Chapter Summaries

Qin Yan tested his newly forged divine bow, named it Ink Sun, and visited the prefectural capital, where he learned that Zong Xiaoshan had become an Innate Martial Artist and opened a martial arts school. There, Qin Yan met Zong Xiaoshan’s powerful master and exchanged moves with him, leaving the old man astonished by Qin Yan’s speed.

• Qin Yan shattered a boulder from a thousand meters away with his new bow, and Ou Lie gave him a supply of specially forged arrows.
• Qin Yan named the divine bow Ink Sun and received half a day off from Peng Tao to visit his colleagues and old friends.
• Qin Yan learned that Zong Xiaoshan had become an Innate Martial Artist and opened a branch of the Infinite Martial Arts School in the prefectural capital.
• Qin Yan found Zong Xiaoshan with his unfamiliar master, who complained about Zong Xiaoshan’s loyalty to Qin Yan.
• The old man attacked Qin Yan to test him, but Qin Yan evaded his strikes even as the Supreme Grandmaster surpassed the speed of sound.
• The old man acknowledged Qin Yan’s ability and wondered which immortal had raised him.

Qin Yan left Youshan Prefecture for the Capital after giving Zong Xiaoshan silver and instructions to develop their organization. On the journey, he annihilated a hidden ambush with arrows fired from over a thousand meters away, leaving the party stunned by his power.

• Qin Yan told Zong Xiaoshan he had escaped a powerful evil spirit in the Underworld, gave him a hundred thousand taels and a notebook, and asked him to continue developing their organization.
• Qin Yan and the party continued north, where Qin Yan sensed at least forty death warriors waiting in ambush about thirteen hundred meters ahead.
• Qin Yan climbed a tree and used the Ink Sun Bow to kill the black-robed leader and the death warriors from more than a thousand meters away.
• Peng Tao and the others witnessed the devastation and recognized Qin Yan's archery as a threat to anyone below the Grandmaster level.
• Peng Tao ordered the party to take another route around the ambush site.

Qin Yan learned that rebels led by the Hong Heavenly King had overrun Eastern Heaven Prefecture and forced a band of deserters to join his command. He led the sixty men ahead to attack a village of three hundred rebels, confident they would surround the enemy instead.

• Zhang Xiang and Qin Yan found a band of deserters and heard from Tang Xianzong that rebels had conquered Eastern Heaven Prefecture and massacred its defenders.
• Qin Yan killed a deserter who challenged his authority, then forced the rest to submit and made Tang Xianzong their squad leader.
• Qin Yan secretly healed Tang Xianzong, organized the men into squads, and promised they could keep their spoils.
• Qin Yan led the deserters ahead of Xia Chengqian's group and spotted about three hundred rebels in a village.
• Tang Xianzong warned Qin Yan that their sixty men might be surrounded, but Qin Yan said they would surround the rebels.

Qin Yan led Tang Xianzong and the remnant soldiers in a devastating attack on Liang Huizu’s rebel force, killing the rebels with long-range archery and close combat. After the survivors were wiped out, Qin Yan healed the wounded and ordered his men to collect armor and horses.

• Qin Yan shot rebels from a great distance, killing many and throwing their force into panic before his arrows ran out.
• Qin Yan ordered Tang Xianzong and the soldiers to charge, then stormed the village with two sabers and cut down the rebels in the alleys.
• Liang Huizu tried to flee, but Qin Yan pinned him to the ground with spears as Tang Xianzong and the soldiers pursued the scattered rebels.
• Tang Xianzong reported that the rebels were eliminated, with no fatalities among his men, and Qin Yan ordered the recovery of armor and warhorses.
• Qin Yan healed the seriously and lightly wounded soldiers, then strengthened their devotion to him with his care and soul-nourishing soup.

Qin Yan learned that rebels had seized Eastern Heaven Prefecture and led Xia Chengqian’s group west toward Dongying Prefecture, gathering routed soldiers along the way. He forced Du Changfeng, commander of the Eagle Feather Battalion, to accept his authority after revealing a token linked to a prince.

