Chapter Summaries

Ye Xingge broke into An Yurou’s room while pursuing a suspected criminal, accidentally saw her and Xiyue half-dressed, and set a curtain on fire before rushing toward a disturbance at the northern building. There, a smoke bomb and Hongyu’s identification of Zhang Jin prompted a figure to leap from the central building’s fourth floor.

• Ye Xingge entered An Yurou’s dark room without warning and startled her and Xiyue while they were changing.
• An Yurou and Xiyue explained their presence, and Ye Xingge stamped out a fire his fire starter had ignited before hearing an alarm from the northern building.
• Huang Guan and Zhang Jin watched the commotion in the southern building and initially believed they had not been exposed.
• A smoke bomb filled Zhang Jin’s room, prompting him and the other young nobles to flee outside as Huang Guan signaled a retreat.
• Hongyu spotted Zhang Jin trying to slip away, and a figure burst through a fourth-floor window of the central building and appeared in midair.

Ye Xingge chased down Zhang Jin and defeated him in unarmed combat, then learned that Zhang Jin had been recruited to help assassinate the Emperor of Yan. Zhang Jin revealed his grandfather’s theory about the Xiao Clan’s role in the old dynasty’s collapse, and Ye Xingge discovered that Mr. Huang had ordered Zhang Jin to kill Qian Zhong.

• Ye Xingge pursued Zhang Jin through the streets and beat him with an eclectic mix of martial arts, leaving him injured but alive.
• Zhang Jin explained that he wanted revenge for his family and had trained to kill the Emperor of Yan; Ye Xingge recognized his story from Yang Tuyan’s earlier account.
• Zhang Jin recounted his grandfather Zhang Zhiping’s theory that Xiao Bieli’s meeting with the Prince of Ning had set in motion the events that led to the dynasty’s collapse and the Xiao Clan’s rise.
• Ye Xingge questioned Zhang Jin about the assassination plot, and Zhang Jin said he and Qian Zhong had dealt only with a man called Mr. Huang.
• Zhang Jin revealed that Mr. Huang had ordered him to kill someone at Shangjin Ferry to test his nerve, and Ye Xingge realized that Qian Zhong had been the victim.

Ye Xingge let Zhang Jin escape with orders to uncover the plotters behind the attack, then suspected Lady of Anyang might be the Later Zhou spy South-Flying Swallow and devised a plan to test her. Meanwhile, the Heaven-Observing Pavilion debated Ye Xingge’s sudden rise in rank and decided to adjust his ranking while warning him to keep a lower profile.

• Ye Xingge gave Zhang Jin a chance to live if he helped identify the people behind the attack, but Zhang Jin blinded him with lime powder and fled.
• Hongyu followed Zhang Jin, while Ye Xingge speculated that Lady of Anyang could be South-Flying Swallow and discussed using false information to lure the real spy into revealing herself.
• Chen Xiaobao arrived and heard Ye Xingge claim Zhang Jin had played dead and thrown lime powder at him.
• At the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, Ruan Jinyu, Gongsun Yanwu, and Chen Xiaobao argued over responsibility for Qian Zhong’s death and the escaped attacker.
• Zhang Zhiqing and Old Master Yan discussed the flaw in Ye Xingge’s falsified ranking, and Zhang Zhiqing decided to lower his ranking and tell him to keep a low profile.
• Zhang Zhiqing then asked Old Master Yan to stay for a chess match, despite having dragged him from bed after midnight.

Ye Xingge recovered in Luo Xuanqing’s office after killing Qian Zhong, while Hongyu reported that Zhang Jin was under surveillance and that the bait about Ye Xingge being the Crown Prince of Western Shu had been planted. Luo Xuanqing wagered that Ye Xingge could not guess his Gold List rank, then found herself caught in his next riddle as he lifted her veil.

