Recaps

Chen Qing found that everyone around him had forgotten Cui Yan’s wife, Lady Huang, and Wang Ye’s investigation confirmed that official records showed Cui Yan had never married. Wang Ye warned Chen Qing that strange events could lead to deaths, leaving Chen Qing uneasy about the contradiction between his memories and the world’s account.

• At Bright Moon Tower, Chen Qing learned that Cui Yan had died and that the newly graduated scholars might be sent to serve as magistrates in Youzhou.
• Chen Qing noticed that the other scholars spoke as though Cui Yan had never married, despite his memories of Cui Yan’s wife, Lady Huang.
• Wang Ye, a Junior Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, summoned Chen Qing to ask about Cui Yan’s case.
• Wang Ye said the Emperor’s investigation found that Cui Yan had never married and that Master Huang had no daughter, contradicting Chen Qing’s memories.
• Wang Ye questioned Chen Qing about anything strange and warned him that people could die if he concealed it.

After learning that people had forgotten Cui Yan and his achievements, Chen Qing tried to flee the capital with his family in mind, but Wang Ye intercepted him and revealed a similar supernatural case from the previous dynasty. Chen Qing recognized the world as one he had created in his former life, and the story left him traveling to Liuzhou with Wang Ye.

• Chen Qing questioned Zhou Haitao about Cui Yan and realized Zhou genuinely remembered neither the Narcissus Poetry Gathering nor Cui Yan's fame.
• Chen Qing hurriedly packed to leave the capital, planning to bring his family away from Liuzhou and take up his post in Qi County.
• Wang Ye stopped Chen Qing and insisted they travel together to Liuzhou to investigate his testimony about Cui Yan.
• Wang Ye told Chen Qing that Cui Yan had been found with his abdomen cut open and his heart, liver, and kidneys missing.
• Wang Ye recounted how people forgot Noble Consort Liu and later remembered that she had taken credit for other poets' works.
• Chen Qing recognized the story of Xuanzong, Noble Consort Liu, and the Thousand-Faced Fox as part of the supernatural world he had designed in his previous life.

Chen Qing realized he had transmigrated into the game world he designed and feared the Thousand-Faced Fox, while Wang Ye and the emperor’s court investigated whether the monster had returned. Wang Ye sent Chen Qing to sound out the Huang Household, leaving him at Master Huang’s door in Liuzhou.

• Chen Qing recognized the world as the setting of his own game and resolved to avoid the capital after collecting his mother.
• The emperor rejected assurances that the monster was merely a misunderstanding, and Liu Yu argued that it could alter only ordinary people’s memories.
• Wang Ye told Yuchi Peng that the monster might have infiltrated the imperial household through an ordinary family and could target the crown prince’s consort selection.
• Wang Ye proposed investigating the Huang Household and revealed that he had sent a young man to sound out Old Master Huang.
• Chen Qing arrived at Master Huang’s front door in Liuzhou, reluctant to be involved.

Chen Qing tested Master Huang’s memories of Cui Yan and the Narcissus Poetry Gathering, then discovered that Master Huang was working with a Mirror Demon. After learning the demon could expose people’s origins and fortune, Chen Qing decided to change his plans and pursue it.

• Chen Qing visited Master Huang and learned he had passed the examination in the second tier, while he cautiously brought up Cui Yan and the Narcissus Poetry Gathering.
• Master Huang denied knowing about the gathering after an uncanny gust swept through the courtyard, and Chen Qing suspected his teacher was hiding something.
• After Chen Qing left, Mr. Mirror told Master Huang that Chen Qing remembered, and the two agreed he was a threat who needed to be eliminated.
• Chen Qing concluded that Master Huang possessed a Mirror Demon capable of countering the Thousand-Faced Fox and revealing people’s origins, bloodlines, and fortune.
• Chen Qing became determined to seize the Mirror Demon and decided to change his travel plans instead of going north as arranged.

Chen Qing returned home after passing the metropolitan examination and told his family he had been assigned to a northern county rather than the capital. He promised to repay his eldest brother and sister-in-law for supporting him, then arranged for them to move ahead while he completed a secret assignment.

