Chapter Summaries

At the Reed Lake literary gathering, Peiman Xilou defeated Great Feng’s scholars with his military treatise until Xu Xinnian challenged him with Sun Tzu's Art of War. Peiman conceded, and Xu Xinnian revealed that his elder brother, Xu Qi'an, had written the book, leaving the gathering stunned.

• Court officials, scholars, and the imperial family gathered at Reed Lake as Peiman Xilou debated the Hanlin scholars and argued that Great Feng should aid the Divine Race against the Shaman God Cult.
• Peiman Xilou presented his Northern Study Military Volume, and Zhang Shen praised it as superior to his own treatise and conceded defeat.
• As the officials prepared to leave, Xu Xinnian challenged Peiman Xilou and handed him a military treatise titled Sun Tzu's Art of War.
• After reading the book, Peiman Xilou conceded, asked to copy it, and offered to become Xu Xinnian's student.
• When Zhang Shen and the others assumed Wei Yuan had written the treatise, Xu Xinnian revealed that his elder brother, Xu Qi'an, was its author.

Xu Qi'an’s authorship of Sun Tzu's Art of War was revealed after Xu Xinnian used it to defeat Peiman Xilou, astonishing the gathering and humiliating Emperor Yuanjing. The Grand Tutor kept the treatise, while Peiman Xilou’s delegation planned to approach Xu Qi'an and Huaiqing and Biaobiao questioned him about its authorship.

• The Directorate of Education’s students praised Xu Qi'an after learning he had written the treatise, and the Grand Tutor seized it, declaring that it must not reach the barbarians.
• Emperor Yuanjing learned that Xu Qi'an had written the book and flew into a rage, smashing vessels after dismissing the old eunuch.
• Peiman Xilou admitted that Xu Qi'an had ruined the delegation’s plans, then told Huang Xian'er to keep courting officials and warned Xuanyin not to approach Xu Qi'an.
• At Huaiqing Residence, Xu Qi'an confirmed that he had presented the treatise but let Huaiqing believe Wei Yuan had written it.
• After Xu Qi'an left with Biaobiao, she asked him whether Wei Yuan had really written the treatise.

Xu Qi'an’s military treatise brought him fame after Xu Xinnian used it to defeat Peiman Xilou, while Huaiqing learned that Xu Qi'an—not Wei Yuan—had written it. That night, Xu Qi'an and the Heaven and Earth Society connected Hengyuan’s disappearance to a possible secret route into the palace, and Xu Qi'an asked Zhong Li about earth veins.

• Xu Qi'an told Lin'an that he had written the military treatise and explained why he had let Huaiqing think Wei Yuan was its author.
• A Directorate of Education student publicized how Xu Xinnian had used Xu Qi'an’s treatise to defeat Peiman Xilou, and news of Xu Qi'an’s victory spread through the capital.
• Huaiqing visited Wei Yuan to ask for the treatise, learned that Xu Qi'an had written it, and heard Wei Yuan say he would not take Xu Qi'an to the battlefield.
• Chu Caiwei told Yang Qianhuan that Xu Qi'an’s unseen military treatise had defeated Peiman Xilou, prompting Yang Qianhuan to declare he would stop being mortal.
• Xu Qi'an told the Heaven and Earth Society that Earl Pingyuan’s former traffickers had been executed, and Chu Yuanzhen suggested Hengyuan might be held in the palace.
• The group considered whether an earth-traversing spell could explain a hidden route to the palace, and Xu Qi'an asked Zhong Li what earth veins were.

Xu Qi'an learned that the Imperial City’s Dragon Vein anchored the nation’s fate, while Number One volunteered to investigate Hengyuan and the tunnels. As Xu Qi'an connected the late emperor’s records to the Earth Sect’s Daoist leader, Wang Simu prepared to meet Auntie at the Xu Residence.

• Zhong Li explained that the Imperial City’s Dragon Vein anchored Great Feng’s fate, and Xu Qi'an shared the information with the Heaven and Earth Society.
• Number One offered to investigate Hengyuan and the tunnels, citing his ability to enter the Imperial City and palace.
• Xu Qi'an escaped a magical quarrel among Zhao Shou and the Great Confucians, then listened as Xu Erlang recited the late emperor’s records of daily activities.
• Xu Qi'an learned that the late emperor had asked the Human Sect’s Daoist leader to introduce him to the Earth Sect, linking the Earth Sect’s Daoist leader to Emperor Yuanjing’s past.
• Wang Simu dressed for her visit to the Xu Residence, while Auntie prepared the household to welcome her and scolded Xu Qi'an and Xu Lingyin for stealing food.

