Chapter Summaries

Xu Qi'an revealed his authorship of a celebrated poem at the palace banquet, then enlisted the eldest princess's help with his investigation into Mulberry Lake. After she agreed to take him to Wenyuan Pavilion, the Spirit Dragon threw Lin'an into the lake and showed unusual affection for Huaiqing.

• Xu Qi'an admitted that he had written the poems, and the princes praised his two-line composition but demanded more.
• The eldest princess took Xu Qi'an for a walk, and he asked her for help investigating Mulberry Lake.
• Xu Qi'an told the eldest princess that the case might involve the First Chief Astrologer and an event from five hundred years earlier, and she agreed to take him to Wenyuan Pavilion after the banquet.
• The eldest princess explained that the Spirit Dragon was an imperial spirit beast with an innate Qi-Observing Technique.
• The eldest princess whistled, causing the Spirit Dragon to throw Lin'an into the lake and rush affectionately to Huaiqing.

Xu Qi'an and the Eldest Princess investigated the first Overseer’s erased history and found a lead pointing to Azure Dragon Temple, while Xu Qi'an suspected the Prince Who Guards the North might be involved in the Mulberry Lake conspiracy. As he left the palace, Princess Lin'an summoned him, and he agreed to go meet her.

• The spirit dragon rejected the Eldest Princess but reacted aggrievedly when Xu Qi'an left, and Lin'an blamed Huaiqing after being pulled from the water.
• The banquet ended early, and the Eldest Princess took Xu Qi'an to Wenyuan Pavilion to research the first Overseer.
• The Eldest Princess found records of Pagoda Temple, whose surviving branch had become Azure Dragon Temple.
• Xu Qi'an reasoned that the northern Demon Race’s allies might include the Prince Who Guards the North, and planned to investigate the Buddhist Order, the Daoist Order, and the prince.
• Guards stopped Xu Qi'an at the East Flower Gate with Princess Lin'an’s summons; he initially refused, then agreed to go with them.

Xu Qi'an visited Princess Lin'an, then learned that shamans might have killed County Magistrate Zhao and that the Mulberry Lake case involved several powerful factions. The next morning, Chu Caiwei linked the case to Azure Dragon Temple, widening the list of possible conspirators.

• Princess Lin'an tried to recruit Xu Qi'an to spite Huaiqing, then gave him a jade pendant that let him enter the palace.
• Xu Qi'an encountered Zhu Yang at the Nightwatchers' constabulary, where Zhu Yang told him his son would survive.
• Li Yuchun told Xu Qi'an that a fourth-rank shaman could have killed County Magistrate Zhao by weaving a dream, making the Shaman God Cult a possible faction in the case.
• Xu Qi'an and Li Yuchun provisionally ruled out the Human Sect and reported the growing danger to Duke Wei.
• The next morning, Chu Caiwei told Xu Qi'an that Azure Dragon Temple might possess an artifact capable of blocking the Qi-Observing Technique.

Xu Qi'an led the Nightwatchers to investigate the Mulberry Lake case, but the Prince of Huai's consort was absent and his visit to Azure Dragon Temple yielded no answers. At the temple, he confronted the steward over whether it possessed an artifact that could block the Directorate of Astronomy's Qi-Observing Technique, and the steward refused to cooperate.

• Xu Qi'an brought Chu Caiwei to the Prince of Huai's residence, where guards said the princess consort had left the city and he threatened to arrest one who had insulted his imperial token.
• Xu Qi'an led his team to White Phoenix Mountain and stopped Song Tingfeng and Min Shan from leaving the group to hunt white phoenixes.
• At Azure Dragon Temple, Xu Qi'an recognized the luxurious carriage from his earlier visit to the Imperial Music Bureau and picked up a sachet marked “Nan” and “Zhi” before its owner's maid demanded it back.
• Xu Qi'an and the Nightwatchers entered Azure Dragon Temple and asked to see the abbot, but superintendent Hengqing said the abbot was meditating and offered to answer questions himself.
• Xu Qi'an asked Hengqing whether the temple had an artifact that could block the Directorate of Astronomy's Qi-Observing Technique, and Hengqing denied it while avoiding Xu Qi'an's gaze.

Xu Qi'an investigated Azure Dragon Temple’s connection to the Mulberry Lake case and learned that a stolen concealment artifact had been taken by a monk who eloped with Commandery Princess Pingyang. Abbot Panshu revealed that the temple’s lineage had guarded the lake’s seal for centuries and warned that the Devil Creature’s emergence would bring chaos; as Xu Qi'an left, Hengqing reacted sharply to a question about Hengyuan.

