Chapter Summaries

Ye Xingge received news of a bounty on his life and a local murder case, while Luo Xuanqing learned he had returned unharmed and the court discussed how to develop him. The chapter ended with Eunuch Fan asking whether the Heaven-Observing Pavilion could help Ye Xingge advance before the year-end grand examination.

• Hongyu brought Ye Xingge intelligence about a five-million-coin bounty from Black Dragon Island and a case involving Dong Baoquan, a retainer of Cao Xiong.
• Ye Xingge agreed to investigate Dong Baoquan before the assassins arrived and planned to return for hotpot with Hongyu.
• Luo Xuanqing learned that Ye Xingge had returned from Forgetful River Mouth without injuries and had already gone out on patrol.
• Luo Xuanqing ordered Chen Xuance to find Ye Xingge and bring him back safely because the Fate-Robbing Saber would attract enemies.
• Wu Yi and the court representatives discussed nurturing Ye Xingge so he could eventually challenge Wu Chenglie of Later Zhou.
• Eunuch Fan asked whether the Heaven-Observing Pavilion could help Ye Xingge advance before the year-end grand examination.

The court debated whether Ye Xingge could reach First Rank in six months and earn greater support to challenge Wu Chenglie, while Ye prepared for the coming assassins. He then took up a complaint against a Cao Clan retainer whose murder of a waiter had been covered up, and learned that evidence could expose the witnesses’ bribes.

• Eunuch Fan told the commanders that the Emperor of Yan wanted Ye Xingge to reach First Rank within six months, and they discussed the difficulty and risks of accelerating his training.
• Luo Xuanqing considered how a six-month prospect could secure Ye Xingge powerful martial resources, while An Yurou urged the court to protect him from those coveting his saber.
• Ye Xingge armed himself with soft armor, weapons, and supplies as he prepared for the killers he expected to come after him.
• Hongyu told Ye Xingge that Dong Baoquan was occupied at the Jade Immortal House, and Ye went to investigate a separate case involving a Cao Clan retainer.
• Ye Xingge accepted an old man's complaint about Dong Baoquan beating Chen Miao to death and the authorities ruling the waiter guilty of grave disrespect.
• Hongyu told Ye Xingge that the tavernkeeper and customers had taken bribes and that their identities and addresses had been verified.

Ye Xingge stormed into the Jade Immortal House and attacked Dong Baoquan with his scarlet saber, while Chen Xiaobao mistook him for a threat and tried to blame Ruan Jinyu. Ye Xingge impaled Dong Baoquan through the chest and pinned him to the hall’s wall, leaving the house silent.

• Wang Zhengan and Huang Guan discussed their plans and worried that Ye Xingge had disrupted their efforts, then sent someone to investigate a disturbance outside.
• Chen Xiaobao threatened Zhao Ruimin with two Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers after a dispute over a woman at the Jade Immortal House.
• Ye Xingge forced his way into the house and knocked down an enforcer at the entrance.
• Chen Xiaobao dropped to his knees and blamed Ruan Jinyu when he saw Ye Xingge’s scarlet saber.
• Ye Xingge defeated Dong Baoquan and impaled him through the chest, pinning him to the wall.

Ye Xingge executed Dong Baoquan under the Heaven-Observing Pavilion’s imperial authorization and left Chen Xiaobao to investigate the case. Across the street, Hongyu spotted a suspicious man resembling He Lin of the Mysterious Armament Pavilion and warned Ye Xingge that trouble was brewing.

• Ye Xingge killed Dong Baoquan for murdering Chen Miao, bribing witnesses, and causing Chen Miao’s wife to die, then cited the Heaven-Observing Pavilion’s imperial authorization.
• Chen Xiaobao took charge of the complaint after Ye Xingge challenged the irregular handling of Dong Baoquan’s case and warned Cao Fu not to obstruct the law.
• Ye Xingge left the Jade Immortal House to attend to another case, while Chen Xiaobao and Zhao Ruimin recognized him as the Living Taisui of Hexi.
• Hongyu watched the crowd from across the street and noticed a Third Rank man with no treasures detectable by her Gold-Chasing Bell.
• Hongyu recognized the suspicious man as resembling He Lin, the Mysterious Armament Pavilion’s foreign affairs hall master, and warned Ye Xingge to come out early.