Wang Simu visited the Xu Residence to assess her prospective in-laws, trading polite probes with Auntie while Xu Qi'an listened in and hoped for a confrontation. After hearing how Auntie had once driven Xu Qi'an out of the family home, Wang Simu realized the seemingly straightforward matriarch had been concealing her true strength.

• Xu Lingyue and Susu argued over who should manage the Xu Household's money and who would make the best match for Xu Qi'an.
• Xu Lingyin left a ruler at the entrance, which Wang Simu mistook for a warning from Auntie when she arrived at the Xu Residence.
• Wang Simu presented gifts to Auntie and Xu Lingyue, then tested Auntie's temperament during their conversation, but found her unexpectedly straightforward.
• Wang Simu offered to teach Xu Lingyin, then watched Lina effortlessly lift a stone table while training the child.
• Xu Lingyue told Wang Simu that Xu Qi'an had argued with Auntie and moved out for five years, convincing Wang Simu that Auntie had deliberately hidden her formidable nature.

Wang Simu toured the Xu Residence to assess its household and discovered its formidable martial-world protectors, then traded barbed remarks with Susu and Xu Lingyue. As lunch began, Xu Qi'an stayed out of sight while his aunt hosted Wang Simu, who noticed that the household’s mistress had arranged for him to eat separately.

• Wang Simu judged Xu Lingyue’s mother to be unfathomable and examined the residence, learning that it had few ordinary guards.
• Wang Simu encountered Li Miaozhen and Susu in Xu Lingyue’s room and learned that they had been staying at the Xu Residence for months.
• Susu and Wang Simu exchanged veiled insults, and Li Miaozhen announced that Susu and Xu Ningyan shared mutual affection and that Susu would remain at the residence as his concubine.
• Xu Qi'an distracted his aunt by sending her to buy glass cups, then brought out fine porcelain and jade cups for the household.
• Xu Qi'an's aunt interrupted the women's tense exchange, rebuked Xu Lingyue, and told Wang Simu that Lingyue managed the household businesses and accounts.
• At lunch, Wang Simu learned that Xu Qi'an had been told to eat in his own room and wondered why he was so wary of the Xu Household's mistress.

Wang Simu visited the Xu Residence, where her attempts to assess the family and teach Xu Lingyin ended in humiliation, while Xu Erlang reassured her about their future. The chapter revealed that the Shaman God had issued a decree, and Huang Xian'er and Peiman Xilou arrived to meet Xu Qi'an after negotiations with Great Feng concluded.

• Wang Simu was astonished by the Xu Household's lavish antiques and dragon blood glazed glass, then tried to teach Xu Lingyin arithmetic and was reduced to tears by the child's behavior.
• Xu Erlang comforted Wang Simu and told her he wanted to wait until he had a higher position and greater wealth before marrying her; she later described the Xu Household's riches and called its mistress unfathomable to her family.
• Xu Qi'an read Xu Erlang's strategies against the Jing Kingdom's armored cavalry.
• Salun Agu told Yierbu that the Shaman God had issued a decree and ordered the Jing Kingdom's young ruler to flatten the Northern Territory within three months.
• Huang Xian'er and Peiman Xilou arrived at the Xu Residence after negotiations ended, intending to meet Xu Qi'an; Peiman planned to question him about military tactics, while Huang Xian'er intended to seduce him.

Peiman Xilou visited Xu Qi'an seeking advice on how the Divine Race could counter Jing Kingdom's cavalry, while Huang Xian'er tried to seduce Xu Qi'an. Drawing on Xu Erlang's strategies, Xu Qi'an offered several tactics before proposing a surprise attack on Jing Kingdom's capital, leaving Peiman Xilou stunned.

• Peiman Xilou told Huang Xian'er he wanted to meet Xu Qi'an to ask how the Divine Race could break the northern war's deadlock.
• Xu Qi'an welcomed Peiman Xilou and Huang Xian'er at his residence, where Peiman described Jing Kingdom's heavy and light cavalry and asked for advice.
• Xu Qi'an suggested using abatis and horse-trapping pits to disrupt cavalry charges, then proposed that the Goldwood Tribe's flying archers use fire oil against the Fire Armor Army.
• Peiman explained that Jing Kingdom's shamans strengthened its forces and asked Xu Qi'an for a decisive tactic; he also revealed that Jing Kingdom's cavalry was committed to the northern war.
• Xu Qi'an realized Jing Kingdom's capital might be vulnerable and proposed a surprise attack on it, leaving Peiman Xilou visibly shaken.

