Chapter Summaries

Ye Xingge killed Yang Tuyan and the Eight Pillars Hall spies, then set their wheat field ablaze to cover the traces and summon help. Luo Xuanqing found him carrying two severed heads and, after confirming his injuries were not fatal, took him back toward Linyang.

• Hongyu praised Ye Xingge's fighting ability, explained that the divine weapon had chosen him, and called him a senior lackey of the Mountains and Rivers Association.
• Ye Xingge removed a bracer, took two heads and weapons, and set the wheat field on fire before heading toward Linyang.
• Luo Xuanqing and Ruan Jinyu searched Linyang for An Yurou, while Luo noticed a fire outside town and realized Ye Xingge was missing.
• Luo Xuanqing found Ye Xingge walking through the burning field with two severed heads and saw him collapse toward her.
• Ye Xingge told Luo Xuanqing he had killed Yang Tuyan and the spies, and she checked his injuries before carrying him back toward town.

Luo Xuanqing returned to the county town with an injured Ye Xingge after he killed Yang Tuyan and two accomplices, and the officers discovered that he had faced the deadly Ravine-Leaping Tiger. The weapon’s identity was kept secret, while Ye Xingge’s unexplained bite marks left the officers wondering what had happened on the ride back.

• Luo Xuanqing brought Ye Xingge back to the county town, and Ye Xingge reported that the female thief had escaped.
• Luo Xuanqing delivered Yang Tuyan’s head and another head to the officers, then took Ye Xingge to the inn for treatment.
• Ye Xingge revealed that he had killed three opponents and taken a dagger from Yang Tuyan.
• Luo Xuanqing and the officers identified the dagger as Ravine-Leaping Tiger and questioned how Ye Xingge had survived its sudden attack.
• The physician confirmed that Ye Xingge had barely evaded the dagger, and Luo Xuanqing ordered the officers to keep its exposure secret.
• The physician examined bite marks on Ye Xingge’s arm, prompting the officers to speculate about what had happened during the ride with Luo Xuanqing.

After recovering from his injuries, Ye Xingge examined the Heaven-Shrouding Arm and learned from Hongyu how it concealed his other famous weapons from detection. He went to sleep still wondering about the weapons and the women around him.

• Ye Xingge told Luo Xuanqing how he had encountered the female thief, and she suspected the thief was South-Flying Swallow.
• The military physician treated Ye Xingge, and Luo Xuanqing tucked him in before leaving to bathe.
• Once alone, Ye Xingge examined the wristguard and reflected on how the Heaven-Observing Decree ranked famous-weapon holders.
• Hongyu appeared under Ye Xingge's quilt and explained that the wristguard's [The Guest Usurps the Host] effect forced detection treasures to treat it as his primary weapon.
• Hongyu left when Ye Xingge asked about the White Tiger dagger, and Ye Xingge examined it before settling down to sleep.

An Yurou learned that Ye Xingge had killed Yang Tuyan and planned to monitor the Judicial Review Bureau’s investigation into the Fate-Robbing Saber. Later, Luo Xuanqing visited Ye Xingge to question him about the Ravine-Leaping Tiger and began explaining why the world’s twelve divine weapons had only eleven First Rank wielders.

• An Yurou heard from Hou Chou'er that Ye Xingge had killed Yang Tuyan, but she doubted he was the man who had confronted her earlier and decided not to act against him.
• An Yurou told Hou Chou'er to watch the Judicial Review Bureau’s movements and investigate the Fate-Robbing Saber later if necessary.
• Luo Xuanqing, still unable to undo the meridian lock Mantanghong had inflicted, wondered whether Ye Xingge had learned anything about the divine weapon.
• Luo Xuanqing visited Ye Xingge while he slept and asked what Yang Tuyan had said about the Ravine-Leaping Tiger.
• Ye Xingge reported that Yang Tuyan claimed to have picked it up at the Wuning Pass black market, which Luo Xuanqing found suspicious because the Gold-Chasing Gentleman had been active in Jingzhou.
• Luo Xuanqing told Ye Xingge that the Gold-Chasing Gentleman was becoming desperate, then asked if he knew why the world had twelve divine weapons but only eleven First Rank wielders.