• Xu Qi'an tricked Master Hengqing into condemning the court over the Mulberry Lake case, then ordered the Nightwatchers to arrest him.
• Abbot Panshu intervened and told Xu Qi'an that Henghui had stolen Azure Dragon Temple’s concealment artifact and fled with Commandery Princess Pingyang over a year earlier.
• Xu Qi'an connected Pagoda Temple’s history to the lake’s ancient formation and asked whether the Western Regions’ Buddhist Order knew what had happened five hundred years ago.
• After Xu Qi'an confirmed that the thing sealed beneath Mulberry Lake had escaped, Abbot Panshu revealed that Pagoda Temple had been built to guard the seal and that the Devil Creature’s emergence foretold chaos.
• Xu Qi'an and his companions ate at Azure Dragon Temple, then Xu Qi'an asked Hengqing whether he knew a monk named Hengyuan, causing Hengqing’s expression to change.

Xu Qi'an linked the Mulberry Lake case to the Shaman God Cult and suspected the Prince Who Guards the North, but Wei Yuan ordered him to withdraw that accusation. Xu then pursued the Azure Dragon Temple monk Henghui and planned to meet Daoist Jinlian, before the eldest princess summoned him; meanwhile, Wei Yuan went to the palace and Emperor Yuanjing asked about the investigation.

• Xu Qi'an learned that Number Six, Hengyuan, had been expelled from Azure Dragon Temple and suspected that Henghui was connected to the case.
• Xu Qi'an contacted the Heaven and Earth Society, revealed that he knew Number Six's situation, and arranged to meet Daoist Jinlian.
• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that County Magistrate Zhao had died mysteriously and suggested that the Prince Who Guards the North had colluded with the Demon Race and the Shaman God Cult; Wei Yuan ordered him to withdraw and keep silent.
• Xu Qi'an decided to pursue Henghui and locate Number Six, then learned that the eldest princess had requested his presence.
• Wei Yuan went to the palace, where Emperor Yuanjing asked him about the Mulberry Lake investigation and Xu Qi'an.

Wei Yuan learned that Xu Qi'an’s investigation had connected County Magistrate Zhao’s death to supernatural forces, while the crown prince reported the Spirit Dragon’s strange behavior around Huaiqing and Lin'an. Xu Qi'an linked Azure Dragon Temple’s missing artifact to the disappearance of Commandery Princess Pingyang, then found himself caught between Huaiqing and Lin'an when the two princesses confronted him.

• Wei Yuan told Emperor Yuanjing that Zhao’s apparently natural death might have been caused by a Daoist Yin Spirit or a northeastern shaman.
• The crown prince described how the Spirit Dragon had thrown Lin'an into the lake, eagerly approached Huaiqing, then resisted her attempt to ride it; Emperor Yuanjing went to see the creature.
• The crown prince told Wei Yuan that Xu Qi'an had been present with Huaiqing and Lin'an, and recited Xu Qi'an’s poem about dreaming beneath a starry river.
• Xu Qi'an told Huaiqing that Zhou Chixiong may have used Azure Dragon Temple’s missing concealment artifact and that monk Henghui had stolen it while fleeing with a female worshipper.
• Huaiqing revealed that Commandery Princess Pingyang had vanished over a year earlier and that her father, Prince Yu, had fallen ill from grief; Xu Qi'an suspected Henghui’s artifact had helped conceal her escape.
• When Huaiqing challenged him over Lin'an’s jade pendant, Xu Qi'an promised to be loyal only to her, but Lin'an burst in and accused him of betraying her, leaving Huaiqing to demand that he choose between them.

Xu Qi'an navigated the rivalry between Princess Huaiqing and Princess Lin'an, appeasing Lin'an and securing her promise to plead with Emperor Yuanjing on his behalf. After Lin'an summoned him to visit the Spirit Dragon, the emperor rode the beast, which suddenly threw him into the lake.

• Xu Qi'an chose to discuss the Mulberry Lake case with Princess Huaiqing, leaving Princess Lin'an humiliated and in tears.
• Xu Qi'an caught up with Lin'an, explained that Huaiqing had offered to plead for him, and persuaded Lin'an to promise to do the same.
• Lin'an accepted Xu Qi'an's pledge of loyalty, let him keep her jade pendant, and ordered him to accompany her to see the Spirit Dragon.
• Emperor Yuanjing scolded the Spirit Dragon for throwing Lin'an into the water, then mounted it for a ride across the lake.
• The Spirit Dragon suddenly roared, reared its head, and flung Emperor Yuanjing off its back.