Xu Qi'an proposed a strategy that Peiman Xilou developed into a plan to distract Jing’s allies and attack its capital, while Emperor Yuanjing approved Wei Yuan’s campaign against the northern kingdoms and Shaman God Cult. After Xu Qi'an met the Supervisor, the chapter ended with him leaving Heavenly Fragrance House after turning Huang Xian'er’s attempted seduction against her.

• Xu Qi'an suggested striking Jing’s capital, and Peiman Xilou devised a plan to keep Kang, Yan, and the Shaman God Cult occupied before attacking.
• Emperor Yuanjing approved Wei Yuan’s campaign plan and added Xu Xinnian to the officers accompanying the army.
• Wei Yuan told the Supervisor that he had refused the path to greater martial power because he remained devoted to the woman he loved.
• A white-robed arcanist and a purple-robed man discussed Wei Yuan’s campaign, Ji Qian’s death, and the threat to Great Feng.
• Roars from the Extreme Abyss agitated Gu insects across the Southern Frontier, and Heaven Gu Granny worried about the Gu God and Lina’s safety.
• Huang Xian'er tried to seduce Xu Qi'an at Heavenly Fragrance House, but the next morning she emerged exhausted and admitted that he had played her.

Xu Qi'an learned that the Earth Book’s new private messaging feature let its holders contact one another directly, while Li Miaozhen shared the Earth Book’s ancient origins. The chapter ended with Xu Cijiu revealing that he had been ordered to accompany the army, leaving Xu Qi'an and Auntie alarmed about his fate.

• Zhong Li advised Xu Qi'an that his fused Saber Intent needed a unifying spirit, then slid off the roof after he playfully slapped her.
• Chu Yuanzhen told the Earth Book group that he had agreed to accompany Wei Yuan’s campaign against the Shaman God Cult.
• Daoist Jinlian entered seclusion and gave the Earth Book holders permission to send private messages directly; Xu Qi'an tested the feature and Li Miaozhen explained the Earth Book’s origins.
• Xu Cijiu arrived and told Xu Qi'an that Emperor Yuanjing had ordered him to accompany the army, though he also wanted to go.
• Xu Qi'an slapped Xu Cijiu down for wanting to fight, then told him to inform Auntie; Auntie rushed to Xu Qi'an for help after hearing the news.

Xu Qi'an secured Wei Yuan and Chu Yuanzhen's protection for Xu Xinnian as the family prepared for his expedition, while Wei Yuan said farewell to the empress before leaving to pursue his own wishes. Lin'an investigated the capital's dragon vein and Earl Pingyuan's residence, where a disguised female intruder found a hidden passage beneath an artificial rock.

• Xu Qi'an reassured his aunt that Wei Yuan and Chu Yuanzhen would protect Xu Xinnian during the northern expedition.
• Xu Qi'an told Chu Yuanzhen that Emperor Yuanjing had personally ordered him to join the expedition, and Chu Yuanzhen promised to look after him.
• Xu Pingzhi and the family worried over Xu Xinnian's orders until Xu Qi'an returned with news of Wei Yuan and Chu Yuanzhen's protection.
• The Xu clan held ancestral rites for Xu Xinnian before he went to war, and an elderly clan elder mistook Xu Qi'an for the family's Star of Literature.
• Wei Yuan visited the empress, told her he had guarded her for half his life and would now do what he wanted, then left despite her protest.
• Lin'an researched the capital's dragon vein and the first Earl Pingyuan, then a female intruder entered the sealed Earl Pingyuan residence and opened a hidden passage in its rear garden.

A woman in black investigated a secret chamber beneath Earl Pingyuan's residence and deduced that its rune-covered stone disk was an Earth Escape teleportation formation. As Wei Yuan's army departed, Xu Qi'an beat the farewell drum from the city wall, leaving Wei Yuan to ask whether he had a farewell poem.

• The woman in black entered the hidden tunnel, inspected its chamber, and memorized the stone disk she believed was an Earth Escape teleportation formation.
• Wei Yuan led the army through the capital as veterans and residents recalled his leadership at the Battle of Shanhai Pass.
• The crown prince offered to beat the farewell drum, but Wang Zhenwen stopped him and said someone more qualified had arrived.
• Xu Qi'an walked to the great drum and beat it as the crowd cheered and the departing veterans looked on.
• Wei Yuan watched Xu Qi'an with approval and asked him to compose a farewell poem.