• Luo Xuanqing scolded Ye Xingge for taking needless risks and gently treated his lime-powder injuries.
• Hongyu told Ye Xingge that Zhang Jin was waiting in the West Market and that the Crown Prince of Western Shu rumor had been passed along to lure South-Flying Swallow.
• Luo Xuanqing returned after meeting Duke Wu and offered Ye Xingge a wager about his Gold List rank.
• Ye Xingge guessed his rank was 316, close to his actual rank of 314, and Luo Xuanqing explained that Duke Zhang was concealing it by suppressing the displayed ranking by twenty places.
• Ye Xingge described a mysterious object as his prize, prompting Luo Xuanqing to threaten him with the Black Banner Saber.
• Ye Xingge lifted Luo Xuanqing’s black veil, revealing her red lips and beautiful face.

After kissing Luo Xuanqing goodbye, Ye Xingge practiced Lesser Pure Yang under Hongyu’s supervision. Hongyu used the Flower and Moon Pendant to create a miniature illusion of herself chasing a tiny Ye Xingge, but he caught her in the act and asked to try the treasure.

• Luo Xuanqing kissed Ye Xingge after their guessing game and sent him away, then privately lamented that she had lost another first kiss.
• Ye Xingge returned to Peach Blossom Lane and asked Hongyu to advise him as he adapted Great Nine Yang into Lesser Pure Yang.
• Hongyu examined Ye Xingge’s Qi channels and watched him practice, reassured that he was making steady progress.
• Hongyu used the Flower and Moon Pendant to project a tiny wandering swordsman fleeing a towering red-clad demon across her palm.
• Ye Xingge finished practicing, saw the projection, and asked Hongyu what she was doing; she claimed it was a warning about her strength if she recovered her cultivation.
• Ye Xingge reached for the Flower and Moon Pendant, while Hongyu pulled it away, wary that he might discover its many uses.

Ye Xingge tested Hongyu’s Flower and Moon Pendant, teasing her with its illusions until they spent the night together. At dawn, Cloud and Rain Tower set out for Xiao Bieli’s residence to investigate the Prince of Ning’s fate, while avoiding a visit to Ye Xingge.

• Ye Xingge used the Flower and Moon Pendant to conjure dancing foreign women, then created playful scenes that made Hongyu jealous and amused.
• Hongyu gave Ye Xingge a glimpse of her Hundred-Blaze Garment, and the two tussled beneath the quilt until dawn.
• At the Han River, Cloud and Rain Tower considered Martial Emperor Mountain and her goal of becoming invincible in the mortal world.
• Cloud and Rain Tower headed toward Xiao Bieli’s residence after learning clues that he might know what the Xiao Clan had done to the Prince of Ning.
• Cloud and Rain Tower decided not to visit Ye Xingge because their previous encounter had left her Dao heart unsettled.

Ye Xingge joined Shen Yueyao in pushing the Inspection Bureau to reopen a suspected murder case involving Han Zhongwu, while continuing to seek rewards and cultivation resources. The investigation was left to Ruan Jinyu, and Ye Xingge headed to the Judicial Review Bureau.

• Ye Xingge went to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, where Shen Yueyao demonstrated her archery by splitting an apple on Chen Xiaobao's head.
• Shen Yueyao told Ye Xingge that Han Zhongwu was suspected of cheating a tavern owner out of his property before the merchant disappeared.
• Ye Xingge ordered Chen Xiaobao to have the Inspection Bureau review the case and warned that Ruan Jinyu would answer for any failure to investigate.
• Shen Yueyao agreed to handle Ye Xingge's court rewards, but said they would wait until he reached the top three hundred before claiming them.
• Ye Xingge said goodbye to Shen Yueyao and headed to the Judicial Review Bureau.

Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing traveled to Stone Furnace Town to investigate a reported threat to Clear River Manor’s weapon shipment. After learning that He Lin was overseeing the deal at a warehouse outside town, they headed there, while Hongyu watched from an inn.

• Luo Xuanqing gave Ye Xingge intelligence that the Return to Origin Cult planned to rob Clear River Manor’s shipment of sword-nurturing materials, then ordered him to travel to the Mysterious Armament Pavilion with her.
• Ye Xingge reacted to Luo Xuanqing’s black stockings by lifting her skirt, and she knocked him to the floor before agreeing to accompany him on the mission.
• Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing rode to Stone Furnace Town, where he asked about Fire Phoenix Wen Zhuohua and browsed the weapon stalls.
• Hongyu watched Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing from an inn and told Ye Xingge that He Lin and the shipment were at the main warehouse outside town.
• Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing made inquiries about Clear River Manor’s purchase and headed for the warehouse.