The Spirit Dragon rampaged through the imperial city, then stopped before Xu Qi'an after he drew his saber to protect Princess Lin'an. Emperor Yuanjing rewarded Xu Qi'an for saving Lin'an but kept his case deadline in place, while ordering the city’s defenses strengthened after the Spirit Dragon’s unexplained fear.

• The Spirit Dragon threw Emperor Yuanjing off and charged out of the lake, forcing the emperor and his guards to pursue it.
• The Spirit Dragon broke through palace defenses and charged toward Princess Lin'an, who froze in terror beside Xu Qi'an.
• Xu Qi'an stood between Lin'an and the Spirit Dragon and drew a saber line that the beast refused to cross; it calmed when he spoke to it.
• Emperor Yuanjing rewarded Xu Qi'an with gold and silk after Lin'an pleaded for him, but maintained the deadline for solving the Mulberry Lake case and threatened exile if he failed.
• The Spirit Dragon returned to the lake, and Emperor Yuanjing ordered Wei Yuan to strengthen the imperial city's defenses and enforce a curfew.

Xu Qi'an reported Commandery Princess Pingyang’s elopement to Wei Yuan, who rewarded him with a Golden Core and visualization materials to advance his cultivation. After learning that Emperor Yuanjing had also sent him gold and silk, Xu Qi'an shared some of the gold with his colleagues and headed home with plans to surprise his family.

• Wei Yuan dismissed the idea that Xu Qi'an had a special connection to the Spirit Dragon, then told Emperor Yuanjing he would summon the Prince Who Guards the North back to the capital after spring.
• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that monk Henghui had eloped with Commandery Princess Pingyang, while noting that their connection to the Mulberry Lake case remained uncertain.
• Wei Yuan gave Xu Qi'an a Golden Core, which Xu Qi'an took and used to fill his middle dantian, then lent him a visualization booklet and painting.
• Nangong Qianrou informed Wei Yuan that three of his palace spies had been exposed, and Wei Yuan said Emperor Yuanjing tolerated corruption but not challenges to his authority.
• Xu Qi'an received the thousand taels of gold and five hundred bolts of silk bestowed by Emperor Yuanjing, then distributed some gold among Li Yuchun, Min Shan, Yang Feng, Lü Qing, and his team.
• Xu Qi'an escorted the gifts to the Xu Residence, imagining how the gold and silk would benefit his family and how he might tease Auntie with them.

Princess Lin'an told Noble Consort Chen that Xu Qi'an had saved her from the berserk Spirit Dragon, and the crown prince questioned how she had taken him from Huaiqing. Xu Qi'an returned home with five hundred bolts of silk bestowed by the emperor, leaving his family stunned.

• The crown prince told Noble Consort Chen that the Spirit Dragon had nearly injured Princess Lin'an, and Lin'an revealed that Xu Qi'an had saved her.
• Noble Consort Chen promised to reward Xu Qi'an, while Lin'an said she planned to take him along when she visited Huaiqing.
• Xu Qi'an arrived at the Xu Residence with three carriages and Nightwatchers, and servants began unloading bolts of silk.
• Second Uncle Xu and Auntie discussed the family's finances and the clothes they could not afford to buy.
• Old Zhang told the Xu family that Xu Qi'an had brought back five hundred bolts of silk bestowed by the emperor, and Auntie's chopsticks fell in surprise.

Xu Qi'an returned the Emperor’s gifts to his family, teased his aunt into serving him, and learned that his conversation with Second Uncle Xu had given him hope of reaching the Spirit Refining Realm. He then met Daoist Jinlian and laid out his clues about the Mulberry Lake case, leaving them to consider whether the Prince Who Guards the North was behind the conspiracy.

• Auntie and Xu Lingyue admired the five hundred bolts of silk, while Second Uncle Xu discovered a chest full of gold ingots.
• Xu Qi'an made Auntie serve him and wash his clothes, then asked Second Uncle Xu about his parents and their family history.
• Xu Qi'an stored the gold in his Earth Book Fragment and later told Second Uncle Xu something that gave him hope of breaking through to the Spirit Refining Realm.
• Daoist Jinlian visited Xu Qi'an, who shared his evidence and deductions about the Mulberry Lake investigation.
• Daoist Jinlian summarized Xu Qi'an’s suspicion that the Prince Who Guards the North had allied with northern and northeastern forces, prompting Xu Qi'an to ask what he thought.

