Chapter Summaries

Xu Qi'an awakened his saber into a sentient peerless weapon, named it Peace, and caused a heavenly phenomenon on Mount Quanrong. He revealed his connection to Great Feng's Fate to the Martial Arts Alliance's hidden ancestor, who warned him about the danger of straying from the ideals he had vowed to uphold.

• Xu Qi'an used a lotus seed to awaken his black-and-gold saber, which flew around the room and affectionately struck him with enough force to hurt.
• Xu Qi'an named the saber Peace and vowed to cut down injustice and bring peace to the people, unleashing Saber Intent and a storm over Mount Quanrong.
• Cao Qingyang and the Martial Arts Alliance leaders investigated the commotion and found Xu Qi'an atop a cliff, where the ancestor's call drew him toward the rear mountain.
• Xu Qi'an told the ancestor that he carried Great Feng's Fate and explained how he had awakened Peace; the ancestor linked the heavenly phenomenon to the Fate he bore.
• The ancestor warned Xu Qi'an to remember his vow, since betraying its principles could bring the backlash of Fate, and said the Martial Arts Alliance might shelter him if he reached the second rank.

Xu Qi'an sought the old man's help against the Chief Astrologers, then displayed the awakened Peace Saber to the Martial Arts Alliance before returning to the capital. Emperor Yuanjing summoned Tianji and Tianshu and demanded the Earth Sect lotus seeds they had been sent to obtain.

• Xu Qi'an discussed the Chief Astrologers' plans with the old man, who offered help if Xu Qi'an found him the Nine-Colored Lotus Root, and recalled the First Chief Astrologer's close bond with Emperor Gaozu.
• Xu Qi'an showed the Martial Arts Alliance leaders that Peace was a peerless divine weapon, and it chased Gang Leader Sun until Xu Qi'an called it back.
• Xu Qi'an and Nangong Qianrou flew back to the capital, where Xu Lingyin greeted Xu Qi'an and asked why he had brought no presents or her master.
• Tianji and Tianshu returned to the capital after their Earth Sect escort abandoned them in Jiang Prefecture.
• Emperor Yuanjing summoned Tianji and Tianshu to the imperial study and demanded that they present the lotus seeds.

Tianji and Tianshu reported the failed seizure of the Nine-Colored Lotus seeds to Emperor Yuanjing, whose fury grew when he learned Xu Qi'an had summoned Luo Yuheng. At Righteous Qi Tower, Xu Qi'an questioned Wei Yuan about Great Feng’s stolen Fate and learned Wei Yuan suspected the sealed object beneath Mulberry Lake was inside him; meanwhile, Emperor Yuanjing confronted Luo Yuheng about her intervention in Jianzhou.

• Tianji told Emperor Yuanjing that Xu Qi'an and several allies had helped the Earth Sect protect the Nine-Colored Lotus, and that Luo Yuheng had answered Xu Qi'an’s call for help.
• Emperor Yuanjing grew enraged at Xu Qi'an’s connection to Luo Yuheng and ordered his carriage prepared for a visit to the Numinous Treasure Temple.
• Xu Qi'an played truth or dare with Wei Yuan, who admitted he knew Great Feng’s Fate had been stolen during the Battle of Shanhai Pass.
• Xu Qi'an identified the First Chief Astrologer as the thief, prompting Wei Yuan to demand more information before asking whether the sealed object beneath Mulberry Lake was inside Xu Qi'an.
• Emperor Yuanjing questioned Luo Yuheng about her intervention in Jianzhou and pressed her to explain why Xu Qi'an had been able to summon her.

Luo Yuheng explained her aid to Chu Yuanzhen, while Wei Yuan revealed he knew Xu Qi'an’s secrets and promised to help him. Xu Qi'an learned about advancing toward Fourth Rank saber intent, then visited the Prince Who Guards the North’s widow and found her disguised as an ordinary young woman.

• Luo Yuheng told Emperor Yuanjing that she had helped the Heaven and Earth Society preserve the Earth Sect, and Emperor Yuanjing ordered an investigation into the monk and summoned Qin Yuandao.
• Xu Qi'an confessed to Wei Yuan that the First Chief Astrologer was backing a hidden imperial bloodline, and Wei Yuan revealed he already knew about Shenshu and Xu Qi'an’s Fate.
• Wei Yuan promised to protect Xu Qi'an and explained how a martial artist developed Fourth Rank intent through saber mastery and conviction.
• Xu Qi'an revealed that he had reached Fifth Rank, and Wei Yuan advised him to build on the convictions embodied in Heaven and Earth One-Saber Slash.
• Xu Qi'an disguised himself and went to the princess consort’s residence, where an old maidservant mistook him for an intruder before the princess consort revealed herself.