He Lin met with Zhao Jintang, Lu Ye, and Li Wangchao as the Return to Origin Cult prepared to use him to draw Ye Xingge into an ambush. Ye Xingge approached the residence with Luo Xuanqing nearby, detected signs of other valuable weapons inside, and circled toward the gate without yet confronting the cultists.

• He Lin told Zhao Jintang, Lu Ye, and Li Wangchao that he had sent a message to Ye Xingge, while the three discussed the possible dangers of luring him in.
• Hongyu watched the residence and reported He Lin’s location to Ye Xingge as he arrived with Luo Xuanqing.
• Ye Xingge left Luo Xuanqing by the river and cautiously approached the warehouse compound, using the Gold-Chasing Bell to investigate.
• Ye Xingge noted that the bell rang four times and that footprints did not match He Lin, leading Hongyu to suspect the cult’s other leaders were inside.
• After learning Wen Zhuohua was still nearby, Ye Xingge wondered why the cultists had gathered at the residence and chose to circle toward its main gate.

Ye Xingge ambushed He Lin at the Mysterious Armament Pavilion and fled after setting off Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers, but Zhao Jintang and the other Return to Origin Cult members pursued him. Wen Zhuohua and Luo Xuanqing joined the fight, forcing the cultists to scatter, while Ye Xingge chased Li Wangchao into a riverside grove.

• Ye Xingge knocked at the residence gate, killed He Lin when he opened it, and threw Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers into the courtyard.
• Zhao Jintang swept away the needles with his internal force, then pursued Ye Xingge with Horn Wood Flood Dragon and Li Wangchao as Ye Xingge fled toward Luo Xuanqing.
• Zhao Jintang attacked Ye Xingge with throwing knives, but Ye Xingge dodged one and took cover while Luo Xuanqing shielded him and harried the pursuers with her green knife.
• Wen Zhuohua arrived, and Zhao Jintang, Lu Ye, and Li Wangchao split up to flee; Luo Xuanqing and Wen Zhuohua pursued two of them.
• Ye Xingge chased Li Wangchao into a poplar grove, where Li Wangchao realized he had an opportunity to confront him.

Ye Xingge killed Li Wangchao after escaping his ambush with his many weapons, then met Luo Xuanqing and Wen Zhuohua by the river. He learned that they had failed to catch the other enemy and pretended that Li Wangchao had nearly defeated him to spare the two women embarrassment.

• Hongyu guided Ye Xingge to Li Wangchao, who ambushed him with the Butterfly Twin Sabers, but Ye Xingge fled using a Wind-Traveling Talisman.
• Ye Xingge used the Immortal Rope and Filth-Severing Whip to change direction in midair, then killed Li Wangchao with the Ravine-Leaping Tiger and Fate-Robbing Saber.
• Ye Xingge collected the weapons from the grove and hurried to meet Luo Xuanqing and Wen Zhuohua by the river.
• Luo Xuanqing and Wen Zhuohua discussed the likely identities of Horn Wood Flood Dragon and Neck Metal Dragon, while explaining that Horn Wood Flood Dragon had escaped into the water.
• Ye Xingge revealed that he had killed Li Wangchao, then realized the two women had failed to catch their targets and claimed Li Wangchao had nearly beaten him.

Ye Xingge and his companions discussed a suspected Mountains and Rivers Association infiltrator, then examined the Mysterious Armament Pavilion’s experimental United Hearts Plaques. Wen Zhuohua invited Ye Xingge to consider attending the Temple of Vast Compassion’s Chan debate, while Hongyu secretly followed the group.