Ye Xingge learned how the Divine Weapons determined the First Rank and why the Gold-Chasing Gentleman was desperate to climb the rankings before the next evaluation. Hongyu raised the possibility of finding the Fate-Robbing Saber, and the next day she invited Ye Xingge to a hotpot meal to discuss it, leaving him suspicious that she expected him to pay.

• Luo Xuanqing explained that the Heavenly Dao eliminated the lowest-ranked Divine Weapon wielder every ten years, except when a single weapon changed hands before the evaluation.
• Ye Xingge realized the Gold-Chasing Gentleman was rushing to climb the rankings because he faced elimination, and Hongyu told him the Mountains and Rivers Association was seeking information about the Fate-Robbing Saber.
• Ye Xingge considered how the Fate-Robbing Saber could complement the Filth-Severing Whip and the Lower Corpse, while Luo Xuanqing asked him to work under her and teased him about becoming her disciple or something else.
• Luo Xuanqing left for the capital to report back, and Ye Xingge woke the next morning with his chest wound healed.
• Hongyu summoned Ye Xingge to a restaurant and served him hotpot; after he praised the meal, he suspected she had called him there to pay the bill.

Ye Xingge listened as Hongyu outlined a plan to obtain the Fate-Robbing Saber and use Great Yan’s support to advance rapidly, possibly reaching First Rank. He agreed the gamble had potential, while Hongyu promised to guard his path, and they ended their discussion over hotpot.

• Hongyu told Ye Xingge to begin cultivating and described her original timetable for him to reach First Rank within six months.
• Hongyu explained that the Mountains and Rivers Association could find the Gold-Chasing Gentleman and help Ye Xingge obtain the Fate-Robbing Saber, but Ye Xingge worried that wielding it would expose him to the jianghu and the court.
• Hongyu revealed that Great Yan could back Ye Xingge’s cultivation so he could surpass Wu Chenglie and help the empire undermine Later Zhou.
• Ye Xingge realized that carrying both the Heaven-Obscuring Arm and the Fate-Robbing Saber would conceal his rapid growth, and Hongyu said he could return to the Mountains and Rivers Association if the plan failed.
• Hongyu promised to protect Ye Xingge and his family, then continued eating as Ye Xingge offered to pay for more hotpot.

Ye Xingge traveled with Luo Xuanqing to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion to receive a reward for his service and learn about his new post. While waiting for her inside the compound, he wandered into an unmentioned office called the Armaments Bureau and got himself into trouble.

• Luo Xuanqing told Ye Xingge that Mantanghong had been reported at Wangnan Ferry, so they would return to the capital rather than pursue her.
• Ye Xingge agreed to try the post Luo Xuanqing offered him, and she reminded him to address her as “my lord” in public.
• Ye Xingge traveled with Luo Xuanqing and the embroidered-robed officers to Yong Capital, where they entered the Heaven-Observing Pavilion.
• Luo Xuanqing explained the Pavilion's four bureaus and went to request a reward for Ye Xingge's service.
• Ye Xingge wandered into a quiet alley, found a door marked “Armaments Bureau,” and poked his head inside, immediately getting into trouble.

Ye Xingge entered the Heaven-Observing Pavilion and met Shen Yueyao and the Lady of Anyang, An Yurou, who recognized him from the previous night but concealed it. After he left, An Yurou ordered Hou Chou'er to find out what arrangements the Pavilion would make for him.

• Ye Xingge wandered into the Pavilion's main hall and introduced himself to Shen Yueyao and An Yurou.
• Shen Yueyao told Ye Xingge to address her by her official position, then praised his deeds and the Night-Wandering God moniker.
• An Yurou asked about Ye Xingge's injuries and examined the bandage on his arm while hiding that she recognized him as the man from the alley.
• Ye Xingge took his leave, and Shen Yueyao asked An Yurou whether her father had sent him to the Pavilion.
• An Yurou told Hou Chou'er to check Ye Xingge's arrangements and said the court likely had no firm news about the Gold-Chasing Gentleman.

