Chapter Summaries

Ye Xingge, an innkeeper and martial artist, turned away Hongyu after she claimed to be Mantanghong and tried to recruit him as her disciple without paying her bill. After Chief Constable Wang Shouyin arrived with news about the real Mantanghong, Ye Xingge realized the woman he had thrown out might have been telling the truth.

• Ye Xingge waited for customers at the empty Wujian Inn until a woman in red entered and ordered wine, meat, and hot water.
• After eating, the woman claimed she was Hongyu, known as Mantanghong, and said a divine weapon had chosen Ye Xingge and left him with only three days to live.
• Ye Xingge tested her martial skill, decided she was a fraud, and demanded payment for the meal.
• The woman offered to arrange a marriage with her junior sister, but Ye Xingge took her jade pendant as collateral and chased her out.
• After soldiers passed the inn, Ye Xingge let in Chief Constable Wang Shouyin, who said the bandit Yang Tuyan had appeared at Shangjin Ferry.
• Wang Shouyin told Ye Xingge that the notorious Mantanghong had not yet been caught, and Ye Xingge recognized that the woman he had dismissed might have been her.

Ye Xingge learned that Mantanghong, the fugitive martial artist who had given him a divine weapon, was hiding in his inn just as Luo Xuanqing arrived to hunt her. Luo Xuanqing took the room opposite Mantanghong’s, leaving Ye Xingge trapped between the two dangerous women as he carried her hungry cat downstairs.

• Wang Shouyin told Ye Xingge that Mantanghong had lost her power and was hiding somewhere in Qingxi County, then showed him her portrait and the image of her Filth-Severing Whip.
• Ye Xingge realized Mantanghong was the red-clad woman he had met and worried that she would kill him for whipping her.
• Wang Shouyin announced that Luo Xuanqing, the Flower Judge and a commander of the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, was arriving at the inn.
• Luo Xuanqing arrived with officers and ordered them to search the sealed county for Mantanghong.
• Ye Xingge found Mantanghong waiting in an upstairs room, but Luo Xuanqing chose the room directly opposite hers.
• Luo Xuanqing told Ye Xingge to prepare diced fish for her hungry black cat, and he carried the cat downstairs.

Ye Xingge learned that the Filth-Severing Whip had chosen him and that the Heaven-Observing Pavilion could expose him within three days, so Mantanghong told him to obtain Yang Tuyan’s wrist guard to conceal the divine weapon. As Ye Xingge left to answer a knock at the inn’s door, Luo Xuanqing emerged across the hall, leaving him caught between the two women.

• Mantanghong appeared at a second-floor window and ordered Ye Xingge to bring her noodles, then explained that Luo Xuanqing was recovering across the hall and would not hear them speak quietly.
• Mantanghong revealed that the Filth-Severing Whip had chosen Ye Xingge and that the Heaven-Observing Pavilion might trace the weapon to him once it bound itself to his bloodline.
• Ye Xingge confirmed that the whip recognized him, and Mantanghong told him to take Yang Tuyan’s wrist guard, which could hide the divine weapon from the Heaven-Observing Pavilion.
• Mantanghong gave Ye Xingge intelligence that placed Yang Tuyan in Yongzhou disguised as Imperial Uncle Cao’s servant, and advised him to win Luo Xuanqing’s permission to leave the city and pursue the wanted man openly.
• When someone knocked downstairs, Ye Xingge concealed the whip, but Luo Xuanqing came out of her room and ordered him to answer the door.

Ye Xingge faced Ruan Jinyu, the Snake Eunuch, when he arrived with embroidered-robed officers and tried to take over the pursuit of Mantanghong and oversee Luo Xuanqing’s safety. To block Ruan Jinyu’s demands, Ye Xingge volunteered to demonstrate his martial skills, then unexpectedly chose the captain who had struck himself as his opponent.