Xu Qi'an discussed the Mulberry Lake case with Daoist Jinlian, who pointed out suspicious behavior by the Chief Astrologer and Emperor Yuanjing and agreed to help him find Hengyuan. Far away, Lina asked Heaven Gu Granny about a friend with extraordinary luck, and the Granny reacted with alarm.

• Xu Qi'an told Daoist Jinlian that he suspected the Prince Who Guards the North and was struggling to investigate the case.
• Daoist Jinlian noted that the Chief Astrologer had remained quiet and Emperor Yuanjing had lifted the capital's lockdown, and Xu Qi'an agreed both actions were suspicious.
• Xu Qi'an explained his suspicions about Henghui, Commandery Princess Pingyang, and the magical artifact, then asked Daoist Jinlian to take him to Hengyuan.
• Lina traveled with the Gu Race elders toward the Extreme Abyss and teased her brother Mosang along the way.
• Lina asked Heaven Gu Granny about a friend who kept finding silver, and the Granny seized her wrist and urgently demanded to know where he was.
• Mosang noticed the commotion, and the Strength Gu Tribe's leader went to investigate.

Lina learned that Number Three was the person secretly picking up silver, and Heaven Gu Granny linked the matter to an old theft of something extremely important. Meanwhile, Xu Qi'an and Daoist Jinlian discussed the missing Hengyuan and Wei Yuan’s motives, then Xu Qi'an asked for help investigating Earl Pingyuan’s son.

• Heaven Gu Granny questioned Lina about the person who kept finding silver and concluded that Lina’s friend, Number Three, was the one doing it.
• Heaven Gu Granny told Lina that two thieves had stolen something very important from a wealthy household many years ago, and its whereabouts remained unknown.
• The Gu Race expedition entered the Extreme Abyss, where Lust Gu Tribe members treated people poisoned by Desire Gu, before the group reached a statue of the Confucian School Sage.
• Daoist Jinlian told Xu Qi'an that Hengyuan’s Earth Book Fragment might be sealed and suggested Wei Yuan could be trying to drive Xu Qi'an from the capital.
• Xu Qi'an asked Daoist Jinlian to help him enter Earl Pingyuan’s residence and investigate the earl’s legitimate son for clues about Henghui’s abduction.

Xu Qi'an infiltrated Earl Pingyuan's residence with Daoist Jinlian to investigate, but a black-robed attacker arrived and killed Earl Pingyuan's legitimate son. As Xu Qi'an fled the attacker, Daoist Jinlian's Primordial Spirit struck back.

• Xu Qi'an disguised Daoist Jinlian as a black cat and used One Leaf Obscures the Eyes to sneak toward Earl Pingyuan's residence.
• Daoist Jinlian told Xu Qi'an that the thing sealed beneath Mulberry Lake had entered the city, citing the Spirit Dragon's rampage as evidence.
• Xu Qi'an and Daoist Jinlian watched Earl Pingyuan's legitimate son in his bedroom, but a black-robed man suddenly attacked the residence.
• The black-robed man killed Earl Pingyuan's legitimate son by draining his flesh and turned the body to powder.
• Xu Qi'an fought off the black-robed man's attack with his saber, and Daoist Jinlian's Primordial Spirit charged the attacker while Xu Qi'an escaped.

After surviving an encounter with the black-robed killer, Xu Qi'an investigated the massacre at Earl Pingyuan's residence and identified the killer as Henghui. He headed to the Righteous Qi Tower to tell Wei Yuan, while the connection between Henghui and the sealed entity beneath Mulberry Lake remained unresolved.

• Xu Qi'an escaped the black-robed killer, alerted the Nightwatchers, and met Daoist Jinlian, who asked him to obtain an Origin Gathering Pill from Luo Yuheng.
• Jiang Lyuzhong investigated the slaughter at Earl Pingyuan's residence, found a surviving concubine and clues to another witness, and learned that Xu Qi'an had first discovered the crime.
• Xu Qi'an traveled to the Azure Dragon Temple and asked Administrator Hengqing for a portrait of Henghui.
• Xu Qi'an recognized Henghui as the black-robed killer and suspected the sealed entity might be inside him, with the Prince Who Guards the North possibly involved.
• Xu Qi'an returned to the capital and went to the Righteous Qi Tower to tell Wei Yuan what he had discovered.