• Luo Xuanqing identified Neck Metal Dragon’s Snake-Form Forest-Piercing Steps as an art of the Mountains and Rivers Association, and Great Beauty offered to investigate suspicious hall masters and protectors.
• Ye Xingge used Li Wangchao’s plaque to report that he had obtained the Fate-Robbing Saber, but received a message telling him to scram before the plaque stopped working.
• Wen Zhuohua gave Luo Xuanqing and Ye Xingge a pair of experimental United Hearts Plaques, which could connect people with deep affection for each other but were costly and incompatible with Ye Xingge’s Wind-Traveling Talisman.
• Wen Zhuohua invited Ye Xingge to consider attending the Temple of Vast Compassion’s Chan debate, and he said he would go if he had the chance.
• Hongyu tried to contact her master through a jade pendant, heard only a familiar birdcall, and stealthily followed Ye Xingge and the two women.

Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing tested the United Hearts Plaque and discovered that it let them sense each other’s thoughts and feelings. Their mutual imaginings turned intimate, and the chapter ended with Luo Xuanqing pinning Ye Xingge down after he kissed her.

• Ye Xingge examined the paired butterfly sabers and considered how the Fate-Robbing Saber judged whether a target’s death was connected to him.
• Ye Xingge summoned Hongyu to check his back, and she promised to give him acupuncture later before leaving.
• Ye Xingge sent Luo Xuanqing a message through the United Hearts Plaque, and she sensed his presence through it.
• Luo Xuanqing and Ye Xingge tested the plaque by recalling intimate images of each other and discovered they could feel those thoughts.
• Luo Xuanqing confronted Ye Xingge in his room, and he kissed her before she pinned him down and struck him.

After Ye Xingge massaged Luo Xuanqing’s feet and entertained her with a risqué story, the two exchanged flirtatious messages through the United Hearts Plaque and fell asleep trying to dream together. The chapter ended as their shared dream began, leaving its contents unknown.

• Luo Xuanqing stopped Ye Xingge from seeking an excessive reward, and he offered to massage her shoulders and legs instead.
• Ye Xingge massaged Luo Xuanqing’s stocking-clad feet and told her the risqué tale “Tears Splashed at Cloud Pavilion.”
• Hongyu listened from the next room and tried unsuccessfully to contact her absent master.
• After Ye Xingge went to bed, Luo Xuanqing used the United Hearts Plaque to sense him and exchanged flirtatious messages with him.
• Luo Xuanqing and Ye Xingge closed their eyes and began dreaming together.

In a shared dream, Ye Xingge concealed his Blissful Illusory Body by claiming his altered Great Nine Yang technique had left him with excess vigor, and Luo Xuanqing offered to help him. Meanwhile, Cloud and Rain Tower warned Hongyu that Xiao Bieli might be secretly practicing demonic sect methods, then went to check on Ye Xingge, whose cultivation might need to be sealed again.

• Luo Xuanqing examined Ye Xingge's back after noticing his itching and heard his explanation of how he had altered the Great Nine Yang technique.
• Luo Xuanqing concluded Ye Xingge's rapid cultivation had left him with excess vigor and offered to help him vent it, and the two acted on the dream together.
• Hongyu heard that Cloud and Rain Tower suspected Xiao Bieli was secretly cultivating demonic sect methods beneath the commandery prince's residence.
• Hongyu told Cloud and Rain Tower that Ye Xingge's cultivation was rising too quickly and that his meridians might need to be sealed again.
• Cloud and Rain Tower learned Ye Xingge was sleeping beside Luo Xuanqing and went to check on him.

Cloud and Rain Tower secretly inserted needles into Ye Xingge’s meridians while he slept, but his dreamlike reaction left her furious and embarrassed. The next morning, Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing each tried to work out whether they had shared their vivid dreams through the United Hearts Plaque, while Hongyu wondered what had happened during her master’s visit.

• Cloud and Rain Tower entered Ye Xingge’s room at night and began sealing his meridians with silver needles while he slept.
• Ye Xingge’s dreamlike movements led to an embarrassing mishap, but Cloud and Rain Tower finished the treatment and left without waking him.
• Ye Xingge and Luo Xuanqing woke with vivid, intimate memories and questioned each other about their dreams, but neither confirmed what had happened.
• Luo Xuanqing inspected Ye Xingge and his room, found no evidence of anything unusual, and warned him not to sleep with the United Hearts Plaque.
• Ye Xingge exchanged teasing messages with Luo Xuanqing, then contacted Hongyu, who remained puzzled by Cloud and Rain Tower’s angry behavior after the treatment.