• Wang Shouyin arrived at the inn with Ruan Jinyu and more than twenty embroidered-robed officers, who surrounded the building.
• Ruan Jinyu offered to take over the search for Mantanghong and argued that Luo Xuanqing should return to the capital or summon guards.
• Luo Xuanqing rejected Ruan Jinyu’s interference, and he ordered the captain who had shouted at Ye Xingge and Wang Shouyin to slap himself.
• Ruan Jinyu demanded that Ye Xingge exchange ten moves with an officer to prove he could protect Luo Xuanqing, and Ye Xingge volunteered to seek instruction.
• Ye Xingge asked the captain who had slapped himself to spar, leaving the captain stunned.

Ye Xingge challenged Embroidered-Robe Captain Zhang Qing and defeated him with a single combination of strikes, impressing Luo Xuanqing. Ruan Jinyu left with his retinue after telling Ye Xingge to care for Luo Xuanqing during her stay at the inn.

• Ye Xingge chose Zhang Qing as his opponent, despite Luo Qingxuan warning him that Zhang Qing was a captain.
• Ye Xingge and Zhang Qing took their stances, and Ye Xingge described his mixed martial style as free fighting.
• Zhang Qing charged with a punch, but Ye Xingge blocked it and struck him in the face and chest, knocking him unconscious.
• Wang Shouyin scolded Ye Xingge for hitting too hard while the Embroidered-Robe Lang rushed to treat Zhang Qing.
• Luo Xuanqing praised Ye Xingge indirectly and asked him to apologize to Ruan Jinyu, who then left with his retinue after instructing Ye Xingge to care for her.

Ye Xingge impressed Luo Xuanqing with his strength, learned more about the martial ranks, and offered to help find Yang Tuyan while considering her recruitment offer. After she left, Hongyu contacted him through a jade pendant and told him to go outside so she could explain.

• Luo Xuanqing reassured Ye Xingge that his clash with Ruan Jinyu would cause no trouble, then demonstrated her strength and advised him to improve his martial arts.
• Luo Xuanqing invited Ye Xingge to consider working for the Judicial Review Bureau, and he said he would discuss it with his parents while offering to help find Yang Tuyan.
• Ye Xingge showed Luo Xuanqing an inverted-cup trick, but she used the Cloud-Touching Palm to keep the water inside without the cardboard.
• After drinking with Luo Xuanqing, Ye Xingge waited until night and went to the rear courtyard instead of sleeping.
• Hongyu used a blood-red jade pendant to speak into Ye Xingge's mind and told him to leave the inn, so he went outside to hear her explanation.

Ye Xingge manifested Hongyu through the Filth-Severing Whip and learned how its powers worked, then studied the intelligence about Yang Tuyan’s planned assassination of the Yan emperor. He accepted Hongyu’s scheme to follow a trail from Jiang Baichuan to the Linyang branch and hurried back to prepare.

• Ye Xingge infused the Filth-Severing Whip with internal force, and it manifested Hongyu through the Flower and Moon Pendant’s [Flowers in a Mirror, Moon in Water].
• Hongyu explained that the whip’s effects included survival and recovery near death, as well as cultivation through dual cultivation, while its manifested form consumed Ye Xingge’s internal force and could not fight.
• Ye Xingge read that Yang Tuyan had been sent by the Eight Pillars Hall to infiltrate Imperial Uncle Cao’s entourage and attempt to assassinate the Yan emperor.
• Ye Xingge and Hongyu concluded that Yang Tuyan and the Eight Pillars Hall’s informant were likely to meet at the Linyang branch, and Hongyu outlined a plan linking Jiang Baichuan, Shunyuan Pawnshop, and Linyang.
• Ye Xingge decided to begin the plan by finding Jiang Baichuan’s private residence in Muyang and ran back to his courtyard.

Ye Xingge left Qingxi to seek merit outside the county and rode to Dahe Town to investigate the Shunyuan Pawnshop. He found Zhang Shunyuan dead in his study and contacted Hongyu, who asked what had happened.