Ye Xingge followed He Lin through the capital while He Lin mistook him for an ordinary passerby, and the two men repeatedly tried to conceal their movements from each other. He Lin headed to Pu'an Temple, where Duan Lianshan prepared to ambush Ye Xingge, leaving the confrontation about to begin.

• Hongyu told Ye Xingge to follow the blue-robed man, whom she suspected was He Lin, the Mysterious Armament Pavilion's foreign affairs hall master.
• He Lin followed Ye Xingge, but Ye Xingge noticed him and began shadowing him instead; both men stalled in taverns and shops while trying not to reveal they were following each other.
• He Lin realized Ye Xingge was tracking him and messaged Duan Lianshan, who directed him to Pu'an Temple because He Lin believed he was alone.
• Ye Xingge continued after He Lin, learned from Hongyu that he looked like He Lin, and decided not to kill him because of his connection to the Mysterious Armament Pavilion.
• Duan Lianshan entered Pu'an Temple, assembled his spear, reported to his superior despite orders to wait for reinforcements, and prepared his defensive weapons for the attack.
• A faint sound approached as Duan Lianshan waited in the bell tower.

Ye Xingge pursued He Lin to Pu'an Temple, where Duan Lianshan ambushed him with a spear. Ye Xingge exposed his hidden Filth-Severing Whip and drove off He Lin, then prepared to finish Duan Lianshan as his saber transformed under Blood Courses Through the Eight Meridians.

• Ye Xingge followed a suspicious middle-aged man and used the Wind-Traveling Talisman to chase him toward Pu'an Temple.
• He Lin led Ye Xingge across the temple grounds while Duan Lianshan burst from the bell tower and attacked him with a spear.
• Ye Xingge struck Duan Lianshan with the Filth-Severing Whip, knocked the Fate-Robbing Saber into him, and used a smoke bomb to conceal the weapon.
• He Lin heard the fight and fled after realizing he had been caught in an ambush.
• Great Beauty told Ye Xingge that He Lin had escaped and that both men belonged to the Return to Origin Cult, so Ye Xingge prepared to silence Duan Lianshan.
• Ye Xingge activated Blood Courses Through the Eight Meridians, and the saber in his hand began changing into a broad, crimson-edged blade.

Ye Xingge fought Duan Lianshan with his crescent blade and then bare hands, overpowering the armored sect master despite his Six Harmonies Spear. After hurling Duan through the Buddhist hall and into the square, Ye Xingge stood over him and challenged his excuses.

• Ye Xingge launched a powerful crescent-blade attack that bent Duan Lianshan’s spear and forced him back toward the Hall of Heavenly Kings.
• Duan Lianshan’s spear pierced Ye Xingge’s armor only slightly, and Ye Xingge countered with a spinning slash that sent Duan sliding to the hall steps.
• Ye Xingge’s next mountain-splitting chop snapped Duan’s spear and sent him crashing through the hall doors, though his armor remained intact.
• Duan Lianshan identified Ye Xingge as a possible member of the Mountains and Rivers Association and accused him of relying on an expert’s gifts.
• Ye Xingge planted his blade and defeated Duan in a barehanded exchange, using Six Harmonies Great Collision to smash him through the Buddha statue and into the square.
• Ye Xingge emerged through the broken rear doors and challenged Duan to claim that fists feared the young and strong.

Ye Xingge killed Duan Lianshan with Mantanghong’s help and gained power from the divine weapon. At the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, Yan Tong proposed manipulating the Gold List to convince powerful families to fund Ye Xingge’s rapid rise, but Zhang Zhiqing sensed something in the sky before he could respond.