• Chen Qing overheard his mother encouraging Luo Xiu to keep making tofu so the family could afford a house in the capital, and he interrupted before she could make another promise.
• Chen Qing explained that the special examination placed him in a northern county, and he reassured his mother that the county post would give the family a comfortable home.
• Chen Qing asked Luo Xiu to summon his eldest brother and prepare Yong and Er Ya to leave the next morning, promising schooling for Yong and a governess for Er Ya.
• Chen Qing told his mother and Luo Xiu that guards would escort them to the county yamen, but he would stay behind to finish an assignment before joining them.

Chen Qing agreed to help Wang Ye with the crown princess selection and learned that Wang Ye suspected Master Huang of being a demon. As he prepared to return to the capital, Chen Qing resolved to use the investigation to learn how humanity fought demons and to seek the Mirror Demon as a powerful aid.

• Chen Qing told Wang Ye he would not flee and confirmed that he could recognize Cui Yan's wife, while Wang Ye questioned whether anything about Chen Qing was unusual.
• After finding no evidence of bloodline power in Chen Qing, Wang Ye decided to report that the crown princess selection could proceed and ordered Chen Qing to return to the capital with them.
• Yuchi Peng questioned Wang Ye's suspicion that Master Huang was a demon, but Wang Ye cited the King of Qin's history and argued that Master Huang must be exposed before they could arrest him.
• Back in his room, Chen Qing realized Wang Ye had used him as bait to provoke Master Huang and decided to learn more about the world's demon-fighting powers.
• Chen Qing recalled that humanity had once relied on Bloodline Power to resist demons, but he remained ignorant of how the new dynasty had survived without players.
• Chen Qing resolved to observe the powers of Wang Ye and Master Huang and considered obtaining the Mirror Demon to support the most comprehensive power system.

Chen Qing warned Wang Ye that Yuchi Peng was an impostor and that the Thousand-Faced Fox had altered Wang Ye’s memories. Wang Ye realized the carriage had carried them far outside the city, and the chapter ended when their pursuer stopped them and invited them out to talk.

• Wang Ye left with Chen Qing and the apparent Yuchi Peng, while Chen Qing grew suspicious of their escort.
• Chen Qing secretly warned Wang Ye that Yuchi Peng was an impostor, and Wang Ye doubted him until Chen Qing suggested the Thousand-Faced Fox had manipulated his memories.
• Master Huang and a masked man discussed the plan to ambush Wang Ye and Chen Qing, while Master Huang transformed a puppet’s face into Wang Ye’s.
• Chen Qing reasoned that the fox had likely met Wang Ye at the Yuchi Residence disguised as Grand Matriarch Yuchi, and Wang Ye recalled visiting her before leaving the capital.
• Wang Ye and Chen Qing discovered they were far outside the city, and a mocking voice called for them to step out of the stopped carriage.

Wang Ye confronted the Thousand-Faced Demon Fox’s allies, including Ghost Child and the sorcerer Mister Miao, after sacrificing his escape technique to save Chen Qing. Escaping into the countryside, Chen Qing realized the trap might be intended to create a fake Wang Ye, not merely kill him.

• Wang Ye identified the false Yuchi Peng as the Thousand-Faced Demon Fox and recognized his companion as Ghost Child.
• Ghost Child attacked Wang Ye, but Wang Ye used the power of Evening Elephant to break his arm; Mister Miao emerged and healed him with a reversed spell.
• Mister Miao questioned why Wang Ye had used Flying Star to send Chen Qing away, and deduced that Chen Qing was important to their plans.
• Chen Qing landed safely in the countryside and worried that seeking the real Yuchi Peng or returning to the capital would lead him into another trap.
• Chen Qing questioned why the conspirators would risk provoking the imperial court just to kill Wang Ye, then realized they might be trying to create a fake Wang Ye.

The emperor and Liu Yu agreed to let Wang Ye and Yuchi Peng handle the danger surrounding the crown prince’s consort selection, while Master Huang’s allies prepared a lifelike substitute for Wang Ye. Chen Qing reached Coiling Dragon Slope, where the prison he had designed stood, and feared what its captive could do if released.

• The emperor told Liu Yu he would proceed with selecting a consort for the crown prince, and Liu Yu agreed to let Wang Ye and Yuchi Peng gain experience despite suspecting Master Huang was involved.
• Master Huang removed Wang Ye’s facial skin and attached it to a wooden body, planning to complete a convincing substitute within three days.
• Mister Miao revealed that Chen Qing had escaped with Flying Star and went to watch Yuchi Peng, while Master Huang doubted Chen Qing could reach him.
• Chen Qing followed directions to Coiling Dragon Slope near Great Azure Mountain and recognized the location as the prison he had designed.
• Chen Qing recalled that a captive inside the prison would eventually be released and massacre Liuzhou City.