• Ye Xingge met Chen Xuance and the constables, gained permission to leave the city, and borrowed a straight saber.
• Ye Xingge rode across Hexi while testing the Filth-Severing Whip and spoke with Hongyu about Heroine Yun’s plan to find a husband for Second Junior Sister.
• Ye Xingge left his horse outside Dahe Town and sneaked into the Shunyuan Pawnshop’s residence.
• Ye Xingge found Zhang Shunyuan dead in the study and startled when Hongyu spoke to him through the divine weapon.

Ye Xingge planted a deliberately baffling clue at Shunyuan Pawnshop, but An Yurou and her Later Zhou agents still uncovered it and misread its message. He then rode to Muyang County to capture Jiang Baichuan, where he learned the Return to Origin Cult had searched local records and approached the commandant’s residence.

• Ye Xingge and Hongyu planted a perforated-paper cipher at Shunyuan Pawnshop, using a Heaven-Watching Gazette page to encode a layered clue.
• An Yurou and four Later Zhou spies found the paper and deciphered the characters as “Li Yuntu,” but could not make sense of the message or its extra marks.
• Ye Xingge rode toward Muyang County after Hongyu confirmed that Jiang Baichuan had secretly met the county commandant’s wife.
• Ye Xingge reached the county commandant’s office and overheard that intruders had searched case files and wealthy families’ household registers, possibly members of the Return to Origin Cult.
• Hongyu reassured Ye Xingge that the cult’s members had likely left, and he covered his face before moving toward the rear wall of the office.

Ye Xingge infiltrated the Muyang County commandant’s residence, discovered Jiang Baichuan hiding there, and captured him after a chase through town. Jiang Baichuan named the Shunyuan Pawnshop as his next contact, but as Ye Xingge prepared to carry him back to Qingxi, he sensed officials closing in.

• Ye Xingge slipped into the commandant’s residence and narrowly avoided a saber thrust through the wall before Jiang Baichuan attacked him.
• Ye Xingge knocked Jiang Baichuan down, but stopped short of capturing him there to avoid letting Muyang County claim the credit.
• Jiang Baichuan fled across town, and Ye Xingge chased him into a tavern, where he pinned him to the floor and knocked him unconscious.
• Jiang Baichuan confessed that his next contact was the Shunyuan Pawnshop, while Ye Xingge planned to take him back to Qingxi and pursue Yang Tuyan.
• As Ye Xingge hoisted Jiang Baichuan onto his shoulder, he sensed that officials had responded and were approaching.

Ye Xingge was surrounded by Heaven-Observing Pavilion officers after capturing Jiang Baichuan, and Ruan Jinyu tried to claim the prisoner. Ye Xingge refused to surrender him, and Ruan ultimately ordered the prisoner escorted back to Luo Xuanqing in Qingxi.

• Ye Xingge heard the authorities surround the restaurant and learned that Ruan Jinyu was outside, while Hongyu urged him to protect his claim to Jiang Baichuan.
• Chen Xiaobao prepared to throw Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers into the restaurant, but Ruan Jinyu stopped him after recognizing Ye Xingge's voice.
• Ye Xingge emerged with Jiang Baichuan captured, and Ruan Jinyu identified the prisoner as an important suspect linked to Yang Tuyan.
• Ruan Jinyu ordered his officers to take Jiang Baichuan, but Ye Xingge drew his saber and insisted he was acting under Luo Xuanqing's orders.
• After Ye Xingge stood his ground, Ruan Jinyu relented and ordered his men to escort Ye Xingge and Jiang Baichuan back to Qingxi for Luo Xuanqing.

Ye Xingge returned to Qingxi County with Jiang Baichuan, having captured him and stood up to Ruan Jinyu, earning Luo Xuanqing’s praise. Luo sent Chen Xuance to investigate the Shunyuan Pawnshop while Ye Xingge stayed behind to cook for her and the great beauty.

