Chapter Summaries

Xu Qi'an joined a household confiscation detail after discovering that a yao might be hiding in the Imperial Music Bureau. The detail’s Silver Gong Zhu singled him out and attacked him, leaving Xu Qi'an to learn that Zhu resented him for attracting the Gold Gongs’ favor.

• Xu Qi'an entertained his colleagues at the Imperial Music Bureau, then searched for the source of the Yao Qi he had seen there but found no trace of it.
• Fuxiang asked Xu Qi'an to buy her freedom, but he put her off and went to sleep.
• Li Yuchun assigned Xu Qi'an, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao to confiscate the household of a corrupt Ministry of Revenue bureau director linked to Vice Minister Zhou.
• Song Tingfeng explained that the confiscation detail was expected to take some of the corrupt official’s seized wealth for itself.
• Silver Gong Zhu accused Xu Qi'an and his companions of being late, attacked Xu Qi'an when he dodged a saber strike, and kicked Song Tingfeng aside.
• A Copper Gong told Xu Qi'an that Zhu was Gold Gong Zhu’s son and resented Xu Qi'an for becoming the constabulary’s favored young talent.

Xu Qi'an confronted Silver Gong Zhu for assaulting the convicted official’s young female relative and struck him down with a single saber slash. He left the Nightwatchers’ identification token and saber behind, accepting the consequences rather than abandoning his family or the girl.

• Silver Gong Zhu assigned Xu Qi'an and his companions to guard the front hall during the confiscation, while his men searched the Cheng residence.
• Xu Qi'an heard women crying and found Copper Gongs assaulting the household’s women, so he stopped them by threatening to report them to Duke Wei.
• Xu Qi'an confronted Silver Gong Zhu as he tried to assault a young girl, but Silver Gong Zhu challenged him and provoked him to attack.
• Xu Qi'an drew his saber and slashed Silver Gong Zhu across the chest, leaving him gravely wounded but alive.
• Song Tingfeng urged Xu Qi'an to flee, but Xu Qi'an said he could not abandon his uncle and aunt; he left his token and saber behind and saluted as he walked away.

Xu Qi'an was arrested after wounding Silver Gong Zhu Chengzhu for trying to violate a convicted official’s female relative. At Wei Yuan’s hearing, Zhu Chengzhu was dismissed and Xu Qi'an was sentenced to be executed, but Xu Qi'an reaffirmed his commitment to serving the people.

• Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao bound Xu Qi'an and escorted him toward the Nightwatchers’ office while Song Tingfeng rode ahead to warn Li Yuchun.
• Li Yuchun heard Song Tingfeng’s account and took him to Yang Yan, who rushed to protect Xu Qi'an from Zhu Yang.
• Zhu Yang tried to kill Xu Qi'an with Zhu Guangxiao’s saber, but Yang Yan intervened and stopped the blade.
• At Righteous Qi Tower, Zhu Yang and Yang Yan gave Wei Yuan conflicting accounts; Song Tingfeng and the other Copper Gongs testified that Zhu Chengzhu had provoked Xu Qi'an and tried to violate the woman.
• Wei Yuan dismissed Zhu Chengzhu and sentenced Xu Qi'an to be cut in two at the waist in seven days.
• Xu Qi'an asked Wei Yuan whether his vow to serve the people had been sincere, then declared that the people’s welfare was his own sincere commitment.

After Xu Qi'an was sentenced to death, Li Yuchun resigned in protest, while Xu Xinnian visited his imprisoned elder cousin and agreed to seek help. Xu Qi'an sent him to retrieve the Earth Book Fragment and deliver a message to Number One, leaving Xu Xinnian with the jade mirror.

• Wei Yuan defended his punishment of Xu Qi'an to Nangong Qianrou and Yang Yan, while expressing admiration for Xu Qi'an's talent.
• Li Yuchun drank with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao, then publicly resigned at Righteous Qi Tower over the Nightwatchers' corruption and Xu Qi'an's sentence.
• Xu Qi'an considered his chances of survival in prison, then was taken to the interrogation room to see Xu Xinnian.
• Xu Xinnian said his family was worried and promised to get Xu Qi'an out, while Xu Qi'an asked him to send Number Three's plea for help to Number One.
• Xu Xinnian paid the head jailer and retrieved Xu Qi'an's jade Earth Book Fragment from the storeroom.