Xu Qi'an returned from Jianzhou, helped Mu Nanzhi settle in, and discovered that she could revive the withered Nine-Colored Lotus Root. After returning home, he and Xu Erlang examined Emperor Yuanjing’s daily records, but Xu Erlang noticed something suspicious about them.

• Xu Qi'an visited Mu Nanzhi, learned that she had spent her money on flowers, and gave her silver scraps after taking her shopping.
• Xu Qi'an showed Mu Nanzhi the withered lotus root, and she tasted it and said it was still alive and could be nurtured.
• Xu Qi'an returned to the Xu Residence, where his family discussed the Martial Arts Alliance and his trip to Jianzhou.
• Xu Erlang revealed that he had advanced to the Seventh Rank and brought twenty years of Emperor Yuanjing’s daily records for Xu Qi'an to inspect.
• Xu Qi'an and Xu Erlang finished reviewing the records, and Xu Erlang said that something was wrong with them.

Xu Qi'an and Xu Erlang linked an unsigned imperial diarist’s records to the arcanist’s concealment of Su Hang’s case, while Xu Erlang searched the late emperor’s diaries for clues. As Emperor Yuanjing moved against Grand Secretary Wang, Wei Yuan prepared to leave the court for a prolonged military campaign after the autumn harvest.

• Xu Erlang told Xu Qi'an that the imperial diaries for Yuanjing 10 and 11 lacked the diarist’s name, and Xu Qi'an suspected an arcanist had concealed it in connection with Su Hang’s case.
• Xu Qi'an asked Xu Erlang to investigate the late emperor’s diaries and sought a way to consult the Ministry of Personnel’s confidential official records; he also asked Xu Erlang to look into Xuzhou.
• Xu Erlang found a diary entry recording the late emperor’s conversation with the Human Sect leader about longevity and the Dao Venerable’s three sects, but the account ended without explanation.
• After Yuan Xiong, Qin Yuandao, and other officials impeached Grand Secretary Wang, Emperor Yuanjing ordered an investigation, and Wang Simu told Xu Erlang that her father faced a coordinated imperial attack.
• Wang Simu said the Wang Faction needed other factions’ support, but Xu Erlang had no solution; Wei Yuan told Nangong Qianrou that Wang Zhenwen’s downfall would give him at least five years and that his battlefield would soon be elsewhere.
• Wei Yuan indicated that he would take military command after the autumn harvest, leaving Nangong Qianrou to wonder whether the campaign against the Shaman God Cult would become a prolonged war.

Wei Yuan prepared for a possible northern campaign while Emperor Yuanjing moved against Grand Secretary Wang, and Xu Qi'an decided to help Wang through Xu Erlang. The chapter ended as Wang Simu brought Xu Erlang and the secret letters to her father during a meeting about the Wang family's crisis.

• Wei Yuan told Nangong Qianrou that the Shaman God Cult's attack in the north could lead Great Feng into a major war, and declined to meet Qian Qingshu.
• The crown prince urged Lin'an to contact Xu Qi'an for help, and she sent him a letter asking him to sound out Wei Yuan.
• Xu Qi'an chose secret letters exposing officials' crimes as leverage to help Grand Secretary Wang, then gave Xu Erlang a selection to deliver.
• Xu Qi'an beat Xu Erlang so Wang Simu would believe he had suffered for helping her family, and Xu Erlang brought the letters to the Wang Residence.
• Grand Secretary Wang discussed resisting the charges and possibly retiring with his allies, as Wang Simu arrived with Xu Erlang to see him.

Xu Xinnian delivered Duke Cao’s secret letters to the Wang Faction, allowing its allies to turn the court’s investigation against Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao and secure the release of imprisoned officials. The crown prince then sought Lin'an’s help in contacting Xu Qi'an, who arrived at Shaoyin Palace disguised as Xu Xinnian.

• Xu Xinnian gave Grand Secretary Wang secret letters left by Duke Cao, and the officials learned the letters could expose bribery and abuses of power.
• Wang Simu told her family that Xu Xinnian had paid a steep price to obtain the letters, and her brothers realized his gift had helped rescue their faction.
• The Court of Judicial Review, supervising secretaries, and hereditary nobles joined the Wang Faction in opposing Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao, forcing Emperor Yuanjing to halt the affair and release the imprisoned officials.
• Minister Xu explained the secret letters to the crown prince, who decided to ask Lin'an to contact Xu Qi'an and obtain more.
• Xu Qi'an disguised himself as Xu Xinnian and entered Shaoyin Palace, where Lin'an received him.