• Chen Xuance and Wang Shouyin waited at Qingxi County’s gate as Ye Xingge arrived with Inspection Bureau officers and the unconscious Jiang Baichuan.
• Ye Xingge explained that he had caught Jiang Baichuan in Muyang and drawn his saber when Ruan Jinyu tried to intervene; the officers confirmed his account and praised his courage.
• Chen Xuance and the other officers brought Ye Xingge and Jiang Baichuan to Wujian Inn, where Luo Xuanqing praised Ye Xingge before warning him not to act recklessly.
• Ye Xingge told Luo Xuanqing that Jiang Baichuan had named the Shunyuan Pawnshop in Dahe Town as his contact, so she ordered Chen Xuance to investigate it.
• Luo Xuanqing stopped Ye Xingge from joining the search and asked him to rest, then agreed when he offered to cook; the great beauty also asked him to prepare food and wine.

Ye Xingge prepared breakfast for Luo Xuanqing and Hongyu, learned that the River-Spanning Pavilion might exploit the Mountains and Rivers Association’s weakness, and received a cultivation manual from Luo Xuanqing. The investigation into Zhang Shunyuan’s murder appeared to stall when Chen Xuance reported finding no clues, leaving Ye Xingge bewildered because he knew a paper trail should have been found.

• Ye Xingge cooked tailored meals, while Hongyu worried about her master’s choice of successor and discussed the River-Spanning Pavilion’s threat with him.
• Ye Xingge served Luo Xuanqing breakfast, concealed Hongyu’s identity as the guest across the hall, and agreed to call Luo Xuanqing Sister Luo.
• Luo Xuanqing rewarded Ye Xingge with the Eight Pillars Hall’s Eight Extremes Gang-Piercing Force cultivation manual and advised him to improve his internal cultivation.
• Chen Xuance returned and reported that Zhang Shunyuan had been killed and that his search had uncovered no clues, surprising Ye Xingge.

Ye Xingge tried to reconstruct the missing lead to Yang Tuyan and reasoned that Eight Pillars Hall planned to use the assassination attempt to frame a court official. Just as Luo Xuanqing was about to identify a likely target, Chen Xuance arrived with news that Ruan Jinyu had found a clue at Shunyuan Pawnshop.

• Chen Xuance reported that Zhang Shunyuan’s Heaven-Watching Gazette had gone missing, and Ye Xingge realized someone else had taken the coded message he planted.
• An Yurou and her subordinates failed to decipher the message and began an exhaustive search for its hidden words.
• Ye Xingge reasoned with Luo Xuanqing that Eight Pillars Hall might have arranged the assassination attempt to frame an official, and they narrowed their suspicions to people connected to Hexi.
• Chen Xuance interrupted them to report that Ruan Jinyu had found a clue to Yang Tuyan at Shunyuan Pawnshop.

After Ruan Jinyu found a lead to Linyang and left to pursue Yang Tuyan, Luo Xuanqing decided to follow despite her injuries, taking Ye Xingge with her. They rode toward Linyang, where Ye Xingge studied a cultivation manual and got caught looking at Luo Xuanqing.

• Chen Xuance reported that Ruan Jinyu had found information at the pawnshop and headed toward Linyang, prompting Luo Xuanqing to blame her men for losing the lead.
• Ye Xingge suggested going to Linyang, and Luo Xuanqing decided to go herself while ordering Chen Xuance to guard Qingxi.
• Ye Xingge bought Luo Xuanqing a black jianghu outfit and secretly ordered another outfit for Hongyu.
• Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing rode out toward Linyang, and Luo Xuanqing suspected Ye Xingge had secretly watched her measurements because her dress fit perfectly.
• Ye Xingge studied a cultivation manual on the road, then looked up at Luo Xuanqing and was caught staring.

Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing entered Linyang County to search for Yang Tuyan, while An Yurou’s party also arrived with intelligence pointing to the Linyang Escort Agency. Luo Xuanqing infiltrated the agency, leaving Ye Xingge hidden outside as he contemplated how to earn a contribution; the chapter ended with him realizing his life might soon be in danger.