Xu Xinnian sought the eldest princess’s help to save Xu Qi'an, then learned that Hengyuan was away. That night, a paper figure entered the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers and triggered a massive explosion.

• Xu Xinnian rode with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao to the palace city and asked the eldest princess to intervene on Xu Qi'an’s behalf.
• The eldest princess read a letter from three Great Confucians and ordered her captain to investigate the case between Xu Qi'an and Zhu Chengzhu.
• After leaving the palace, Xu Xinnian gave silver to a hungry child and drove away the poor who crowded around his horse.
• Xu Xinnian went to Nourishing Life Hall, where an elderly clerk told him Hengyuan had left two days earlier to look for news of his junior brother.
• The eldest princess learned that Zhu Chengzhu had provoked Xu Qi'an and intended to make him attack first.
• A paper figure entered the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers, where an explosion engulfed the temple and shook the area around Mulberry Lake.

Emperor Yuanjing responded to the destruction of the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers at Mulberry Lake and ordered Wei Yuan to find the culprit within half a month. After summoning his children, he heard the eldest princess offer an expert to help solve the case.

• Emperor Yuanjing learned that the temple at Mulberry Lake had been destroyed and all three hundred guards on duty had perished.
• The State Preceptor found nothing abnormal at Mulberry Lake, while Emperor Yuanjing recovered the undamaged divine sword and ordered Wei Yuan to investigate the destruction.
• The eldest princess armed herself and went to Emperor Yuanjing’s bedchamber, where Wei Yuan told the gathered princes and princesses that he had half a month to apprehend the culprit.
• Emperor Yuanjing met with the State Preceptor and his children, then dismissed their fears about the palace’s safety.
• The eldest princess told Emperor Yuanjing she knew an expert who could help solve the case within the deadline.

The eldest princess secured Xu Qi'an’s release from the dungeon by persuading Emperor Yuanjing to let him atone through service and investigate the destruction of the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers. Xu Qi'an returned home and reunited with his family, but the Director’s sudden illness raised new questions about the Mulberry Lake incident.

• The eldest princess asked Emperor Yuanjing to let Xu Qi'an atone through meritorious service, and he gave Xu Qi'an half a month to help catch the culprit behind the temple’s destruction.
• The crown prince and second princess discussed the case, then the eldest princess struck the second princess with her sword and left her crying.
• Wei Yuan received the decree to release Xu Qi'an and arranged for Li Yuchun to be reinstated with a public gong announcement.
• Xu Qi'an learned that the temple had collapsed after an explosion at Mulberry Lake and connected the incident to the strange cries he had heard during the ancestral rites.
• Xu Qi'an returned to the Xu Residence, learned that the Director was ill, and reunited with Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin.

After his release from prison, Xu Qi'an returned to the Nightwatchers and was appointed lead investigator of the explosion at Mulberry Lake. He began the investigation by diving toward the lakebed, while Silver Gong Yang surfaced and reported that the depths were pitch-black.

• Xu Qi'an reassured Xu Lingyue that he was safe for now, shared noodles with Xu Lingyin, and found Xu Erlang's notes analyzing his predicament.
• Wei Yuan appointed Xu Qi'an lead investigator of the Mulberry Lake explosion and warned him to focus on finding the culprits rather than recovering what was sealed beneath the lake.
• Xu Qi'an gathered Silver Gongs Yang Feng and Min Shan, Spring Breeze Hall's Li Yuchun, and twelve Copper Gongs, then led them to Mulberry Lake.
• At the lake, Xu Qi'an used the Qi-Observing Technique and descended underwater toward the collapsed platform's foundations, followed by Yang Feng.
• Yang Feng lost sight of Xu Qi'an in the darkness and returned to the boat, reporting that the bottom of the lake was pitch-black.

Xu Qi'an investigated the destruction of the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers, uncovering clues while directing the Nightwatchers to pursue several leads. When the Ministry of Punishments blocked his team from questioning missing suspects, he rode there and fired a crossbow at its officer.