Chen Qing found Azure Dragon Mountain and met the Ghost Child, the powerful monster imprisoned at its center. After learning that a false Daddy had deceived the child, Chen Qing promised to take care of him and asked him to call him Daddy until they found his real father.

• Chen Qing followed the scorch marks into a huge cave and discovered that the legendary dragon roar came from the Azure Dragon prison holding the Ghost Child.
• The Ghost Child mistook Chen Qing for his Daddy, then turned hostile when he realized Chen Qing was a stranger.
• Chen Qing recognized the Ghost Child and suspected that Painted Skin Mister had used the child's flesh and organs to create a convincing imitation.
• Chen Qing told the Ghost Child that the man posing as his Daddy was lying and persuaded him that he already knew the impostor was not his real father.
• Chen Qing promised to take care of the Ghost Child, and the tearful child asked what he should call him.
• Chen Qing told the Ghost Child to call him Daddy until they found his real father.

Yuchi Peng rode into Liuzhou with his personal troops as Master Huang discovered that his puppets had stopped reporting and his Shadow Guards were dead. A mysterious visitor appeared before Master Huang and Ghost Child, while Wei Gongcheng was urgently asked to save Lord Wang.

• Yuchi Peng entered Liuzhou with his cavalry and sent Jiaming to reserve the Brocade Fragrance House for a celebration.
• Wei Gongcheng warned Yuchi Peng that Jiaming and other soldiers seemed stiff, but Yuchi Peng rode off to confront a troublemaker at Master Huang's house.
• Chen Qing stopped Wei Gongcheng and said Lord Wang was in imminent danger, urging him to help.
• Master Huang learned that the north-gate puppets had missed their reports and ordered Ghost Child to summon the Shadow Guards and notify Mister Miao.
• Ghost Child's talisman received no response, and Master Huang realized the Shadow Guards had been killed.
• A newcomer appeared before Master Huang and Ghost Child, who reacted with fear and a sense of kinship as the visitor greeted Painted Skin Mister.

Ghost Child escaped the seal on Azure Dragon Mountain and destroyed Master Huang’s wooden fake, then fought Mister Miao and Yuchi Peng. Master Huang and Mister Miao fled, hoping their plot involving a fake Wang Ye could still proceed, but they suspected Wang Ye’s student might have freed Ghost Child.

• Ghost Child escaped and confronted Master Huang, then smashed the wooden fake made from his flesh and bones.
• Ghost Child attacked Master Huang’s guards, but Mister Miao restrained him with Flying Shadow.
• Ghost Child broke Mister Miao’s spell through brute force, tearing up the ground and nearby buildings.
• Yuchi Peng arrived and clashed with Ghost Child, while Master Huang carried the injured Mister Miao away on a wooden bird.
• Master Huang told Mister Miao that the fake Wang Ye could enter the capital in seven days, and Mister Miao asked whether Master Huang’s student had released Ghost Child.

Chen Qing persuaded Wei Gongcheng to help uncover the plot involving Painted Skin Mister and the Thousand-Faced Fox, while Master Huang and Mister Miao discussed Ghost Child’s escape and their suspicions about Chen Qing. The chapter left the Mirror Demon insisting that Chen Qing had always been mortal, despite sensing something was wrong.

• Chen Qing told Wei Gongcheng that the Thousand-Faced Fox had infiltrated the capital and that Painted Skin Mister was turning Lord Wang into a puppet.
• Chen Qing proposed using Yuchi Peng to distract their enemies while they searched for Lord Wang and Painted Skin Mister, and warned that Master Huang might control half the officials in Liuzhou.
• At a hot spring, Master Huang told Mister Miao that Ghost Child had escaped and that Yuchi Peng’s deputies had not reported any contact with Chen Qing.
• Mister Miao questioned whether Chen Qing had released Ghost Child and asked Master Huang to inspect Wang Ye’s memories, but Master Huang could not access the memories concerning Chen Qing.
• The Mirror Demon confirmed that Chen Qing had been mortal during his time in Liuzhou and after returning from the capital, though it privately sensed that something about him was wrong.

Yuchi Peng faced pressure from Liuzhou’s officials to report the monster attack, but he insisted on capturing the creature himself. After Mu Hongqing identified it as the legendary Ghost Child and gave him three days, Yuchi mobilized his troops while Wei Gongcheng realized that nearly every official in the city appeared to be an impostor.

