refused, saying the time had not yet come.
• A teacher rushed in and told Zhao Shou that Li Mubai, Zhang Shen, and Chen Tai had started fighting.