• Qin Yan ordered Tang Xianzong to distribute the captured spoils among the soldiers, who cheered at their commander’s generosity.
• Qin Yan tortured Liang Huizu until he revealed that rebels held Eastern Heaven Prefecture City and Qiushui County, with the Blood Knife Adept Ping Yihai commanding their forces.
• Qin Yan and the others decided to avoid Eastern Heaven Prefecture and travel west into Dongying Prefecture, where they hoped to find safety and a court army.
• Qin Yan gathered routed soldiers and defeated several rebel groups, growing his force to more than two hundred men.
• Qin Yan confronted Du Changfeng at a village and demanded that the Eagle Feather Battalion follow his orders.
• Qin Yan pressed Du Changfeng to her knees and showed a token marked with Great Li and Jing, after which Du Changfeng agreed to obey him.

Qin Yan gathered troops around Xia Chengqian, trained the prince harshly, and led a night assault on the rebel-held Windraising Town to clear the route to Dongying Prefecture. His explosive arrows shattered the pass defenses and broke the rebels’ morale as his soldiers charged.

• Xia Chengqian gathered more than five hundred soldiers, and he ordered Du Changfeng and her troops to follow Qin Yan’s orders.
• Qin Yan relentlessly trained Xia Chengqian, then healed his injuries and explained that pain and combat would strengthen him.
• Qin Yan learned that nearly two thousand rebels held Windraising Town and decided to attack its lightly defended eastern approach rather than take a dangerous detour.
• Qin Yan used his Ink Sun Bow to blast apart the rebel gate and slaughter groups of defenders with explosive arrows.
• Tang Xianzong and Qin Yan’s soldiers charged into Windraising Town, and Du Changfeng joined the assault as the demoralized rebels began to collapse.

Qin Yan’s forces swiftly defeated the rebels, reached Red Ridge Town, and helped stranded refugees pass through the gate. In Dongying Prefecture, Qin Yan learned how Hong Sheng’s Taiping Army had expanded its rebellion, leaving the Great Li Dynasty’s collapse increasingly likely.

• Qin Yan crushed the rebel general, seized nearly three hundred warhorses, and ordered his troops to ride to Red Ridge Town.
• Qin Yan questioned an elderly refugee at the pass, and Xia Chengqian ordered Zhang Xiang to make the officials open the gate for the stranded people.
• Xia Chengqian confronted the officials and insisted that refugees be allowed through, earning the people’s gratitude.
• Qin Yan’s party reached Dongying Prefecture, where Prince Jing learned Xia Chengqian was safe and waited for the Dragon Soaring Army to arrive.
• Qin Yan learned that Hong Sheng had rebelled after Prince Jin tried to seize the Taiping Alliance, and that the Taiping Army had rapidly taken control of a province.

Qin Yan stayed behind from the fighting at Red Ridge to escort Prince Jing’s heir while training his troops and assessing the stalemated war. Zhu Hai then tasked him with retrieving a funerary artifact containing a rapidly growing Green Sha-class evil entity from Daoist Kushan in Eastern Heaven Prefecture.

• Qin Yan told Tang Xianzong that his unit would likely be unable to fight at the front, then ordered the soldiers to continue their punishing training.
• Tang Xianzong reported the bad news to Du Changfeng and the others, who lamented missing a chance to earn military merit while recognizing their gains in strength.
• The Taiping Army’s assault on Red Ridge stalled against Ye Yingshan’s defenses as resistance and the challenge of controlling captured territory slowed its advance.
• Xia Chengqian asked where Qin Yan had gone, and Zhang Xiang said the Demon-Suppressing Bureau had summoned him.
• Zhu Hai explained that Daoist Kushan had killed Ning Xi and taken a funerary artifact holding a Green Sha-class evil entity that could rapidly grow by devouring essence blood.
• Qin Yan agreed to recover the artifact and said he had a seventy percent chance of killing Daoist Kushan and taking it back.