Ye Xingge waited for Luo Xuanqing while the Heaven-Observing Pavilion investigated his background and debated recruiting him. The investigation cleared him, but Ruan Jinyu argued that Ye Xingge must return his earlier rewards if he wanted an immediate promotion, leaving his appointment unresolved.

• Hongyu urged Ye Xingge to win over Eldest Miss An and use her influence in the capital, while Ye Xingge waited for Luo Xuanqing to emerge.
• Zhang Zhiqing and Yan Tong examined Ruan Jinyu's dossier on Ye Xingge and found his background clean despite Ruan's claim that he might be an old monster in another body.
• Luo Xuanqing confronted Ruan Jinyu for trying to cast suspicion on Ye Xingge, but Mei Wuchang confirmed that the investigation had uncovered no evidence against him.
• Wu Yi ruled that Ye Xingge could join the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, and Luo Xuanqing proposed promoting him directly to Night-Walking Lieutenant.
• Ruan Jinyu argued that Ye Xingge had already been rewarded for his earlier service and must return his famed weapon and silver to receive the immediate promotion; Wu Yi agreed with the rule against rewarding one merit twice.

Luo Xuanqing argued that Ye Xingge deserved an exceptional promotion, but the commanders set an assessment requiring him to capture three wanted criminals alone. Ye Xingge unexpectedly committed to completing it in three days and immediately set out, leaving Luo Xuanqing furious as the incense timer began.

• Luo Xuanqing demanded that Ye Xingge be promoted to at least Embroidered-Robe Commandant, while Ruan Jinyu insisted the rules had to be followed.
• Ruan Jinyu proposed that Ye Xingge rise one rank for each wanted criminal he captured alone, and the commanders debated the assessment's deadline.
• Wu Yi asked Ye Xingge how long he needed; after Luo Xuanqing signaled three and Hongyu offered leads, Ye Xingge answered that he could finish in three days.
• Ruan Jinyu accepted Ye Xingge's deadline, lit the timing incense, and ordered him to return before three sticks burned down.
• Ye Xingge said he would leave immediately, and Luo Xuanqing angrily pulled him out of the hall as Ruan Jinyu wished them luck.

Ye Xingge began a three-day assessment to catch wanted criminals alone, while Luo Xuanqing worried that his overconfidence would put him in danger. She equipped him with supplies and a token, and he left to search the rainy city as she stayed behind to watch how the night went.

• Luo Xuanqing scolded Ye Xingge for mistaking her signal and promising to catch criminals in three days, then agreed he could use relay stations to search beyond Yongzhou Prefecture.
• Zhang Zhiqing and Old Master Yan watched Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing leave, and Zhang Zhiqing said Ye Xingge still had a chance to turn the situation around.
• At Luo Xuanqing's house, she examined Ye Xingge's healing wound, explained the limits of carrying multiple named weapons, and gave him medicine and a waist token for relay stations and case archives.
• Luo Xuanqing warned Ye Xingge to be careful and teased him about returning with a criminal; he took his saber and umbrella and went out into the rain to investigate.
• Luo Xuanqing considered secretly following Ye Xingge but stayed behind because the assessment rules could invalidate his results if she interfered.

Ye Xingge headed toward Return to Righteousness Ward to draw out the Return to Origin Cult and begin the Heaven-Observing Pavilion examination. At Wujian Inn, his parents worried about his new path and the family’s concealed martial arts, while his father and uncle fretted over the inn’s prospects.

• Ye Xingge saw his family preparing Wujian Inn for its opening but left without visiting to avoid his parents’ questions about his dangerous work for the Heaven-Observing Pavilion.
• Great Beauty told Ye Xingge that Winnowing Basket Water Leopard had arrived in the capital and was at a theater in Return to Righteousness Ward, with leads linking him to Tail Fire Tiger and Gold-Chasing Gentleman.
• Ye Xingge planned to reveal that he carried a valuable weapon to lure out the Return to Origin Cult and headed toward Return to Righteousness Ward.
• Liu Ping'er scolded Ye Yuanshan over Ye Xingge’s risky choices while Ye Gucheng helped prepare the inn.
• Ye Yuanshan explained that he and Ye Gucheng had secretly learned the Dragon Flower Cult’s Twelve Stances Art, and the brothers discussed concealing their skills and the risk that Ye Xingge’s reputation would hurt the inn’s business.