• Xu Qi'an examined the lakebed pillars, found strange carved characters, and returned to the boat with suspicions about the Directorate of Astronomy's role.
• Xu Qi'an reasoned that the blast began inside the temple and ordered investigations into the ceremony's staff, the gunpowder records, and the fallen soldiers.
• Xu Qi'an found that all 312 soldiers had died after their blood essence was drained, a method beyond his own ability to fight.
• Xu Qi'an sent Nightwatchers' clerks to audit the Ministry of Works' gunpowder records and learned that three clerks from each of two offices and three palace attendants were missing.
• Xu Qi'an learned that the Ministry of Punishments and prefectural office had detained the missing staff and were refusing to hand them over, then hurried to confront them.
• At the Ministry of Punishments' gates, Xu Qi'an drew his crossbow and fired at the officer threatening the Nightwatchers.

Xu Qi'an forced his way into the Ministry of Punishments and established his authority as the Nightwatchers’ lead investigator, threatening officials who obstructed the case. At the investigation meeting, Lü Qing argued that a high-ranking Ministry of Works official had helped smuggle gunpowder, and Eunuch Liu asked Xu Qi'an to share his discoveries.

• Xu Qi'an killed the officer blocking the Ministry of Punishments and led the Nightwatchers inside under the authority of his imperial gold token.
• Xu Qi'an confronted Minister Sun and threatened to kill anyone who obstructed his investigation, presenting himself as a desperate man with nothing to lose.
• Eunuch Liu revealed that Xu Qi'an had been appointed lead investigator by the emperor and explained that he was serving to redeem a death sentence.
• Eunuch Liu convened the officials to discuss missing personnel suspected of helping the criminals smuggle gunpowder.
• Lü Qing reasoned that the smugglers must have received help from a high-ranking Ministry of Works official.
• Eunuch Liu asked Xu Qi'an whether he had made any discoveries.

Xu Qi'an and Lü Qing linked the gunpowder used at Mulberry Lake to a saltpeter mine and the missing clerks, then connected the scheme to the murder of Gold Guard squad leader Liu Han. Xu Qi'an identified Hundred Household Zhou as the likely mastermind and left with the Nightwatchers to pursue the lead, while Lü Qing withheld what she knew from the officials.

• Xu Qi'an challenged Lü Qing's theory that senior Ministry of Works officials had supplied the gunpowder, arguing that smuggling such a large amount would leave evidence.
• Xu Qi'an and Lü Qing realized the perpetrators could have made gunpowder from saltpeter taken from the mine at Mount Dahuang.
• They reasoned that the nine missing clerks had likely helped the gunpowder reach Mulberry Lake and that the operation required another accomplice with access to the imperial city.
• Xu Qi'an and Lü Qing connected the scheme to Liu Han's murder and concluded that Liu Han's superior had ordered him to smuggle in the gunpowder and then silenced him.
• Xu Qi'an singled out Hundred Household Zhou as the suspect and left with the Nightwatchers, while Lü Qing evaded Eunuch Liu's questions about the discovery.

Xu Qi'an connected the Mulberry Lake gunpowder plot to the Mount Dahuang saltpeter mine and Liu Han’s murder, then led the Nightwatchers to arrest Hundred Household Zhou. Zhou had already left the capital, leaving Xu Qi'an with a cold trail as Eunuch Liu prepared to report the investigation’s progress to Emperor Yuanjing.

• Lü Qing told the officials that the gunpowder could be tied to the Mount Dahuang saltpeter mine and Liu Han’s silencing, while Xu Qi'an had gone to arrest the suspected Gold Guard spy.
• Xu Qi'an split the Nightwatchers, sending Min Shan to arrest Zhou Chixiong at the imperial city and leading the rest to search the Zhou Residence.
• The Nightwatchers found Zhou Chixiong gone; a gatekeeper said Zhou had left with his family after the ancestral worship ceremony, and Chu Caiwei found no hidden corpse.
• Min Shan reported that Zhou had requested extended leave, confirming that he had fled the capital, while the Ministry of Punishments and prefectural officials arrived too late to catch him.
• Eunuch Liu took the investigation summary to Emperor Yuanjing, who asked what progress had been made.