• Ye Xingge battered Duan Lianshan, removed his mask, and said he would give him and He Lin swift deaths for their help at Forgetful River Mouth.
• Mantanghong gave Ye Xingge her crescent blade and explained that it would reward him for making a kill and tasting blood.
• Ye Xingge caught the blade, killed Duan Lianshan, and felt power surge through his body.
• At the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, Yan Tong warned Zhang Zhiqing that Ye Xingge’s actions had cost him the support of Cao Xiong and other powerful figures.
• Yan Tong proposed putting Ye Xingge on the Gold List and raising his rank after each kill to make the great clans believe he could enter the First Rank in half a year.
• As Wu Yi considered adding Ye Xingge to the Gold List, Zhang Zhiqing closed his eyes and sensed something in the starry sky.

Zhang Zhiqing saw signs that Ye Xingge had reached the Third Rank and killed Duan Lianshan, while officials at the Jade Immortal House received orders to find him. Ye Xingge continued through the capital, reflecting on his gains and inspecting the renowned weapons he had acquired.

• Zhang Zhiqing read the stars and concluded that Ye Xingge had killed Duan Lianshan after reaching the Third Rank, then ordered Wu Yi to investigate.
• Old Master Yan assumed Zhang Zhiqing was pretending to have already listed Ye Xingge on the Gold List and left their Go game when Zhang made a strong move.
• At the Jade Immortal House, Ruan Jinyu handed the investigation of Dong Baoquan's death to Chen Xiaobao, but an order from Duke Wu redirected the commanders to find Ye Xingge.
• Luo Xuanqing hurried to the next crime scene after learning that Ye Xingge might have killed Duan Lianshan, while Ye Gucheng and his sister-in-law wondered whether Ye Xingge had caused further trouble.
• In Yingtian Ward, Ye Xingge searched for He Lin but found that he had escaped, then assessed the cultivation he had gained from killing He Lin and Duan Lianshan.
• Ye Xingge examined the Mouth King Armor and began inspecting the other renowned weapon he had acquired.

Ye Xingge examined a mask whose special effect could conceal the power of renowned weapons but had little practical use for him, then returned home and cooked hot pot with Hongyu. Just as they were about to eat, Hongyu sensed someone approaching and fled to the neighboring courtyard, leaving Ye Xingge to greet a beautiful woman in green.

• Ye Xingge concluded that the black mask's ability to make itself the weapon master could conceal information from the Heaven-Observing Decree, but was mostly useless to him.
• Ye Xingge overheard maids speculate that the An family head would marry him, then returned to his courtyard, where Hongyu was chopping vegetables.
• Ye Xingge asked Hongyu about improving his aptitude and cultivation technique and finding a Dao companion, then teased her and gave her a hairpin.
• Ye Xingge and Hongyu prepared hot pot, and Hongyu grew impatient as he explained the ingredients and cooking process instead of eating.
• Hongyu heard someone approach, warned Ye Xingge not to let the newcomer eat, and leaped into the neighboring courtyard as a beautiful woman in green arrived.

Ye Xingge reunited with Luo Xuanqing over a lavish meal and discussed his recent killing of General Cao’s retainer and his prospects for advancement. Luo Xuanqing explained that reaching the First Rank quickly could earn him court resources, and Ye Xingge proposed a bet.

• Luo Xuanqing found Ye Xingge eating after checking that his recent exploits had not seriously injured him, while Great Beauty angrily tried to stop him from sharing the meal.
• Ye Xingge welcomed Luo Xuanqing to dinner, and they ate and drank while she scolded him for recklessly killing one of General Cao’s men.
• Ye Xingge defended his actions and said he was willing to forgo court support, while Luo Xuanqing assured him Duke Zhang would protect him if the killing was justified.
• Luo Xuanqing explained that Ye Xingge could secure resources by demonstrating a chance of reaching the First Rank within six months, but he would need to advance to the Third Rank first.
• Ye Xingge asked how close he was to the Third Rank, and after Luo Xuanqing said she would tell him when the Gold List was finalized, he suggested they make a bet.

Ye Xingge wagered with Luo Xuanqing that he could reach the Gold List within two days, while Hongyu fumed as they shared a meal and flirted. At the Lady of Anyang's residence, An Yurou's circle discussed how Ye Xingge's clash with the Cao Clan could help them recruit him, and An Yurou decided to investigate his affairs before visiting him.

• Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing agreed to a two-day wager: if he reached the Gold List unharmed, she would accept a riddle and give him whatever item she guessed; if he failed, he would treat her to another hot pot meal.
• Hongyu sat alone in the neighboring courtyard, angrily listening as Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing ate, drank, and traded flirtatious riddles.
• An Yurou's subordinates discussed using Ye Xingge's clash with Cao Xiong to draw him into opposing powerful clans and the imperial family.
• An Yurou found Chen Dahai brooding by the garden wall, and he explained that Ye Xingge was making hot pot whose aroma was extraordinary.
• An Yurou decided to have Hou Chou'er investigate Ye Xingge so she would have a reason to visit him and share a meal.

Ye Xingge gave Luo Xuanqing a hairpin and pretended to fall asleep, then secretly got up and made Hongyu another hotpot after discovering she had been left with no food. The chapter left Ye Xingge and Hongyu eating and drinking together in the kitchen, with Hongyu enjoying his cooking and looking after him while he was drunk.

• Ye Xingge gave Luo Xuanqing a floral hairpin, and she tucked him into bed before leaving the room.
• Hongyu found the hotpot, wine, and broth completely gone, then waited in the courtyard with her dipping sauce.
• Ye Xingge came out of his room and offered to cook Hongyu another meal, then supported himself with her on the way to the kitchen and squeezed her buttocks while drunk.
• Ye Xingge sobered up enough to prepare another hotpot, and Hongyu helped him before they sat down to eat.
• Ye Xingge cooked tofu skin for Hongyu and fed it to her, then poured Qinghua brew and toasted her as she reminded him not to drink too much.

Hongyu decided Ye Xingge had passed her matchmaking test and accepted him as her match, then cared for him through the night. The next morning, Ye Xingge reported to the Judicial Review Bureau, where he was promoted to Night-Walking Lieutenant and given a gold token.

• Hongyu weighed the possible consequences of refusing the match and decided to stay with Ye Xingge as his match.
• After Ye Xingge fell asleep, Hongyu secretly kissed his cheek, carried him to bed, and cleaned the house before settling in next door.
• The next morning, Hongyu told Ye Xingge that she would contact the Mountains and Rivers Association because killers were expected to arrive, and she had prepared him porridge.
• At the Judicial Review Bureau, Chen Xuance introduced Ye Xingge to the officers and announced his promotion to Night-Walking Lieutenant, along with a gold token.
• After the officers greeted Ye Xingge, Luo Xuanqing dismissed them and called him to follow her.

Ye Xingge toured Luo Xuanqing’s office, where he learned about a missing prince from an old case and flirted with Luo as she read his fortune. Chen Xuance then announced that Ye Xingge had made the Gold List, leaving Luo anxious about a wager she had made with him.

• Luo Xuanqing showed Ye Xingge around her office and let him examine its case files.
• Ye Xingge read about the poisoning of Emperor Huai and the crown prince, and the disappearance of a young prince during an attack on the South Lake Temporary Palace.
• Luo Xuanqing teased Ye Xingge about his resemblance to the prince in a portrait and offered to read his marriage fortune.
• Chen Xuance interrupted them to report that Ye Xingge ranked 397th in the Third Rank on the Gold List.
• Luo Xuanqing told Chen Xuance to check the reactions of the General's Manor and the palace, while Ye Xingge closed the door and looked back at her.

Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing settled their bet with a riddle that led Luo Xuanqing to mistakenly think he wanted to touch her breast, when the answer was a porcelain teacup. Luo Xuanqing honored her guess anyway, and Ye Xingge left wondering whether to show his momentum after making the Gold List.

• Ye Xingge offered to change the bet to reaching the top three hundred within seven days, but Luo Xuanqing insisted that a bet was a bet.
• Ye Xingge gave Luo Xuanqing misleading clues about a white, round object, and she guessed that he meant her breast.
• Ye Xingge revealed that the answer was a porcelain teacup, recalling their first meeting at the inn.
• Luo Xuanqing insisted on honoring her mistaken guess and pressed Ye Xingge's hand inside her robes before pulling it away and declaring them even.
• Luo Xuanqing warned Ye Xingge not to tell anyone, and he wondered whether to show his momentum after making the Gold List.