Qin Yan infiltrated Eastern Heaven Prefecture and killed Daoist Kushan before the underworld artifact suppressing Green Sha could be released. He then defeated Chi Yifeng and the other Taiping Army fighters, publicly announcing his name as a Demon-Suppressing Bureau inspector.

• Qin Yan entered the prefectural capital alone and met the remaining Demon-Suppressing Bureau agents, who told him Daoist Kushan was at Qinhe Garden and warned that a Grandmaster lived nearby.
• Qin Yan reached Qinhe Garden and shot Daoist Kushan dead before he could take control of the Green Sha evil spirit sealed in a small cauldron.
• Chi Yifeng confronted Qin Yan, but Qin Yan broke his treasured blade and gravely wounded him with arrows.
• Qin Yan shot down the other experts who rushed to the garden, killing them within three breaths.
• Qin Yan killed the nearly dead Chi Yifeng and announced across Eastern Heaven Prefecture that Qin Yan of the Demon-Suppressing Bureau had slain the traitors.

Qin Yan returned to Dongying Prefecture after rescuing the captive and killing Daoist Kushan, a Grandmaster, and several Xiantian experts in the Taiping Army’s territory. His feat reached the Great Li forces, and he set out with five hundred light cavalry for Red Ridge to earn military merit.

• Qin Yan gave Zhu Hai the cauldron containing the Green Sha-class evil entity and reported killing Daoist Kushan, a saber-wielding Grandmaster, and three other Xiantian experts.
• Zhu Hai and Xia Chengqian learned that Qin Yan had killed a Grandmaster, while Peng Tao marveled at the power of his archery.
• Ye Yingshan and Yun Zhao confirmed through spies that Qin Yan had killed five powerful Taiping Army experts, including Chi Yifeng, the Five Absolutes Blade, and ordered the news sent to the Capital.
• Xia Chengqian allowed Qin Yan to join the forces at Red Ridge, and Peng Tao urged him to win Qin Yan’s loyalty.
• Qin Yan traveled to Tang Xianzong’s camp, assembled five hundred light cavalry, and led them toward Red Ridge.

Qin Yan joined Ye Yingshan at Red Ridge and helped defend the city when Hu Zhanfeng launched an assault. He killed Taiping Army sharpshooters and commanders with his bow, forcing the enemy to retreat and leaving the Great Li Army cheering.

• Ye Yingshan welcomed Qin Yan to Red Ridge and asked him to help shoot enemy officers during the coming battle.
• Hu Zhanfeng ordered the Taiping Army to wear down Red Ridge with repeated attacks and take the city within three days.
• As the Taiping Army attacked, Qin Yan killed several enemy sharpshooters, including a one-eyed archer whose arrow he blasted apart.
• Qin Yan shot down Taiping Army officers and commanders across the battlefield, including a general commanding ten thousand men.
• The Taiping Army sounded a retreat, and the Great Li soldiers cheered as a commander announced that Qin Yan had slain the enemy general before the ranks.

Qin Yan shattered the Taiping Army’s assault on Red Ridge by shooting down its generals and taking its commander's standard. Hu Zhanfeng withdrew to defend Yangfeng Town, while Ye Yingshan thanked Qin Yan for turning the battle in Great Li’s favor.

• Qin Yan killed Chi Yifeng before the battle lines, boosting Great Li’s morale and frightening the Taiping Army.
• Hu Zhanfeng ordered Zeng Zhishan to lead the next attack, and Zeng Zhishan advanced on Red Ridge with ten thousand men.
• Qin Yan shot Taiping Army officers from the city wall, disrupting their command and leaving their troops charging without discipline.
• Qin Yan used Magnetic Field Rotation to destroy the Taiping Army’s commander's standard, then shot Zeng Zhishan and several nearby generals dead.
• The Taiping Army broke into a rout, and Hu Zhanfeng ordered his forces to defend Yangfeng Town instead of attacking again.
• Ye Yingshan thanked Qin Yan as the pressure on Great Li eased.