Emperor Yuanjing read the Nightwatchers’ report on the Mount Dahuang disaster, punished Taikang County’s magistrate, promoted Lü Qing, and lifted the restrictions on the capital. At home, Xu Qi'an weighed the possibility of fleeing to Yunzhou, realized that it might be where Hundred Household Zhou had gone, and ended the night by sending a message through the jade mirror.

• Emperor Yuanjing condemned the officials’ handling of the lime-burning households’ deaths, ordered Taikang County’s magistrate imprisoned and executed after autumn, and promoted Lü Qing to chief constable of the Six Doors.
• Emperor Yuanjing ordered the restrictions on the inner and outer cities lifted.
• Xu Qi'an returned home to find Xu Pingzhi and Xu Xinnian waiting with dinner, and told them that he had been ordered to investigate Mulberry Lake and redeem his crimes.
• Xu Erlang suggested Xu Qi'an flee to Yunzhou, prompting Xu Qi'an to suspect that Hundred Household Zhou might have hidden there, but Xu Pingzhi forbade him from going.
• Xu Lingyue brought Xu Qi'an a bowl of milk, and he later returned to his courtyard and sent a message through the jade mirror saying something had happened in the capital again.

Xu Qi'an traded information with the Earth Book group, revealing the suspected Demon Race role in the destruction of Mulberry Lake while learning that the Gu God had begun to awaken. He arranged for Number Two to search Yunzhou for the fugitive Zhou Chixiong in exchange for settling her debt, while Number One agreed to owe Xu Qi'an another favor.

• Number One and Number Three confirmed that Mulberry Lake and its temple had been destroyed, and the sealed object’s whereabouts were unknown.
• Number Five revealed that the Gu God was awakening in the Extreme Abyss and could turn the Nine Provinces into a world of gu.
• Xu Qi'an traded the Gu God’s origins for information about Mulberry Lake and disclosed that the Demon Race was suspected of causing the explosion.
• Xu Qi'an revealed that Zhou Chixiong, a Gold Guard hundred household who had colluded with the Demon Race, had fled with his family and might be hiding in Yunzhou.
• Number Two refused Number One’s request to search for Zhou Chixiong, so Xu Qi'an offered to settle her debt if she helped and charged Number One another favor.

Xu Qi'an and the Heaven and Earth Society connected the Mulberry Lake seal to a five-hundred-year-old imperial usurpation and discussed the Supervisor’s apparent refusal to get involved. After realizing Hundred Household Zhou could only have been one link in the plot, Xu Qi'an concluded that his real task was to uncover the hidden mastermind behind the case.

• Number Two agreed to search Yunzhou for Zhou Chixiong, while the group discussed why the northern Demon Race might be targeting the seal beneath Mulberry Lake.
• Xu Qi'an learned from Number One that a crown prince drowned in Mulberry Lake around five hundred years ago, during the same period as the usurpation led by the Prince of Pacifying the Seas, later Emperor Wuzong.
• The group considered whether a former imperial family member was sealed beneath Mulberry Lake and noted that the seal bore two characters in Buddhist Script.
• Number Nine said Number Six had left the Nourishing Life Hall and offered to look for him.
• Xu Qi'an realized Hundred Household Zhou had no access to the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers and must have been only one link in a larger plot.
• Xu Qi'an concluded that a hidden mastermind had worked with the Demon Race to orchestrate the Mulberry Lake case and resolved to find them.

At court, Emperor Yuanjing rejected the officials’ attempt to punish Wei Yuan over the destruction of the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers and warned the Ministry of Punishments not to obstruct the investigation. Wei Yuan later learned why the court session had gone more smoothly than he expected, while Xu Qi'an spent the morning teasing Xu Lingyin before going to work.

• Several officials demanded that Emperor Yuanjing behead Wei Yuan for failing to protect the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers, but Emperor Yuanjing rejected the impeachment and praised his work.
• An official accused Xu Qi'an of murdering a guard, and Wei Yuan countered by accusing Minister Sun and the Ministry of Punishments of obstructing the investigation; Emperor Yuanjing ordered cooperation and barred officials of the sixth rank or higher from leaving the capital.
• Xu Qi'an woke Xu Lingyin for breakfast by promising an extravagant meal, then admitted he had lied when she found only steamed buns, soy milk, and fried dough sticks.
• Eunuch Liu gave Wei Yuan copied papers after court, and Wei Yuan read them in his carriage as Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou asked why he had escaped reprimand.