• Yuchi Peng argued with Liuzhou’s officials, rejecting their demand to request reinforcements from the court and threatening them if they reported the incident without his permission.
• Wei Gongcheng noticed that the prefect, assistant prefect, judicial commissioner, education officers, and other officials all moved stiffly like Jiaming, and feared that the impostors had infiltrated all of Liuzhou’s government.
• Mu Hongqing identified the monster as the legendary Ghost Child and gave Yuchi Peng three days to capture it before he sought help from the court.
• Mu Hongqing gave Wei Gongcheng a black talisman that would summon him if Wei encountered the monster.
• Yuchi Peng ordered Jiaming and Wei Gongcheng to search the city with troops and black bombs, then flew above Liuzhou to survey it.
• Wei Gongcheng hid Mu Hongqing’s talisman before heading to the rear courtyard, wary of trusting anyone in Liuzhou.

Chen Qing and Wei Gongcheng considered whether the education commissioner was a disguised enemy, while Yuchi Peng’s citywide search gave the hidden forces an opening. Wei Gongcheng was trapped in a spell and confronted the education commissioner, confirming Chen Qing’s suspicion that the official might have been a fake from the beginning.

• Wei Gongcheng explained that education commissioners were powerful sorcerers who supervised apprentices and handled supernatural incidents, then admitted his instincts warned him that the current commissioner was dangerous.
• Yuchi Peng searched Liuzhou City with his bloodline-using guards, while Master Huang and Mister Miao realized his search had cut off their communications and might have been intended to make them lose control of the city.
• Wei Gongcheng’s men reported that Ghost Child was nowhere to be found, but a curtain of darkness suddenly swallowed Wei Gongcheng and his surroundings as Yuchi Peng disappeared from the sky.
• The education commissioner appeared inside the darkness and praised Wei Gongcheng for resisting his spell, prompting Wei Gongcheng to recognize him as the threat he had suspected.
• Wei Gongcheng recalled Chen Qing’s theory that the Thousand-Faced Fox’s allies could have altered memories and replaced the education commissioner with a fake from the outset.

The old man trapped and tortured Wei Gongcheng, trying to learn who had advised him, but Wei Gongcheng died and summoned Yuchi Peng with his life. As the old man confronted Yuchi Peng, Mister Miao and Master Huang realized Hei Wu had acted in Liuzhou City, only for Ghost Child to appear at their mountain hot spring.

• The old man explained that he had targeted Wei Gongcheng because the Wind Serpent bloodline could detect danger, then paralyzed him with the Mother and Child Ghosts.
• The old man tortured Wei Gongcheng with steel needles and demanded to know who had advised him, but Wei Gongcheng refused to answer.
• Wei Gongcheng died after roaring for his general, and the old man realized he had used a bloodline Secret Method to summon Yuchi Peng.
• Yuchi Peng appeared in the darkness, and the old man prepared to fight him despite Mister Miao's warning.
• Mister Miao and Master Huang sensed that Hei Wu had made his move in Liuzhou City and discussed their miscalculation.
• Ghost Child appeared near Mister Miao and Master Huang at the mountain hot spring, and Mister Miao called for whoever was behind him to come out.

Chen Qing revealed that he had orchestrated the conflict in Liuzhou to isolate Master Huang and obtain Mr. Mirror, while Wei Gongcheng defeated Hei Wu at great cost. Wei Gongcheng warned Yuchi Peng that Chen Qing might not be trustworthy before losing consciousness.

• Chen Qing admitted that he had freed Ghost Child, named him Chen Nezha, and targeted Master Huang while trying to secure Wang Ye's release and Mr. Mirror.
• Chen Qing explained that he had used General Yuchi Peng to draw Hei Wu into action and sever the enemy's connection to Liuzhou.
• Hei Wu tried to take the exhausted guards hostage, but Wei Gongcheng feigned death and stabbed him, allowing Yuchi Peng to kill him.
• Wei Gongcheng told Yuchi Peng that many guards, including Lu Jiaming, had been replaced by puppets and that he had a list of those still alive.
• Wei Gongcheng urged Yuchi Peng to protect the remaining guards and get Chen Qing safely to the capital, then warned him to be careful of Chen Qing before losing consciousness.