Qin Yan led a night assault on the Taiping Army at Yangfeng Town, blasting through its gate and routing the rebels. He captured Hu Zhanfeng and rejected his offer to join Hong Sheng, declaring that Hu would become the merit for his promotion.

• Qin Yan proposed a surprise attack, and Ye Yingshan agreed to put the elite Fengshan Battalion under his command.
• Qin Yan led the Fengshan Battalion and five hundred light cavalry to Yangfeng Town, killing hidden sentries and blasting apart the gate.
• Qin Yan and his troops stormed the camp as his arrows killed enemy soldiers and generals, throwing the Taiping Army into chaos.
• Hu Zhanfeng found his soldiers unwilling to fight and ordered a retreat as Qin Yan pursued him.
• Qin Yan cut down Hu Zhanfeng's guards, disabled Hu's hands and legs, and captured him.
• Hu Zhanfeng urged Qin Yan to join Hong Sheng, but Qin Yan refused and said Hu would serve as military merit for his promotion.

Qin Yan captured Hu Zhanfeng and led the Great Li Army to crush the Taiping Army’s western forces and reclaim Eastern Heaven Prefecture. After Hong Heavenly King learned of the defeat, he offered a marquisate and a hundred thousand taels of silver to whoever killed Qin Yan.

• Qin Yan captured Hu Zhanfeng, then led his cavalry and the Great Li Army in a battle that killed thirty-five thousand Taiping soldiers.
• Qin Yan used Magnetic Field Healing to save the severely wounded, while Ye Yingshan recognized his extraordinary merits.
• Qin Yan blasted open Eastern Heaven Prefecture’s city gate with his arrows, and the Great Li Army routed the defenders and reclaimed the lost territory.
• Ye Yingshan decided to write a memorial requesting a reward for Qin Yan’s service.
• Hong Heavenly King learned that Hu Zhanfeng had been defeated and captured, then offered a marquisate and a hundred thousand taels of silver for Qin Yan’s death.

Qin Yan left his comrades in Eastern Heaven Prefecture and traveled to the Capital with the Dragon Soaring Army. After arriving, he was summoned to court the next morning and escorted to the Demon-Suppressing Bureau, where he met Qi Hong.

• Qin Yan toasted Tang Xianzong and the others before leaving them in Eastern Heaven Prefecture, promising he would return.
• Jia Yuanheng arrived with a thousand Dragon Soaring Army soldiers and escorted Xia Chengqian and Qin Yan toward the Capital.
• Qin Yan and Xia Chengqian reached the Capital, where Li Gonggong summoned Xia Chengqian to the palace and informed Qin Yan that the emperor wanted him at court the next morning.
• Kuo Xiong escorted Qin Yan to the Demon-Suppressing Bureau and told him that Qi Hong and the Elder Pillar of the State wanted to meet him.
• Qin Yan met Qi Hong, the Northern Demon-Suppression General, at the Demon-Suppressing Bureau.

Qin Yan met General Qi Hong in the Capital, where Qi warned him about court complaints but assured him that the Demon-Suppressing Bureau would protect him. Qi then brought Qin Yan to the Bureau’s underground formation, where six Buddhist and Daoist experts destroyed the Green Sha-level evil spirit he had brought from Eastern Heaven Prefecture.

• Qi Hong praised Qin Yan’s combat talent and told him that censors had submitted complaints over his actions in Dongying Prefecture and Eastern Heaven Prefecture.
• Qi Hong advised Qin Yan to attend morning court with him and assured him that the Demon-Suppressing Bureau was his backing against his enemies.
• Qin Yan handed Qi Hong the small cauldron containing the Green Sha-level evil spirit that Zhu Hai had asked him to deliver.
• Qi Hong led Qin Yan to the Demon-Suppressing Bureau’s underground chamber and summoned six Buddhist and Daoist experts to the Spirit-Binding Demon-Slaughtering Formation.
• Daoist Xuanning and the other experts released the Green Sha-level evil spirit from the cauldron and destroyed it with the formation’s amplified power.