Xu Qi'an uncovered clues in the Mulberry Lake case and deduced that the sealed entity was the first Supervisor, who had already escaped. He resolved to warn Wei Yuan, while Wei Yuan discussed sending him into the jianghu if the investigation failed.

• Nangong Qianrou reviewed the case papers and praised Xu Qi'an's investigative talent after learning that the gunpowder came from Mount Dahuang and that the Gold Guard had colluded with the Demon Race.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Chu Caiwei about ways to evade Qi-Observing and searched the records for high-ranking figures from five hundred years ago.
• Xu Qi'an realized the sealed entity was the first Supervisor and decided to expose the danger rather than flee the capital.
• Wei Yuan told Xu Qi'an that he might fake his death and work undercover in the jianghu if he failed to solve the case within half a month.
• Xu Qi'an refused to leave the capital yet, then asked Wei Yuan to dismiss the attendants so he could make an important report.

Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that the first Supervisor had been sealed beneath Mulberry Lake, then investigated how demons learned about Mount Dahuang’s saltpeter mine. His team went to question Taikang County Magistrate Zhao, who did not respond from his cell.

• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that the Gu God showed signs of awakening and that the first Supervisor had been sealed beneath Mulberry Lake; Wei Yuan advised him on his cultivation and revealed that Emperor Yuanjing had lifted the capital’s lockdown.
• Xu Qi'an assigned Chu Caiwei to investigate artifacts that concealed one’s presence, sent Min Shan and Yang Feng to examine gunpowder records, and led a group to question the Taikang County magistrate about the demons’ knowledge of the saltpeter mine.
• Xu Xinnian traded insults with Zhu Tuizhi at Cloud Deer Academy and left after Zhu’s classmates restrained him from starting a fight.
• Xu Qi'an’s group reached the prefectural office, where the deputy prefect recognized him and ordered the clerk to escort them to the dungeon.
• The jailer called for County Magistrate Zhao, but Zhao remained motionless on his straw mat.

Xu Qi'an discovered that County Magistrate Zhao had died in prison before he could be questioned, and he persuaded Prefect Chen to put the prefectural office at his disposal. Suspecting the death might involve the Human Sect, Xu Qi'an went to the Imperial City to seek the eldest princess, where he called out to her as her carriage procession emerged.

• Xu Qi'an found County Magistrate Zhao dead in his cell and concluded that someone had silenced him within the past five hours.
• Xu Qi'an told Prefect Chen that Zhao might have been involved in revealing the saltpeter mine to the Demon Race, and Chen assigned Lü Qing and other constables to assist him.
• Xu Qi'an received an autopsy report listing natural death, but suspected an invisible killer and considered whether a Yin Spirit from the Human Sect was responsible.
• Xu Qi'an decided to investigate the First Director's escape indirectly by giving the eldest princess subtle hints, then rode to the Imperial City to find her.
• Xu Qi'an learned that the eldest princess was leaving the Palace City in a carriage procession and called out to request an audience.

During a royal outing, Xu Qi'an watched the princes and princesses play a poetry drinking game and quietly helped the eldest princess Huaiqing answer a difficult prompt. The crown prince and third prince then required her to complete the newly improvised poem, leaving her looking to Xu Qi'an for help.

• Xu Qi'an followed the eldest princess to a lakeside gathering and noticed that the second princess took the seat meant for her.
• The crown prince began a Flying Flowers drinking game with “water” as the theme, and the seventh prince took a penalty cup when he failed to find a suitable verse.
• The second princess recited a famous poem and teased Huaiqing when Huaiqing struggled to find a verse ending in “water.”
• After Huaiqing glanced at him, Xu Qi'an whispered a line, and Huaiqing recited it aloud as a newly composed poem.
• The second princess accused Huaiqing of cheating, and the crown prince and third prince said she had to compose a complete poem for the line to count.
• Huaiqing looked to Xu Qi'an again as the others waited for her to finish the poem.