Chapter Summaries

Chen Ji met the reincarnated Buddha's child, Little Monk, and learned what he saw in Chen Ji's heart. After charging the heir, Commandery Princess Bai Li, and Little Monk for sneaking through the clinic, Chen Ji watched them leave for Red Clothes Alley with a group of jianghu companions.

• Little Monk introduced himself to Chen Ji and explained that he was seeking the delusion he needed to overcome to become a Buddha.
• Little Monk said Chen Ji had rid his heart of greed and anger, while the heir doubted that Chen Ji seemed remarkable.
• The heir helped Commandery Princess Bai Li down from the wall, and he, Bai Li, and Little Monk prepared to leave.
• Chen Ji stopped them and charged one tael of silver per person for each trip through the clinic.
• The heir and Bai Li paid three silver peanuts, then joined Liang Gou'er, Liang Mao'er, and other jianghu companions heading to Red Clothes Alley.
• Dark Cloud called them decent people, and Chen Ji agreed that they had not used their status to pressure him.

Chen Ji settled into life at Taiping Medical Hall and discussed his unresolved feelings about She Dengke with Old Yao. After Liang Gou'er arrived seeking shelter, Old Yao offered him food and lodging in exchange for teaching Chen Ji saber skills, leaving Chen Ji surprised by his master's generosity.

• Chen Ji swept the street before dawn, and he told Old Yao he could not bring himself to kill She Dengke despite remembering what had happened.
• Commandery Princess Bai Li, the little monk, and the heir returned from a night out, and Chen Ji admitted he had put a ladder by the wall after taking their money.
• Old Yao explained to Chen Ji that martial cultivation required wealth and backing, and that even a formidable fighter like Liang Gou'er could not defy powerful families and authorities.
• Liang Gou'er arrived drunk on Liang Mao'er's back and tried to stay at Taiping Medical Hall, but Old Yao offered lodging and meals in return for teaching Chen Ji saber skills.
• Liang Gou'er agreed to teach Chen Ji, clarifying that he would teach saber techniques rather than the Liang Family's Saber Dao.

Chen Ji tried to learn the Liang Family saber, but Liang Gou'er judged that Chen Ji’s nature suited the sword and pointed him toward the Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple. The chapter ended with Chen Ji agreeing to attend a literary gathering at Prince Jing’s estate, where Consort Jing wanted to discuss the Liu Family.

• Chen Ji asked Old Yao about learning the saber, while Liang Mao'er settled into the medical hall and explained that he and Liang Gou'er had little money.
• Liang Mao'er revealed that Liang Gou'er had once been a renowned saber wielder but abandoned the saber after his sister-in-law disappeared with the techniques he taught her.
• Liang Gou'er tested Chen Ji with an unsharpened saber, then said Chen Ji should learn the sword and seek the Sword Seed at the Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple.
• Chunhua delivered an invitation from Zhu Yunxi to a literary gathering at Prince Jing’s estate and said Consort Jing wanted to discuss the Liu Family with Chen Ji.
• After Chunhua showed Chen Ji the welts from her beating, he agreed to attend the gathering.

Chen Ji attended the heir apparent’s literary gathering with Liu Quxing and She Dengke, hoping to clear up his misunderstanding with Consort Jing. At the gathering, he saw his legitimate elder brothers Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao among the guests, and Chen Wenzong greeted him politely from across the garden.

• Chen Ji received a last-minute invitation, and Liu Quxing warned him that he might be treated as a mere foil, but Chen Ji decided to attend to resolve matters with Consort Jing.
• She Dengke and Liu Quxing insisted on accompanying Chen Ji, and Liu Quxing lent She Dengke money to buy suitable clothes.
• The three arrived at the prince’s residence and were led to Flying White Pond, where the guests discussed the Jing Dynasty, the Eunuch Faction, and the imperial examinations.
• Liu Quxing explained that noble families’ daughters watched eligible men from behind pavilion curtains, while She Dengke searched the garden for Chunhua.
• Chen Ji spotted Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao in the front row, and Chen Wenzong acknowledged Chen Ji with a polite smile and nod.

Chen Ji uncovered that the Liu Family sought Ning Dynasty firearms through Consort Jing, while Consort Jing wanted revenge on Liu Mingxian. At the banquet, Chen Ji’s brothers publicly slandered him, but She Dengke, Liu Quxing, Commandery Princess Bai Li, and the heir apparent defended him.

• Chen Ji told Consort Jing that Liu Shiyu had been strangled and learned Liu Mingxian had given her a poisoned cup after asking her to contact a former subordinate guarding the Directorate of Works.
• Chen Ji connected the Liu Family’s efforts to reach the Directorate of Works with the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Directorate’s pursuit of the Ning Dynasty’s firearm formula.
• Chen Wenxiao told the banquet guests that Chen Ji was a gambler and a disgrace to the family, prompting She Dengke to overturn his table and defend him.
• Liu Quxing defended Chen Ji, and Commandery Princess Bai Li rebuked the scholars for judging people by their appearance and occupation.
• The heir apparent praised She Dengke and Liu Quxing for standing up for Chen Ji and called on them to drink their cups to the dregs.