As Ghost Child battered the sealed Azure Dragon Cave, Mister Miao proposed merging his core with Wang Ye’s unfinished puppet so Master Huang could gain the strength to fight. Chen Qing realized what they might be doing and urged Ghost Child to hurry, but Yuchi Peng arrived before the seal shattered, leaving everyone stunned by what they saw inside.

• Mister Miao told Master Huang that Hei Wu had died and proposed fusing his core with Wang Ye’s puppet to give Master Huang a chance against Ghost Child.
• Ghost Child sensed danger inside the cave, and Chen Qing recognized the possibility of a core-fusion spell and urged him to break the seal quickly.
• Yuchi Peng arrived, and Chen Qing persuaded him that Ghost Child had protected the Chen Household for generations and asked him to help rescue Wang Ye.
• The cave’s seal shattered before Chen Qing could explain what help he needed, and Ghost Child, Chen Qing, and Yuchi Peng stared in shock at the scene inside.

Wang Ye killed Painted Skin Mister after breaking free of his control, and Chen Qing and Yuchi Peng agreed to conceal the truth about his changed body. The group prepared to return to the capital to find the Thousand-Faced Fox before the crown prince’s consort selection, while Mountain Ghost learned of Painted Skin Mister’s death and confirmed their side would still attend.

• Wang Ye revealed that he had used Reversal Technique to escape Painted Skin Mister’s control and kill him, while Chen Qing questioned whether he was truly Wang Ye.
• Wang Ye gave Chen Qing the Mirror Demon, and Chen Qing told Yuchi Peng that Wang Ye’s body had changed but his identity remained intact.
• Wang Ye asked Yuchi Peng to keep his condition secret, and Chen Qing agreed to play along to protect the Mirror Demon and preserve their cooperation.
• Wang Ye, Chen Qing, and Yuchi Peng decided to return to the capital and find the Thousand-Faced Fox before the crown prince’s consort selection in five days.
• Mountain Ghost reported Painted Skin Mister’s death to an aged woman, who dismissed his concerns and insisted that they would still participate in the selection.

Chen Qing restrained Ghost Child’s growing urge to eat people and planned to pursue the Investiture Divine Path rather than learn the Azure Dragon Inheritance. As Chen Qing headed toward the capital, the emperor and Liu Yu prepared to investigate the powerful forces behind Painted Skin Mister.

• At a relay station, Ghost Child admitted he was hungry, and Chen Qing forbade him from eating people while promising to help him overcome his demonic habits in Qi County.
• Chen Qing considered the Investiture Divine Path and told Ghost Child he would not become a spellcaster, despite possessing the Azure Dragon Inheritance.
• The Mirror Demon warned Chen Qing that Painted Skin Mister’s allies were powerful, but said a forbidden technique prevented him from revealing the organization or helping locate the Thousand-Faced Fox.
• Liu Yu informed the emperor that Wang Ye and Chen Qing were on their way to the capital and reported the scale of Painted Skin Mister’s crimes in Liuzhou.
• The emperor refused to postpone the crown prince’s consort selection and agreed with Liu Yu to use the incident to uncover which great lineages had supported Painted Skin Mister.

At court, Liu Yu reported the demonic infiltration of Liuzhou, and the emperor approved Duke of Qin Lu Ming’s plan to purge the region’s officials and send investigators. Lu Ming proposed appointing Chen Qing to lead Liuzhou, linking the promotion to the search for Thousand-Faced Fox, and the emperor agreed.

• Liu Yu recounted how Thousand-Faced Fox and Painted Skin Mister had infiltrated and controlled officials in Liuzhou.
• The minister of personnel called for Yuchi Peng to be punished, but military commanders defended the Yuchi Household and argued with the civil officials.
• Lu Ming proposed recalling Liuzhou’s officials for investigation and replacing them with examination graduates and spellcasters, and the emperor approved the plan.
• The emperor asked for a candidate to lead Liuzhou, and Lu Ming recommended Chen Qing based on his service and resistance to Thousand-Faced Fox’s influence.
• Lu Ming connected Chen Qing’s promotion to the crown prince’s consort selection and the search for Thousand-Faced Fox, and the emperor agreed to promote him to the fifth rank.

Chen Qing learned that the Duke of Qin had recommended him to investigate the Thousand-Faced Fox, a case that could make him prefect of Liuzhou but put him amid dangerous political intrigue. While visiting the mourning Yuchi estate to look for clues, he invited the injured Wei Gongcheng to join him in Liuzhou, and Wei asked whether Chen Qing was recruiting him.