Xu Qi'an composed a lyric for Wei Yuan as the army departed, while Zhao Shou and a mysterious singer sent Wei Yuan off with their blessings. Later, Xu Qi'an visited Lin'an to have her read the late emperor's records, but found the Dragon Vein Geomancy Map on her desk.

• Xu Qi'an beat the drum and recited a lyric honoring Wei Yuan's past military service, moving the officials, soldiers, and Lin'an and Huaiqing as Wei Yuan laughed through tears.
• Zhao Shou used Words Become Law to declare that Wei Yuan would return triumphant, suffered its backlash, and was healed by the light from the Sub-Sage's Hall.
• Wei Yuan led the seventy thousand troops out of the capital, and a lone rider sang a song praising his battles and urging him to return victorious.
• At the Directorate of Astronomy, the Supervisor told Yang Qianhuan that Xu Qi'an had drawn every eye by drumming and composing a lyric, then ordered Chu Caiwei to threaten Song Qing's group with Yang's punishment to make them work.
• Xu Qi'an decided to ask Lin'an to read the late emperor's cursive records, disguised himself as Li Yuchun, and went to Lin'an Residence.
• Lin'an agreed to read the records, but Xu Qi'an froze when he saw the Dragon Vein Geomancy Map on her desk.

Xu Qi'an discovered that Lin'an had borrowed a book about dragon veins at Huaiqing’s request, leading him to conclude that Huaiqing was Number One in the Earth Book group. After returning home, he received a message from Number One asking for help investigating Hengyuan’s whereabouts.

• Xu Qi'an found the Dragon Vein Geomancy Map in Lin'an’s study, used the Qi-Observing Technique to confirm she was telling the truth about not knowing the Earth Book, and learned she had borrowed the book from Wenyuan Pavilion at Huaiqing’s request.
• Lin'an read the late emperor’s daily records aloud to Xu Qi'an, who learned about the late emperor’s discussions with the Earth and Human Sect leaders and the Prince of Huai’s strength as a boy.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Lin'an about who she discussed geomancy with, and she admitted she usually discussed it with Huaiqing.
• Xu Qi'an concluded that Huaiqing was Number One and suspected she had already figured out his identity.
• After Xu Qi'an returned to the Xu Residence, Number One messaged him that they had a lead on Hengyuan’s whereabouts and needed his help.

Xu Qi'an used the Earth Book Fragment to enter a hidden formation beneath Earl Pingyuan's estate, which led him into a dangerous darkness beneath the imperial palace. He found signs that Hengyuan was trapped near the dragon vein's core, but withdrew after his instincts warned him that going farther would kill him.

• Number One revealed that Earl Pingyuan's estate concealed an earth-escape formation connected to a secret passage, and that an Earth Book Fragment could activate it.
• Xu Qi'an volunteered to investigate the formation and received advice from Number One on concealing himself.
• Chu Yuanzhen visited Xu Erlang aboard the warship, but Xu Erlang remained baffled by his cryptic behavior and returned to studying military texts.
• Xu Qi'an activated the stone disk and appeared in a lightless underground space, where he heard immense breathing and saw a golden glow ahead.
• Xu Qi'an's danger sense showed that advancing would kill him, so he retreated and concluded Hengyuan was likely suppressed near the dragon vein's core.
• Xu Qi'an reported his preliminary findings to the Heaven and Earth Society, whose members had waited for news.

Xu Qi'an failed to rescue Hengyuan from the cavern beneath the Dragon Vein and sought help from the Superintendent and Luo Yuheng. The Superintendent refused to meet him, but Luo Yuheng offered a lead pointing toward the Earth Sect, while Xu Erlang marched toward Yang Yan's forces at the frontier.

• Xu Qi'an told the Heaven and Earth Society about the dangerous cavern and its likely connection to the palace, and the members suggested asking the Superintendent or Luo Yuheng for help.
• Xu Qi'an visited Song Qing at the Directorate of Astronomy, but the Superintendent refused to see him, and Song Qing showed him bizarre results from his alchemy experiments.
• Xu Qi'an asked Luo Yuheng to investigate the Dragon Vein and help rescue Hengyuan; she demanded solid evidence before intervening.
• Luo Yuheng pointed out that the teleportation formation beneath Earl Pingyuan's estate could have been built by high-ranking arcanists or the Earth Sect, giving Xu Qi'an a new lead.
• Xu Erlang marched with ten thousand soldiers toward Yang Yan's forces, thinking about the army's weapons, scouts, and the realities of warfare.