Xu Qi'an visited Lin'an in disguise and reassured her that he had helped the Wang Faction because she had asked him to. After accepting her gifts, he went with Xu Xinnian to meet Grand Secretary Wang and asked to inspect the Ministry of Personnel’s archives and discuss an old case.

• Xu Qi'an visited Lin'an as Xu Xinnian, and she became upset when she thought Xu Ningyan had ignored her and her request.
• The crown prince told Lin'an that Xu Qi'an’s evidence had helped save the Wang Faction, and Xu Qi'an said he had acted at Lin'an’s request.
• After the crown prince left, Xu Qi'an revealed himself to Lin'an, confessed that he had missed her, and spent time talking with her privately.
• Lin'an gave Xu Qi'an valuables and a storybook before he left, and he showed her his true face at the hall’s entrance.
• The next day, Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian went to the Wang residence, where Xu Qi'an asked Grand Secretary Wang to let him consult Ministry of Personnel files and answer questions about an old case.

Xu Qi'an investigated a court diarist whose name had been erased from the records and found that he had ranked third in the jinshi examinations in the tenth year of Yuanjing's reign. He suspected the forgotten diarist was tied to Su Hang and a concealed court faction, while Lady Fuxiang lay gravely ill and abandoned at the Imperial Music Bureau.

• Xu Qi'an showed Grand Secretary Wang a secret letter about Su Hang, explained that arcanists had concealed the affair, and received authorization to search the Ministry of Personnel's archives.
• Grand Secretary Wang advised Xu Erlang about navigating the court and invited him to stay for dinner.
• Xu Qi'an found the tenth-year Yuanjing jinshi list, which named Wang Zhenwen first and Lü An second but left the third-place scholar's name blank.
• Xu Qi'an suspected the erased scholar had led a faction connected to Su Hang and planned to search court records and ask others to investigate Xuzhou.
• Xu Qi'an returned home, teased Susu about getting a body, and learned Xu Lingyin had saved pastries for him while Xu Erlang stayed with Grand Secretary Wang.
• Lady Fuxiang continued coughing in bed as her maid lamented that the once-famous courtesan had been abandoned by the Imperial Music Bureau and had not seen Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an's family celebrated his flying saber, while Li Miaozhen reflected on the Xu Household's affection for him. At the Imperial Music Bureau, Fuxiang lay dying and believed Xu Qi'an had abandoned her, until he arrived and placed her bond of servitude on the table.

• At dinner, Xu Qi'an summoned the Peace Saber, astonishing Second Uncle Xu and delighting Auntie, while Li Miaozhen considered the Xu family's bonds and remembered the treasure Xu Qi'an owed her.
• Mei'er confronted a shirking maid for neglecting Fuxiang, but Fuxiang broke up their fight and collapsed; a physician said medicine could no longer help her.
• The courtesans learned that Fuxiang was dying and discussed how Xu Qi'an had not visited her since returning from Chu Prefecture.
• Mingyan sent for Xu Qi'an, and the courtesans visited Fuxiang as she told Mei'er to use her savings to buy her freedom and give what remained to him.
• Fuxiang insisted she did not want to see Xu Qi'an, but she kept watching the door as the courtesans prepared to leave.
• Xu Qi'an arrived in the moon-white robe he had worn when they first met and placed Fuxiang's bond of servitude on the table.

Xu Qi'an spent eight thousand taels to redeem the terminally ill Fuxiang and granted her final wish before she died. As the story of his gesture spread, Xu Xinnian learned the lesson of seeking peace of mind and later wrote down the previous emperor's daily records for his brother.

• Fuxiang dressed in her finest clothes, danced for Xu Qi'an, and died in his arms after he promised not to return to the Imperial Music Bureau.
• News of Xu Qi'an's eight-thousand-tael redemption spread through the capital, and Grand Secretary Wang said he would respect anyone willing to do the same.
• At the Hanlin Academy, Ma Xiuwen asked the scholars what lesson they drew from Xu Qi'an's act, and Xu Xinnian answered, “Seek only peace of mind.”
• Xu Qi'an told Xu Xinnian not to mention Fuxiang at home because Auntie kept repeating the cost of the redemption.
• Xu Qi'an asked Xu Xinnian to write out the previous emperor's daily records from memory, and Xu Xinnian handed him a dozen pages.

Xu Qi'an investigated clues about Emperor Yuanjing’s pursuit of immortality and learned that the Shaman God Cult was advancing against the northern barbarians and demons. As several other investigations and personal plans unfolded, Mei'er came to Xu Qi'an with keepsakes from Fuxiang.