At the literary gathering, Chen Ji rejected his family’s invitation to return home and faced Lin Chaojing’s challenge to present a poem. He realized he could answer the challenge with gunpowder instead, leaving the banquet’s guests unaware of what he planned.

• She Dengke and Liu Quxing defended Chen Ji, while Chen Wenxiao confirmed that Chen Ji owed seven gambling houses 1,231 taels of silver.
• Consort Jing offered Chen Ji two thousand taels to kill Liu Mingxian, and he accepted the deal.
• Chen Ji returned to the banquet and declined Chen Wenzong’s invitation to visit their father, saying the Imperial Medical Hall kept him busy.
• Lin Chaojing urged Chen Ji to fulfill his filial duties and challenged him and his companions to present their literary works.
• Chen Ji realized he could not recite poetry but could make gunpowder, and considered an explosion a form of art.

Chen Ji left a literary gathering after refusing to perform, then joined Commandery Princess Bai Li and his companions for noodles, where Liu Quxing revealed a poetic line Chen Ji had written. The heir offered to buy the line, and Chen Ji agreed to sell it.

• Chen Ji dismissed the literary gathering and left with She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and Little Zhang, while Chen Wenzong suspected he had no intention of returning to the Chen Family.
• On the way back, She Dengke apologized to Chen Ji for nearly getting him killed and admitted he had hoped to marry Chunhua; Chen Ji promised not to tell his family.
• Commandery Princess Bai Li caught up with them and treated the group to knife-cut noodles, where Liang Mao'er ate a towering stack of bowls.
• Liu Quxing told Bai Li that he had seen Chen Ji's line, “Between heaven and earth, a human life is like a traveler passing through.”
• The heir appeared and offered Chen Ji ten liang of silver for the half-line so he could impress the literary men at Eastern Grove Academy, and Chen Ji accepted.

Chen Ji met the heir and Commandery Princess Bai Li at a noodle shop, then returned to the medical hall and prepared gunpowder from frost scraped off the walls. Jinzhu, the Secret Intelligence Directorate’s new person in charge in Luo City, arrived unexpectedly and revealed he had been nearby all along.

• The heir bought Chen Ji’s half-line of poetry for ten taels of silver, and Bai Li paid him with a gold melon seed.
• The heir treated the noodle shop’s customers to a meal, while the little monk said Chen Ji gambled with his life rather than money.
• Chen Ji left the noodle shop with She Dengke and planned to prepare a ladder for the heir that night.
• Chen Ji scraped saltpeter from the courtyard walls and hid it when someone knocked at the gate.
• Jinzhu introduced himself as Song Qian, said Cloud Goat and Bright Rabbit were imprisoned, and claimed he would protect Chen Ji’s credit.
• Jinzhu told Chen Ji he had reached the camp outside Luo City before Cloud Goat and Bright Rabbit arrived, leaving Chen Ji astonished that he had been nearby all along.

Jinzhu recruited Chen Ji into the Secret Intelligence Directorate and tasked him with spying on the princely heir. After explaining the Directorate’s ranks, Jinzhu watched Chen Ji’s dealings with Bai Li, Zhu Lingyun, and the heir before leaving Chen Ji to carry out his assignment.

• Jinzhu told Chen Ji that the Inner Chancellor had approved his entry into the Secret Intelligence Directorate and explained its ranks, including the powerful upper three Zodiac Animals.
• Chen Ji learned that Cloud Goat and Bright Rabbit were being exiled to Lingnan and asked whether he could refuse to join, but Jinzhu promised to protect him.
• Bai Li brought Zhu Lingyun, the heir, and the little monk into the courtyard; Zhu Lingyun called Chen Ji a servant, and the heir and Bai Li rebuked her until she left.
• Chen Ji returned one of Bai Li’s silver peanuts, then sent Liang Mao’er and Liang Gou’er out drinking with the heir.
• Jinzhu ordered Chen Ji to follow the heir and report his movements, and Chen Ji accepted before returning to scrape frost from the wall.

Chen Ji prepared to make gunpowder in secret, but Old Yao discovered him and demanded six taels to keep quiet and stand guard. Chen Ji purified crude saltpeter and successfully formed transparent crystals, leaving Old Yao amazed as the experiment continued.

• Bai Li noticed Chen Ji was missing while Liang Mao'er carried Liang Gou'er back to the apprentices' quarters.
• Chen Ji watched Jinzhu's agents track a crude saltpeter buyer in the East Market, then bought refined sugar and liquor for his gunpowder materials.
• Chen Ji began purifying crude saltpeter in the medical hall, but Old Yao caught him after Dark Cloud chased off the crow.
• Old Yao divined that Chen Ji was making something powerful, demanded six taels of silver, and offered to keep watch.
• Chen Ji mixed crude saltpeter with plant ash, filtered and boiled the solution, and produced transparent crystals.