Xu Xinnian proposed a plan to bypass Tuoba Ji’s army and reinforce the northern battlefield, while Xu Qi'an investigated the human-trafficking organization and uncovered a connection to the Earth Sect’s Daoist leader. The discovery that the trafficking began in the twenty-sixth year of Zhende left Xu Qi'an convinced that the Daoist leader was tied to the emperor’s hidden schemes.

• Xu Xinnian persuaded the commanders to leave twenty thousand troops to hold Tuoba Ji while sending thirty thousand north to reinforce the yao and barbarians.
• Luo Yuheng advised Xu Qi'an on his Heart Sword practice, then visited Mu Nanzhi and asked whether she would leave the capital with him.
• Xu Qi'an reviewed the human-trafficking confessions and noticed that Master Lu’s organization had existed for at least thirty years.
• Xu Qi'an and Li Yuchun questioned Master Lu’s family, and Master Lu’s first wife said the organization began in the twenty-sixth year of Zhende.
• Xu Qi'an connected the organization’s founding year to the late emperor’s meeting with the Earth Sect’s Daoist leader and concluded that the Daoist leader was the key lead.

Xu Qi'an connected the clues from the twenty-sixth year of Zhende to Southern Park and asked Huaiqing to investigate its history and the late emperor’s illness. Meanwhile, Great Feng’s army approached Dingguan City, and the chapter ended with Huaiqing contacting Xu Qi'an in the middle of the night.

• Xu Qi'an concluded that Southern Park was his next investigative target and checked the late emperor’s records for the twenty-sixth year of Zhende.
• Xu Qi'an asked Number One about Southern Park and the late emperor’s health, and Huaiqing agreed to seek further records.
• Tuwohei prepared Dingguan City for Great Feng’s approaching army and sent Wei Yuan a letter full of insults and a challenge.
• Lin'an persuaded the crown prince to arrange a trip to Southern Park for the autumn hunt, while Huaiqing visited the Eastern Palace.
• Huaiqing requested a private conversation with Xu Qi'an late at night, and he asked why she was messaging him.

Xu Qi'an investigated the late emperor’s mysterious Southern Park incident and confronted Luo Yuheng with his suspicion about Daoist Jinlian. Meanwhile, Xu Erlang survived a Dream Shaman’s attack as Jing forces struck the camp, and Wei Yuan captured Dingguan City and ordered its slaughter.

• Huaiqing told Xu Qi'an that animals had vanished from Southern Park in the twenty-sixth year of Zhende and described the Prince of Huai’s supposed bear attack; Xu Qi'an suspected the prince and Emperor Yuanjing had concealed what really happened.
• Xu Erlang rejected Peiman Xilou’s offer of a demon woman, then survived a Dream Shaman’s attempt to kill him in a dream thanks to the jade pendant Layman Ziyang had given him.
• Jing forces launched a retaliatory attack on the camp, with cannon fire and an advancing army shaking the ground.
• Wei Yuan captured Dingguan City, killed its commander Tuwohei, and ordered his troops to slaughter the city.
• Xu Qi'an told Luo Yuheng about the Southern Park clues and asked how long Daoist Jinlian had been possessed; Luo Yuheng was surprised that he knew Jinlian was the Earth Sect’s Daoist Leader.

Xu Qi'an and Luo Yuheng pieced together that the Earth Sect leader may have corrupted Emperor Yuanjing and Prince of Huai, with another incarnation hidden beneath the dragon vein. After planning to investigate it, Xu Qi'an called Huaiqing and Li Miaozhen together and revealed that he knew Huaiqing was Number One.

• Xu Qi'an explained how he had identified Daoist Jinlian as the Earth Sect leader, and Luo Yuheng recounted Jinlian’s fall to the demonic path six years earlier.
• Xu Qi'an proposed that Jinlian had encountered and corrupted Yuanjing and Prince of Huai in Southern Park, and Luo Yuheng suggested a third incarnation might be hidden beneath the dragon vein.
• Luo Yuheng agreed to explore the dragon vein with Xu Qi'an after her Karmic Fire episode in half a month, and Xu Qi'an decided to share his suspicions with Huaiqing and the others.
• In the Western Regions, a white-robed arcanist asked Bodhisattva Prajna to lend him a Buddhist divine artifact in exchange for information about the object sealed beneath Mulberry Lake.
• Huaiqing came to the Xu Residence, where Xu Qi'an met her with Li Miaozhen present and revealed that he knew she was Number One.