Qin Yan told Qi Hong about the dangers he encountered in the Underworld, then witnessed the Qi family’s brutal way of disciplining Qi Hao. The next day, Qi Hong escorted Qin Yan to court, where Qin Yan faced officials who planned to oppose his promotion.

• Qin Yan explained to Qi Hong that a powerful evil spirit had possessed the Mother-and-Child Corpse Sha in the Underworld, and Qi Hong learned more about the Underworld’s dangers.
• At the Qi residence, Qi Hong ordered Qi Zhen to keep beating Qi Hao until he had broken three sticks because Qi Hao had lost a fight at the Martial Hall.
• Qi Zhen greeted Qin Yan and said Qin Yan might be promoted several ranks and granted a noble title, though the emperor would decide his fate the next day.
• Qi Hong escorted Qin Yan to the palace in court robes, where Qin Yan overheard civil officials discussing ways to accuse him and oppose his rise.

Qin Yan attended court as officials debated the Taiping Army rebellion and accused him of overstepping his authority. He defended his actions as loyalty to Great Li, and the Hongjia Emperor declared that Qin Yan had rendered great service and deserved a reward.

• Qin Yan met Fu Ang at court, and Fu Ang described the ministers’ feuds and the corruption weakening Great Li’s troops.
• The Hongjia Emperor arrived, and the officials argued over the Taiping Army’s rebellion, military failures, supplies, and leadership.
• Qi Hong defended Qin Yan, while civil officials accused Qin Yan of coveting military authority and demanded his imprisonment.
• The Hongjia Emperor summoned Qin Yan, who acknowledged that he had overstepped his bounds and explained that he had acted to protect the people and serve Great Li.
• The Hongjia Emperor praised Qin Yan’s loyalty and service, ruled that his merits outweighed his error, and considered how to reward him.

The Hongjia Emperor made Qin Yan Count of Qinghe and tasked him with guarding Qinghe Town while keeping his post in the Demon-Suppressing Bureau. After receiving a new residence in the Capital, Qin Yan cultivated a useful friendship with Eunuch Liu and welcomed his household staff.

• The Hongjia Emperor appointed Qin Yan Fourth-Rank Divine Bow General, granted him a cavalry battalion of three thousand and the title Count of Qinghe, and ordered him to guard Qinghe Town.
• The Hongjia Emperor defended Qin Yan's rewards against objections at court and promised to make him a marquis if he won further merit suppressing rebels.
• News of Qin Yan's ennoblement spread through the Capital, stirring envy among noble families and giving ordinary people hope.
• Qin Yan accepted the residence and household staff arranged by Eunuch Liu, cured Liu Jin's ailments, and formed a friendship with him.
• Qin Yan gave Chang Fu silver for new clothes for Mingming and told his new steward and servants to begin afresh at the Count of Qinghe's residence.

Qin Yan received the Heavenly Eagle Armor from Qi Hong and was ordered to study military command at the Martial Hall. On the way there, Qi Hao explained the hall’s factions, and Qin Yan considered recruiting talented students from humble families.

• Qi Hong gave Qin Yan the Heavenly Eagle Armor and reminded him to protect the Demon-Suppressing Bureau’s reputation.
• Qi Hong told Qin Yan to attend the Elder Pillar of the State’s 150th birthday and study at the Martial Hall on the Hongjia Emperor’s orders.
• Qin Yan met the battered Qi Hao, who escorted him by carriage to the Martial Hall.
• Qi Hao described the Martial Hall’s military-family, noble-family, and humble-family factions and explained that powerful families dominated the institution.
• Qin Yan considered recruiting talented students from humble backgrounds as Qi Hao explained the Martial Hall’s role in training commanders.