Ye Xingge used the Heaven-Obscuring Arm as bait to trace a pawnshop informant to a gathering of the Return to Origin Cult. After learning that Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and the cult’s wanted Twenty-Eight Stars might be inside, Ye Xingge approached the theater to investigate and consider attacking them for his assessment.

• An Yurou and Hou Chou'er watched Ye Xingge flaunt the Heaven-Obscuring Arm and suspected he was luring thieves into targeting him.
• Ye Xingge offered the arm to a pawnshop owner, who recognized him and tried to buy it cheaply before slipping away to report his presence.
• The pawnshop owner told Winnowing Basket Water Leopard that Ye Xingge was alone, wounded, and carrying the famed weapon, prompting the cultists to consider robbing him.
• Winnowing Basket Water Leopard warned his followers against acting rashly, then offered them a share if he handled the target himself.
• Hongyu and Ye Xingge discussed the suspicious shopkeeper and learned he had gone to the theater to report to Winnowing Basket Water Leopard.
• Ye Xingge followed the shopkeeper to the theater, learned that the cult’s Twenty-Eight Stars were wanted criminals, and climbed the wall to scout inside.

Ye Xingge tracked Winnowing Basket Water Leopard to a theater, where he found more than thirty cultists and fought through them to reach his target. He cornered Winnowing Basket Water Leopard, but a large force from the Inspection Bureau surrounded the theater, threatening to interfere with Ye Xingge’s solo arrest assessment.

• Ye Xingge broke into the theater and discovered more than thirty Return to Origin Cult members hiding in the rear hall with Winnowing Basket Water Leopard.
• The cultists emerged and surrounded Ye Xingge, who warned them to stay out of his way as he pursued their leader.
• When a cultist attacked, Ye Xingge killed him brutally, terrifying the others and causing them to flee.
• Winnowing Basket Water Leopard tried to escape through a window, but Ye Xingge pursued him before noticing armed officers positioned around the grounds.
• A lightning flash revealed more than two hundred Inspection Bureau officers surrounding the theater, and Ye Xingge identified himself and objected that their interference would invalidate his solo assessment.

Ruan Jinyu sealed Ye Xingge inside the opera garden with Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and his followers, forcing him to fight alone if he wanted the achievement. Ye Xingge charged into the burning opera house and cut down many bandits, while Winnowing Basket Water Leopard prepared a powder attack.

• Ruan Jinyu blocked the opera garden and told Ye Xingge that calling for help would cost him the solo achievement.
• An Yurou watched the blockade and sent word for the Judicial Review Bureau to intervene, while deciding Ye Xingge might be recruited later.
• Ye Xingge entered the opera house alone and faced Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and more than thirty followers.
• Ye Xingge killed or crippled many attackers with his saber and close-combat strikes, breaking the followers' fighting spirit.
• Winnowing Basket Water Leopard used two followers as cover and released a cloud of white powder from his sleeve.

Ye Xingge fought Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and his followers inside a burning theater, overcoming a lime attack and defeating the gang leader. He dragged Winnowing Basket Water Leopard outside and searched him for clues to Tail Fire Tiger’s whereabouts as the embroidered-robed officers watched in shock.

• Ye Xingge avoided Winnowing Basket Water Leopard’s lime attack but was struck and forced to retreat into the theater’s inner hall.
• Ye Xingge used a bracer to repel Winnowing Basket Water Leopard’s overhead strike, shattered his mask, and cut down the followers who pursued him.
• Ye Xingge chased Winnowing Basket Water Leopard through the burning theater and demanded to know where Tail Fire Tiger was.
• Winnowing Basket Water Leopard launched a desperate series of attacks, but Ye Xingge endured them, disarmed him, and subdued him with repeated elbows.
• Ye Xingge dragged Winnowing Basket Water Leopard into the rain, took his waist token, and left more than two hundred embroidered-robed officers stunned.
• Chen Xiaobao asked Ruan Jinyu what they should do after Ye Xingge’s display.