• Luo Xuanqing woke Ye Xingge outside Linyang County and decided they should find Yang Tuyan before Ruan Jinyu’s Inspection Bureau forces did.
• An Yurou’s party deciphered a coded message identifying the Linyang Escort Agency and headed toward the sealed county seat.
• Ye Xingge guided Luo Xuanqing through the city toward the agency, reasoning that its proprietor might have connections to the Imperial Uncle’s residence.
• Luo Xuanqing used her lightness skill to climb over the agency’s wall and begin investigating while Ye Xingge hid outside.
• Ye Xingge planned to charge in during a disturbance and get injured to earn protective gear, but soon realized he needed to focus on staying alive.

Ye Xingge was caught in a struggle with An Yurou while both were sneaking around the escort agency, and their clash alerted Luo Xuanqing and the town’s forces. As the pursuit spread east, Ye Xingge spotted Yang Tuyan and the Eight Pillars Hall’s spies fleeing west and followed them.

• Ye Xingge overheard disguised women planning to search the escort agency for Yang Tuyan, while Hongyu warned him to stay hidden.
• An Yurou hid among the baskets near Ye Xingge, and he grabbed her and blocked her acupoints when she stumbled into his arms.
• An Yurou bit Ye Xingge and tore free after he ripped open her cloak; she hurled baskets at him as he escaped into the street.
• Luo Xuanqing ordered the town’s signal fires lit and pursued An Yurou while the embroidered-robed officers converged on the alley.
• Ye Xingge spotted three figures fleeing west from the escort agency and chased after them, leaving the main force pursuing east.

Yang Tuyan, Chen Yi'an, and the escort agency's deputy fled across the fields while Ye Xingge pursued them alone. When the three stopped to confront him, Ye Xingge said he had come only to kill Yang Tuyan, and the deputy moved in to test him.

• Yang Tuyan and his companions escaped over the city wall after the court's forces were drawn away, but Ye Xingge pursued them across the plain.
• The three fugitives stopped in the wheat to catch their breath, and Ye Xingge continued toward them despite his exhaustion and Hongyu's warning.
• Yang Tuyan and Chen Yi'an recognized that their pursuer meant to fight rather than merely keep them running, so they rose into a triangular formation.
• Ye Xingge identified Yang Tuyan as his sole target and offered to let Chen Yi'an and the deputy leave.
• Chen Yi'an signaled the deputy to test Ye Xingge, and the deputy advanced with his saber.

Ye Xingge fought Yang Tuyan and his two companions in a wheat field, killing the companions after dismantling their formation. Yang Tuyan revealed the famed weapon Ravine-Leaping Tiger and wounded Ye Xingge, leaving them at a distance as Ye Xingge prepared to continue the fight.

• Ye Xingge slipped through the Three Talents Formation and killed the middle-aged swordsman with a saber strike.
• Ye Xingge used dirt and a spinning attack to make Chen Yi'an expose his neck, then killed him.
• Yang Tuyan faced Ye Xingge alone and pressed him for an explanation, but Ye Xingge advanced without answering.
• Yang Tuyan kicked up dirt and used Ravine-Leaping Tiger's instant-body strike to stab Ye Xingge in the ribs before evading his counterattack.
• Ye Xingge identified the dagger as the River-Spanning Pavilion's famed weapon, decided he had to keep his distance and kill Yang Tuyan, and reached into his robes.

Ye Xingge defeated Yang Tuyan with the Filth-Severing Whip and learned that Yang had found the Fate-Robbing Saber at a Wuning Pass black market. Before dying, Yang urged Ye to investigate Emperor Huai’s death and the missing heir, and the whip transformed into a woman in a red dress.

• Ye Xingge used the Filth-Severing Whip to disarm Yang Tuyan, bind his ankle, and slash open his back.
• Yang Tuyan revealed that he had picked up the dagger at the Wuning Pass black market a few months earlier.
• Yang Tuyan told Ye Xingge that Emperor Ai and the Eight Pillar States of Hezhong were implicated in Emperor Huai’s death, and that Emperor Huai’s son might have survived.
• Ye Xingge questioned the value of finding the heir, but Yang Tuyan insisted that the Cloud and Rain Tower would investigate the Xiao Clan’s claim to the throne.
• Yang Tuyan died in the wheat field, and the Filth-Severing Whip transformed into a woman in a red dress.