• Xu Qi'an stopped Xu Erlang while he read the late emperor’s diary at a conversation about Daoist longevity, then told him to secretly copy the entire diary within three days.
• Xu Erlang told Xu Qi'an that the Shaman God Cult was invading the northern demons’ and barbarians’ lands under Xiahou Yushu’s command, and Xu Qi'an suspected Wei Yuan had another purpose for planning an attack on the cult.
• Yeji returned to the princess of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, who revealed that another of her nine sisters had also fallen in love with Xu Qi'an and gave Yeji a new task.
• Tianji and Tianshu questioned Monk Panshu at Azure Dragon Temple and learned that Hengyuan had left more than two years earlier, so they ordered agents to search the capital for people who knew him.
• At breakfast, Xu Qi'an urged Xu Erlang to invite Wang Simu to the Xu Residence, then drafted a schedule filled with cultivation and social visits before catching himself neglecting his investigation.
• Mei'er visited Xu Qi'an and said Fuxiang had helped her redeem herself and return home; she had come to give him a few things Fuxiang left behind.

Xu Qi'an mourned Fuxiang as he read her letters and stories, then got caught secretly visiting Lin'an by Huaiqing, who warned him about the danger and assigned him to accompany her at a literary gathering. Later, he learned that Hengyuan was being targeted and suspected Emperor Yuanjing’s men were behind it.

• Mei'er gave Xu Qi'an Fuxiang's belongings, and he gave her a fifty-tael banknote before finding a dried lotus petal among Fuxiang's letters.
• Xu Qi'an read Fuxiang's strange animal stories, then went to meet Lin'an in the imperial city disguised as Xu Erlang.
• Huaiqing caught Xu Qi'an with Lin'an, warned him that Consort Chen could expose their meetings, and told him to stop visiting Lin'an privately.
• Huaiqing ordered Xu Qi'an to accompany her to a Directorate of Education literary gathering and asked him to donate eight thousand taels for the coming war.
• Zhong Li told Xu Qi'an that his saber had nearly killed her, and he learned that Daoist Priest Li had accidentally scattered her soul while subduing it.
• Hengyuan reported that people were watching the Nourishing Life Hall, and Xu Qi'an suspected Emperor Yuanjing's men were targeting him.

After the Heaven and Earth Society discussed the danger facing Hengyuan, Xu Qi'an read Fuxiang's story and uncovered Emperor Yuanjing's role in the Mulberry Lake Case and Hengyuan's connection to Earl Pingyuan. He urgently contacted Hengyuan for answers, but received no reply.

• Chu Yuanzhen advised Hengyuan to leave the capital, while Number One warned him and Li Miaozhen not to interfere and offered only to watch over the Nourishing Life Hall.
• Xu Qi'an considered Hengyuan's troubles, then fell asleep beside Zhong Li.
• A thunderstorm woke Xu Qi'an, who opened Fuxiang's Blue Book and recognized its story as a coded account of the Mulberry Lake Case.
• Xu Qi'an identified the tiger as Emperor Yuanjing, the fox as Earl Pingyuan, the white rabbit as Commandery Princess Pingyang, and the wise monkey king as Wei Yuan.
• Xu Qi'an realized Hengyuan was the black bear who had killed Earl Pingyuan while searching for Henghui, and saw Hengyuan as a possible lead to investigate Emperor Yuanjing.
• Xu Qi'an messaged Hengyuan through the Earth Book Fragment, but Hengyuan did not respond.

After Hengyuan was abducted by the Prince of Huai's spies, Xu Qi'an and the Heaven and Earth Society uncovered why Emperor Yuanjing wanted him silenced and planned to find him. The chapter left Xu Qi'an discovering that the lotus root in Mu Nanzhi's water vat had begun to grow.

• Xu Qi'an, Li Miaozhen, and Zhong Li found that the Prince of Huai's spies had taken Hengyuan from Nourishing Life Hall after killing Old Zhang to force Hengyuan to surrender.
• Li Miaozhen used blue smoke to recover Hengyuan's Earth Book Fragment, which he had hidden near the hall.
• Xu Qi'an told the Heaven and Earth Society that Earl Pingyuan's brokerage organization served Emperor Yuanjing and had secretly sent living people into the palace for many years.
• The Heaven and Earth Society reasoned that Emperor Yuanjing had ordered Hengyuan's capture because Hengyuan's recent investigations and connections risked exposing the emperor's secrets.
• Daoist Jinlian said Hengyuan would not die because of a secret he could not reveal, and the group planned to trace the spies and question them.
• After returning to the capital, Xu Qi'an visited Mu Nanzhi and noticed that the lotus root in her water vat had sprouted roots.