Ye Xingge slaughtered Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and the cultists at the opera house, then learned how to use the Dragon Winnowing Basket Tally to lure Tail Fire Tiger into a trap. After sending a message arranging a meeting at Forgetful River Mouth, he headed through the rain toward Yingtian Ward instead of visiting his family.

• Ye Xingge killed Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and the surviving cultists while hundreds of embroidered-robed officers watched.
• Ruan Jinyu praised Ye Xingge's ruthlessness, but Ye Xingge refused treatment and left the opera house.
• Hou Chou'er, Chen Dahai, and An Yurou discussed Ye Xingge's potential and whether the Later Zhou could recruit him.
• Hongyu explained that Ye Xingge could use the Dragon Winnowing Basket Tally to contact Tail Fire Tiger and lure him out.
• Ye Xingge sent a message arranging to meet Tail Fire Tiger at Forgetful River Mouth at the hour of Xu the next day.
• Ye Xingge decided not to visit his family while covered in blood and continued through the rain toward Yingtian Ward.

Ye Xingge returned from an assignment badly injured but having captured Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and defeated more than thirty Return to Origin Cult lackeys. Luo Xuanqing treated him in her bedroom and agreed to confront Ruan Jinyu the next day, while Ye Xingge rested briefly before pursuing the remaining assessment targets.

• Luo Xuanqing woke when Ye Xingge came into the courtyard and found him washing his bloodied face outside.
• Ye Xingge told Luo Xuanqing that he had captured Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and cut down more than thirty Return to Origin Cult lackeys.
• Luo Xuanqing became furious over Ruan Jinyu's actions and tried to take the Black Banner Saber to confront him.
• Ye Xingge stopped Luo Xuanqing by pretending his wound had worsened, and she agreed to treat him before dealing with Ruan Jinyu the next day.
• Luo Xuanqing cleaned Ye Xingge's injuries in her bedroom and warned him not to risk his life, while he said two assessment targets remained.

Ye Xingge recovered from his wound while Luo Xuanqing treated him, but an accidental glimpse of her exposed neckline left her embarrassed and angry. He and Hongyu then contacted the Return to Origin Cult and prepared to travel the next day, though Hongyu’s confidence in her plans did little to reassure him.

• Luo Xuanqing treated Ye Xingge’s eyes and side wound, then caught him staring at her neckline and left in embarrassment after telling him to call her Lord Luo or Aunt Luo.
• Hongyu appeared and questioned Ye Xingge about why Luo Xuanqing had run off, then warned him that they needed to set out soon.
• Ye Xingge used the jade token to contact the Return to Origin Cult, which replied that it had received his message about Mantanghong and the Filth-Severing Whip.
• Hongyu said she would travel with Ye Xingge the next day and help plan despite having not recovered her cultivation.
• Hongyu gave Ye Xingge a heart-disordering pill before turning away, while he tried to calm his nerves about the coming journey.

Luo Xuanqing struggled with her embarrassment after Ye Xingge saw her undressed, then helped equip him for his mission to ambush Tail Fire Tiger. Ye Xingge rode toward Forgetful River Mouth, where Hongyu was waiting, but was stopped by jianghu men as he approached.

• Luo Xuanqing divined that Ye Xingge might bring her baleful romantic misfortune, but decided she could not send away her useful subordinate.
• Ye Xingge woke before dawn, dressed in the clothes Luo Xuanqing had prepared, and told her he planned to ambush Tail Fire Tiger at Forgetful River Mouth.
• Luo Xuanqing cooked noodles with Ye Xingge, warned him not to face Tail Fire Tiger alone, and corrected him when he called her Sister Luo.
• Luo Xuanqing signed for an express horse and equipped Ye Xingge with armor, weapons, and official insignia before he set out.
• Ye Xingge rode toward Jingzhou and contacted Hongyu, who said she had reached Forgetful River Inn and would give him a massage.
• As Ye Xingge neared Forgetful River Mouth, jianghu men stopped him.