Xu Qi'an linked Henghui to Earl Pingyuan's murder and the Mulberry Lake case, then enlisted Jiang Lyuzhong to help pursue him. After Chu Caiwei reported fresh demonic Qi, Xu Qi'an went to Numinous Treasure Temple and gained an audience with the State Preceptor by sending a private message.

• Xu Lingyin ate the breakfast Chu Caiwei had brought, leaving Chu Caiwei surprised to find it all gone.
• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that Henghui had killed Earl Pingyuan's legitimate son and might possess the sealed object from Mulberry Lake.
• Xu Qi'an told Jiang Lyuzhong about Henghui and persuaded him to join the investigation.
• Chu Caiwei told Xu Qi'an that the Directorate of Astronomy had detected demonic Qi matching the Qi from the day of the Mulberry Lake explosion.
• Xu Qi'an went to Numinous Treasure Temple to seek the State Preceptor, and an attendant returned to invite him in after he delivered a private message.

Xu Qi'an obtained an Origin Gathering Pill from Luo Yuheng and then went to Prince Yu’s estate to ask about the Mulberry Lake case. Meanwhile, Wei Yuan told Emperor Yuanjing that Earl Pingyuan’s massacre was connected to the case and that Xu Qi'an had uncovered the killer’s identity.

• Xu Qi'an met Luo Yuheng at the Numinous Treasure Temple, explained that Daoist Jinlian needed an Origin Gathering Pill, and received one after she found nothing remarkable about his fate.
• Eunuch Liu informed Wei Yuan that Emperor Yuanjing was furious and that ministers had been accusing him over the Mulberry Lake case and Earl Pingyuan’s massacre.
• Emperor Yuanjing threatened to strip Wei Yuan of his post unless the killer was found within three days, and Wei Yuan said the massacre and the Mulberry Lake case were connected.
• Wei Yuan told Emperor Yuanjing privately that he had discovered the killer’s identity, then left without revealing details to Minister Zhang or the other officials.
• Eunuch Liu told the ministers that Xu Qi'an was handling the case and that Wei Yuan’s information had come from him.
• Xu Qi'an visited Prince Yu’s estate and met the prince, who recalled Xu Qi'an but said he had not followed court affairs for some time.

Xu Qi'an learned that Commandery Princess Pingyang had eloped with Henghui and warned Wei Yuan that Henghui might target Chief Grand Secretary Wang or Minister of War Zhang. As Zhang Feng sent Zhang Yi out of the capital, Xu Qi'an returned home and told Daoist Jinlian he had obtained the Origin Gathering Pill.

• Xu Qi'an told Prince Yu that Commandery Princess Pingyang had eloped with Henghui, and Prince Yu revealed how deeply he still longed for her return.
• Prince Yu explained that Emperor Yuanjing had considered placing him in the Grand Secretariat and named Wang Zhenwen and Zhang Feng as beneficiaries of his withdrawal.
• Xu Qi'an suspected Pingyang's elopement had been engineered as political revenge and warned Wei Yuan that Henghui might target Wang Zhenwen or Zhang Feng.
• Zhang Feng ordered Zhang Yi to leave the capital, but guards stopped him under the emperor's decree barring officials' families from departing.
• Chu Caiwei gave Xu Qi'an Great Strength Pills, and later Daoist Jinlian asked what Luo Yuheng had said; Xu Qi'an replied that he had obtained the Origin Gathering Pill.

Xu Qi'an reconsidered who might have released the sealed entity beneath Mulberry Lake after the orange cat pointed him toward the Demon Race, then discussed Luo Yuheng and the Human Sect. Meanwhile, a sinister monk attacked the Minister of War’s residence but was intercepted by a white-robed arcanist and four Gold Gongs, ending their battle in a massive explosion.

• Xu Qi'an told the orange cat what he had learned at Prince Yu’s residence, and the orange cat suggested the Demon Race might have known about the seal beneath Mulberry Lake.
• Xu Qi'an mentioned meeting Luo Yuheng, and the orange cat explained her connection to the Human Sect and discussed the Daoist sects’ attitudes toward desire.
• A black-robed man demolished the entrance to the Minister of War’s residence, but a teleportation formation carried him to a desolate district where a white-robed arcanist confronted him.
• The white-robed arcanist summoned four Gold Gongs and deployed siege crossbows and cannons against the black-robed man, who revealed himself as a sinister young monk with a monstrous right arm.
• The four Gold Gongs and the white-robed arcanist fought the monk, and the arcanist combined the killing intents of heaven, earth, and man before the monk’s awakened arm unleashed a terrifying explosion.