• Wang Ye explained that the Duke of Qin had recommended Chen Qing, who would investigate the Thousand-Faced Fox alongside Pei Jun while Yuchi Peng protected him.
• Chen Qing learned that Lu Hongqing, Jiangnan's education commissioner, was the Duke of Qin's estranged fourth son and suspected the family might be connected to the case.
• Chen Qing went to the Yuchi estate, where Wei Gongcheng told him that using the Feigning Death Secret Technique had badly injured his spine and left him unable to serve Yuchi Peng.
• Wei Gongcheng introduced his elder brother Wei Gongyan, who had taken his place beside Yuchi Peng while Yuchi Peng observed mourning for the murdered matriarch.
• Chen Qing invited Wei Gongcheng to accompany him to Liuzhou, and Wei asked if Chen Qing was recruiting him.

Chen Qing recruited Wei Gongcheng while investigating the Thousand-Faced Fox’s plan to disrupt the crown prince’s consort selection. Yuchi Peng offered to help Chen Qing recruit Wei if he solved the case, which could make Chen Qing prefect of Liuzhou, though failure could cost him his life.

• An imperial recorder wrote that Chen Qing had recruited Wei Gongcheng, and the report flew away as a paper crane.
• Chen Qing asked Wei Gongcheng to join him and revealed that Wei’s birth and crippled condition could leave him without a secure place in either household.
• After Chen Qing patted Wei’s shoulder, Wei felt a prick in his numb lower body and was left wondering whether his condition might improve.
• Chen Qing discovered that the black-armored guard accompanying him was a paper-drawn figure and began investigating the consort candidates for the Thousand-Faced Fox.
• Wei Gongcheng sent Chen Qing the selection list, while Vice Minister Pei arrived to meet him.
• Yuchi Peng told Chen Qing that solving the case could make him prefect of Liuzhou and promised to help recruit Wei Gongcheng if Chen succeeded.

Chen Qing and Fei Jun investigated the crown prince’s consort candidates and narrowed the possible leak to powerful figures who knew the real list. Chen Qing’s questions about the crown prince’s private meetings with Yang Lin’s second daughter left him suspecting a serious scandal, possibly involving a threat as dangerous as a nine-tailed fox.

• Fei Jun dismissed the Ministry of Rites’ broad candidate list and gave Chen Qing a shorter confidential list of fewer than thirty names.
• Fei Jun said all eight dukes residing in the capital knew the real list, prompting Chen Qing and Yuchi Peng to consider who could have helped Thousand-Faced Fox.
• Yuchi Peng and Fei Jun clashed over the tensions between bloodline families and sorcerers, then stopped before their power overwhelmed Chen Qing.
• Chen Qing warned that someone could replace a candidate if the list had leaked, and asked whether the crown prince favored anyone.
• Fei Jun admitted the crown prince had privately met Yang Lin’s second daughter, and Chen Qing pressed him on whether they had illicit relations.
• Fei Jun’s evasions convinced Chen Qing that the crown prince might have crossed the bounds of propriety, leaving him fearing a major threat.

Chen Qing and Fei Jun hurried to the vice minister of rites' residence after suspecting the Thousand-Faced Fox had infiltrated the Yang Household, but they found the entire household slaughtered and the prospective crown princess dead. As Chen Qing investigated how the enemy learned of their suspicions, he realized its plan might not depend on winning the crown prince's favor at all.

• Chen Qing challenged Fei Jun's assumption that the Yang Household's daughter could not have been replaced, and Fei Jun sent a Vermilion Bird spell to consult the crown prince.
• The emperor ordered Liu Yu to stop the fox demon from escaping, while Chen Qing, Fei Jun, and Yuchi Peng rode to the vice minister of rites' residence.
• They met Liu Yu outside, learned he had arrived earlier, and entered to find every member of the Yang Household hanging dead, including the prospective crown princess.
• Liu Yu revealed that the crown prince's trusted guard had vanished, and Chen Qing suspected the enemy had learned of their investigation and staged the killings as a provocation.
• Chen Qing questioned whether Fei Jun's spell or the paper guard had leaked information, but neither appeared likely to have done so.
• Considering the upcoming consort selection, Chen Qing realized the fox might not need to become the crown prince's consort and formed a frightening new hypothesis.