Xu Qi'an found that the Nine-Colored Lotus Root had come alive under the princess consort’s care and learned that Luo Yuheng needed a man with great Fate to survive her karmic fire. As he realized his own Fate might make him the answer, the chapter left his reaction unresolved.

• Xu Qi'an discovered that the Nine-Colored Lotus Root had sprouted and suspected the princess consort could accelerate its growth.
• The princess consort explained that she paid Auntie Zhang to wash her clothes and had cleverly kept her apparent savings modest.
• Xu Qi'an gave the princess consort the silver hairpin she had admired and asked whether she would leave the capital with him someday.
• The princess consort said Emperor Yuanjing might pursue Xu Qi'an and observed that Xu Erlang would need a backer if he left.
• The princess consort revealed that Luo Yuheng needed dual cultivation with a man to dispel the Human Sect’s karmic fire.
• Xu Qi'an realized that Luo Yuheng needed a man with great Fate and froze as he considered his own suitability.

Xu Qi'an investigated the missing Hengyuan and learned that northern demons and barbarians would soon send a delegation to the capital, while he planned to visit Luo Yuheng. Meanwhile, Wei Yuan met secretly with Zhao Shou and vowed to stop the Shaman God from breaking free of his seal.

• Xu Qi'an inferred that Luo Yuheng might be considering him as a Dao companion, then warned the princess consort not to reveal her true face in the capital.
• Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao told Xu Qi'an that black-robed spies had entered the inner city and that a northern demons-and-barbarians delegation would arrive in three days.
• Xu Qi'an learned from Xu Erlang that the court was preparing to support the northern demons and barbarians and planned a literary gathering to promote the war.
• Xu Qi'an asked Xu Erlang to lend him his official badge and prepared to visit Numinous Treasure Temple to question Luo Yuheng and ask about the former Human Sect leader.
• Zhao Shou told Wei Yuan that the Shaman God held a third of the Human Race's Fate and could not be stopped if freed; Wei Yuan said he had been preparing to stop Him since the previous year.
• Wei Yuan entered the palace alone after telling Nangong Qianrou to wait outside.

Xu Qi'an visited Luo Yuheng to ask about the late emperor and Emperor Yuanjing, while the court prepared for the northern demon-barbarian delegation. The delegation arrived in the capital and was welcomed by Xu Xinnian.

• Xu Qi'an entered the imperial city in disguise and visited Luo Yuheng at Numinous Treasure Temple.
• Luo Yuheng told Xu Qi'an that her father, the previous leader of the Human Sect, died during a Heavenly Tribulation, and confirmed that those vested with Fate could not attain immortality.
• Luo Yuheng gave Xu Qi'an another talisman sword after he asked how to contact her.
• Emperor Yuanjing asked Wei Yuan to advise the Hanlin Academy on military treatises and attend a literary gathering planned for the delegation's arrival.
• The court's plans to aid the northern demons and barbarians sparked debate across the capital and Great Feng.
• The demon-barbarian delegation arrived by official ship, led by Peiman Xilou and Huang Xian'er, and Xu Xinnian welcomed them by imperial decree.

Xu Xinnian escorted Peiman Xilou’s delegation into the capital, where the envoy recognized his connection to Silver Gong Xu Qi'an. Peiman used his learning and the Northern Study Compendium to build prestige before challenging Zhang Shen, and Huaiqing enlisted Xu Qi'an to attend the coming literary gathering as her disguised guard.

• Xu Xinnian traded barbed remarks with Peiman Xilou and Xuanyin, then escorted the delegation through a hostile crowd that spared him because of a sign identifying him as Silver Gong Xu Qi'an’s younger brother.
• Peiman Xilou explained his plans to negotiate for aid, presented the Northern Study Compendium, and criticized Zhang Shen’s military treatise while praising Wei Yuan’s command of ordinary soldiers.
• Peiman Xilou met Emperor Yuanjing but did not ask for troops, then defeated the Directorate of Education’s Grand Libationer in a contest of learning and left his Compendium behind.
• Peiman Xilou announced that he would seek instruction from Zhang Shen at a literary gathering, alarming Great Feng’s scholars and prompting Emperor Yuanjing’s court to discuss how to curb his growing influence.
• Huaiqing, Xu Qi'an, and Lin'an discussed Peiman Xilou’s scholarship and challenge; Huaiqing asked Xu Qi'an to disguise himself as her guard and attend the gathering.