Ye Xingge planned to climb the Gold List in time for the Emperor of Yan’s birthday, while Luo Xuanqing arranged targets for him and wrestled with their earlier encounter. After learning a bounty had drawn killers to Shangjin Ferry, Ye Xingge and Hongyu prepared to investigate, with Hongyu scouting ahead.

• Ye Xingge told Luo Xuanqing he intended to overtake Wu Chenglie’s disciple before the Emperor of Yan’s birthday, and she agreed to have the Inspection Bureau find suitable targets.
• After Ye Xingge left, Shen Yueyao told Luo Xuanqing that Old Master Yan and Duke Zhang had a plan, and that a five-million-coin bounty had been issued for Ye Xingge.
• Ye Xingge contacted Hongyu, who reported that Ye Jianxing and the Black Stone Twin Fiends were among the killers gathering at Shangjin Ferry.
• Hongyu suggested Ye Xingge use the bounty as a reason to travel to Shangjin Ferry, while she went ahead to scout the area.

Ye Xingge learned that a covert bounty had been placed on his life and sought advice on how assassins might enter the capital. While his family’s inn drew crowds with its Gold List display and storytelling, Ye Yuanshan worried that his son’s reputation for killing would drive customers away.

• Ye Xingge visited the Inspection Bureau, where Chen Xiaobao admitted he had missed news of a five-million-coin bounty on Ye Xingge posted through the River-Spanning Pavilion.
• Attendant Xiao Si told Ye Xingge that martial-world killers might enter through Shangjin Ferry and seek connections with the Yong River Chamber of Commerce.
• Ye Xingge thanked Xiao Si and left to discuss the danger with Commander Luo, saying he might need to lie low.
• At the Wujian Inn, customers challenged the storyteller’s flattering version of Ye Xingge, while Ye Yuanshan worried that his son’s violence would ruin the business.
• Ye Yuanshan asked Ye Gucheng to watch the city and keep Ye Xingge from causing trouble near Azure Dragon Ward.

Ye Xingge reached Shangjin Ferry and learned that five Third Rankers and other bounty hunters had gathered aboard Qin Laosan’s pleasure boat to plot against him. He and Hongyu planned to use the coming storm to divide the group and attack them one by one.

• Ye Xingge arrived at Shangjin Ferry in disguise and heard travelers discussing the five-million-coin bounty on his head.
• Ye Xingge met Hongyu at the inn, where she reported that Ye Jianxing, the Black Stone Twin Fiends, Zhou Lie, Lu Zheng, and others were aboard Qin Laosan’s boat.
• Hongyu proposed that Ye Xingge attack the gathered hunters before more arrived, but Ye Xingge rejected fighting them all at once.
• Ye Xingge planned to strike first and draw the hunters apart while Hongyu watched their movements and relayed information.
• Ye Xingge checked his weapons and supplies, and the two waited for the storm to cover his approach.

Huang Guan tested Zhang Jin’s resolve to assassinate the Emperor of Yan, and Zhang Jin proved it by stabbing Qian Zhong. Meanwhile, Ye Xingge infiltrated a pleasure boat during a storm and reached a gathering of assassins plotting to kill him, where a smoke bomb rolled into the hall.

• Huang Guan questioned Zhang Jin about his family and his experience killing, then handed him a dagger to test his courage.
• Zhang Jin stabbed Qian Zhong in the chest and said he had no intention of returning alive; Huang Guan agreed to take him to the capital and provide him with a weapon.
• Hongyu signaled Ye Xingge that the hired guards had taken shelter, and Ye Xingge climbed aboard the pleasure boat using the Water-Repelling Pearl and Filth-Severing Whip.
• Ye Xingge opened a locked storeroom door with the Gold-Melting File and crept toward the main hall, where Qin Laosan and other fighters discussed killing him and dividing the rewards.
• Ye Jianxing heard a faint sound and rushed toward the hall entrance as a small black sphere rolled beneath the curtain toward the gathering.