An Yurou and Da Xiyue suspected Ye Xingge might be the hidden Crown Prince of Western Shu and planned to invite him to Jinghe Hot Springs to investigate his birthmark while pursuing the Han Clan. After returning to Yong Capital, Ye Xingge learned Han Zhongwu had vanished and that his Gold List rank had risen to 287th; Shen Yueyao said the Sage had rewarded him.

• An Yurou and Da Xiyue discussed intelligence about Western Shu’s hidden heir and suspected Ye Xingge because his birth date matched the clues and he might have a dragon-shaped mark.
• Da Xiyue suggested inviting Ye Xingge to Jinghe Hot Springs to inspect the mark and investigate Han Zhongwu, whom the Han Clan had hidden.
• Luo Xuanqing returned to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion with Ye Xingge, who continued telling her a story along the way.
• Ye Xingge found Shen Yueyao threatening Chen Xiaobao over Han Zhongwu’s disappearance and said he would investigate the case himself.
• Shen Yueyao told Ye Xingge that his rank had risen to 287th and that the Sage had awarded him a reward.

Ye Xingge collected his rewards and learned how to nurture famed weapons from Shen Yueyao, then used the materials to upgrade the Mountains and Rivers Pouch. As they worked, Shen Yueyao privately wondered whether her father had intended to arrange a match between them.

• Baby Bunny told Ye Xingge he could request a reward from the court, and he asked for the Thousand-Autumn Move Manual and a Movement and Lightness Manual.
• Shen Yueyao showed Ye Xingge the sword-nurturing materials and explained their strange divine effects, along with the risks of nurturing a weapon.
• Ye Xingge decided to nurture the Mountains and Rivers Pouch with all one hundred and sixty materials, and he and Shen Yueyao began feeding them into it.
• Shen Yueyao privately wondered whether her father had sent Ye Xingge to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion hoping they would become betrothed.

Ye Xingge reviewed the suspicious Han Zhongwu case and visited Hongyu, where they cooked together and discussed finding the fugitive. An Yurou then invited him to Jinghe Hot Springs, where Han Zhongwu might be hiding, and Ye Xingge agreed to investigate after checking the gambling house.

• Ye Xingge read the case file and learned that Yang Chun had vanished after accusing Han Zhongwu of cheating him at gambling.
• Ye Xingge visited Hongyu, teased her while she prepared ingredients, and asked whether the Mountains and Rivers Association could help find Han Zhongwu.
• An Yurou and Xiyue visited Ye Xingge and brought him several dishes, which he praised.
• An Yurou invited Ye Xingge to Jinghe Hot Springs and revealed that A Fei had spotted the Han Clan's carriage driver nearby.
• Ye Xingge suspected Han Zhongwu was hiding at the hot springs but said he would first ask around at the gambling house.

Ye Xingge and Hongyu devised a plan to make Later Zhou suspect that he was the Crown Prince of Western Shu, buying him time to grow stronger. After Hongyu marked him with a dragon pattern, Ye Xingge painted a pattern on her, then began trying to cook Buddha Jumps Over the Wall himself.

• After the Lady of Anyang and Da Xiyue left, Hongyu warned Ye Xingge that threatening the Lady could expose him to Later Zhou’s retaliation.
• Hongyu proposed planting clues that would make Later Zhou believe Ye Xingge was the Crown Prince of Western Shu and secretly support his rise.
• Ye Xingge and Hongyu arranged for a temporary dragon-pattern mark on his lower abdomen, which Hongyu made with a needle while blindfolded.
• Ye Xingge painted a peach-pink pattern of two birds on Hongyu, who protested when he moved her clothing aside to inspect it.
• When Hongyu said she had to go out that night, Ye Xingge returned to the kitchen to try stewing Buddha Jumps Over the Wall himself, and Hongyu followed to check on him.