Li Shengyuan is the greatest painter in the Great Sheng. Rumor has it that his fate brings death to his wives. In his early thirties, he has already lost two wives. Though fabulously wealthy, he is a man no woman dares marry.
During the Ghost Festival, he goes to a temple to light a lamp for his late wife. When he wakes after fainting, he has lost his memory! He later finds work as a shop assistant at Jing's Grain Store, where he hits it off with the owner's daughter, Jing Ruyu, and the two become friends.
In Qingyang, he saves a monk and gets caught up in the massacre at Jiuhua Temple. Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha visits him in a dream and offers guidance. After regaining his memory, he receives the sacred relic of Mount Lingshan from Abbot Yideng.
Li Shengyuan and his two sworn brothers, Jin Buhuan and Jiang Yuanshan, set out that very night to escort the treasure north to Mount Wutai. The demon cult, Dark Nether Gate, pursues them relentlessly. Master Jing is tortured to death by the nail punishment, while Jing Ruyu teeters on the brink of death. Jin Buhuan takes revenge with his own hands…
Passing through Haozhou, Jiang Yuanshan is framed by a eunuch's godson and thrown into prison. Ye Zhiqiu, the top coroner in Bingzhou, is betrothed to Jiang Yuanshan but refuses to marry him. She travels a thousand li to save him, seeking help from Zhao Zheng, Prefect of Huizhou. But assassins have Zhao Zheng trapped outside the city gate…
In Ruyin, a female headmaster at a broken-down academy uses flowers as bait to help her husband solve a murder case. In Huizhou, they crack a series of explosions at a gunpowder depot. In Zheng County, they explore a century-old tomb, encounter a guardian beast, and nearly die…
Wuzhu is poisoned by a curse. Prefect Zhao Zheng wagers a fortune for love, while the miracle doctor Ye Zhibu answers a call for help, lured by a reward of ten thousand taels.
Emperor Sheng is suspicious and distrustful, his favored consort's identity is mysterious, and the unkind Crown Prince brings about his own downfall. The Second Prince is brave and righteous, the Third Prince is cruel and venomous, and the Fifth Prince pretends to be foolish while plotting at every turn.
Together, they punish the wicked and uphold justice. At last, they deliver the sacred relic to Mount Wutai, and the Great Sheng enters a brighter future.
