Chapter Summaries

Zi Shou told Tongtian that Nuwa intended to kill him and asked him to let Yunxiao and the others leave, but Tongtian refused. At Xuanyuan's Tomb, Qingqiu faced a mysterious black-misted visitor who claimed to know her from a past encounter that ended in her death.

• Zi Shou recounted his encounter with Nuwa and said he wanted Yunxiao and the others to leave to avoid being targeted.
• Tongtian insisted Nuwa would not harm them over the incident, and Zi Shou warned him not to regret refusing before leaving.
• Tongtian wondered whether Zi Shou had discovered his identity.
• A black-misted figure appeared at Xuanyuan's Tomb, where Qingqiu confronted her as the Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit and Jade Pipa Spirit cowered behind her.
• The figure called Qingqiu beautiful and hinted that she had once killed her.

Luohu confronted the ancient heavenly fox Qingqiu in Xuanyuan's Tomb and forced her to agree to help control an ordinary person by threatening the young Qingqiu and her two companions. After erasing the companions' memories, Qingqiu collapsed and reverted to her childlike state, while Luohu returned to a chess game with Wangshu on the Lunar Star.

• Luohu revealed that Qingqiu had survived as a remnant soul and demanded her cooperation.
• Luohu threatened to kill the young Qingqiu along with the Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit and Jade Pipa Spirit if Qingqiu refused.
• Qingqiu agreed to help Luohu control an ordinary person, though she questioned how she could do so in her weakened state.
• Luohu left Xuanyuan's Tomb, and Qingqiu erased the spirits' memories of him before collapsing unconscious.
• On the Lunar Star, Wangshu accused Luohu of being distracted and warned him that she would kill him if he made small moves under her protection.

After reading Wen Zhong’s report, Zi Shou went on a countryside outing outside Chaoge and encountered three cultivators fighting beneath the Nine Provinces Barrier. Yunxiao recognized the pursuers as Jie Sect members and tried to stop the fleeing cultivator, whose attack struck her formation as one pursuer called to her for help.

• Zi Shou learned that Yuan Futong’s cultivators in the North Sea used techniques bearing traces of the Western Teachings, and decided to let Wen Zhong remain there for now.
• Zi Shou ordered Fei Zhong and You Hun to accompany him on a hunt outside Chaoge, where he ate roasted game and went for a stroll.
• Zi Shou spotted one five-colored light fleeing from two clear lights near Chaoge and became angry that cultivators were acting so brazenly under the Nine Provinces Barrier.
• Yunxiao identified the pursuing lights as Upper Clarity Spiritual Light from the Jie Sect, and Zi Shou asked her to stop the cultivators and learn what was happening.
• Yunxiao set up a formation to block the fleeing cultivator, who attacked it with white spiritual light, while one of the pursuers recognized Yunxiao and urged her to stop the thief.

Yunxiao stopped Daoist Duobao and Saint Mother Wu Dang from fighting Kong Xuan near Chaoge, where the Nine Provinces barrier protected the human heartland. Zi Shou revealed himself as the king of Great Shang and challenged the Jie Sect’s assumption that the humans would simply tolerate their conflict.

• Yunxiao recognized Daoist Duobao and saw him and Saint Mother Wu Dang arrive while pursuing Kong Xuan.
• Daoist Duobao accused Kong Xuan of ambushing him and Wu Dang, while Kong Xuan insisted he had attacked out of suspicion and called it a misunderstanding.
• Daoist Duobao prepared to attack Kong Xuan, and Wu Dang moved to help him, but Yunxiao stepped between them and warned that they were beneath the Nine Provinces barrier.
• Duobao dismissed Yunxiao’s warning and said the Jie Sect would capture Kong Xuan and leave without implicating the human race.
• Zi Shou released a peculiar pressure and challenged Duobao’s claim that the human race would give the Jie Sect its courtesy.
• Yunxiao introduced Zi Shou as the king of Great Shang, and Duobao and Wu Dang greeted him.

Zi Shou enforced the Nine Provinces barrier’s rules and made Daoist Duobao and Saint Mother Wu Dang abandon their attempt to capture Kong Xuan. After claiming Kong Xuan owed him for resolving the conflict, Zi Shou asked what repayment he could offer, but Kong Xuan could not think of anything.

• Zi Shou confronted Daoist Duobao, Saint Mother Wu Dang, and Kong Xuan for fighting near Chaoge beneath the Nine Provinces barrier.
• Kong Xuan said he had acted in self-defense, while Daoist Duobao asked Zi Shou to let him capture Kong Xuan for the Jie Sect.
• Zi Shou refused to favor the Jie Sect and warned that continuing to fight would violate human rules.
• Yunxiao urged Daoist Duobao to leave, explaining that the Heavenly Emperor had ordered her to protect Zi Shou.
• After hearing a voice, Daoist Duobao took Saint Mother Wu Dang and departed, and Kong Xuan prepared to leave as well.
• Zi Shou reminded Kong Xuan that he had helped resolve the conflict and asked what repayment he would offer; Kong Xuan struggled to name anything.

Zi Shou secured a one-time promise of aid from Kong Xuan, then learned that You Hun had uncovered news about the Marquis of Jizhou. The report jolted Zi Shou awake to the threat posed by Su Hu and his daughter, Su Daji.

• Zi Shou told Kong Xuan that Great Shang needed capable people and asked for a favor allowing Kong Xuan to act for him once.
• Kong Xuan agreed, gave Zi Shou a five-colored feather to summon him, and departed.
• Zi Shou ordered his guards to keep the day's events secret, returned to the palace, and went to rest.
• The next morning, You Hun arrived urgently, and Zi Shou dismissed the attendants so they could speak privately.
• You Hun reported that he had results from watching the Marquis of Jizhou, and Zi Shou immediately recognized the significance of Su Hu and Su Daji.

Zi Shou learned that Bo Yikao was set to marry Su Daji, the daughter of the Marquis of Jizhou, and ordered her summoned to the palace. He then taunted Yunxiao about his lustful reputation and threatened to set his sights on her.

• You Hun reported that Ji Chang had arranged for Bo Yikao to marry Su Daji, daughter of the Marquis of Jizhou.
• Zi Shou asked whether Su Daji was beautiful, and You Hun described her as stunning and virtuous.
• Zi Shou ordered You Hun to deliver an edict summoning Su Daji to the palace.
• After You Hun left, Zi Shou remarked that his reputation as lustful and devoid of virtue would spread.
• Yunxiao appeared beside Zi Shou and told him that his worthiness for her protection was not his decision.
• Zi Shou lifted Yunxiao's chin and threatened to set his sights on her if she stayed by his side.

Zi Shou tried to make Yunxiao leave him and return to Golden Ao Island, explaining his past choices and warning her about the great tribulation. Yunxiao refused to leave, and as the four regional marquises prepared to pay court in Chaoge, Zi Shou summoned Fei Zhong and You Hun.

• Zi Shou told Yunxiao he had ended his pursuit of her to fulfill his dying father's wish and make political marriages, but warned her that he no longer cared about the consequences of pursuing her.
• Yunxiao refused to leave before the great tribulation ended and challenged Zi Shou's claim that he had taken an interest in Shang Qingjun and Su Daji for their beauty.
• Zi Shou harshly warned Yunxiao that she might not survive the great tribulation, but she took his words as concern for her safety, leaving him speechless and frustrating Tongtian in Qingping Hall.
• Zi Shou failed to persuade Yunxiao to return to Golden Ao Island and postponed his order for Su Hu to send Su Daji to the palace until the regional marquises came to court.
• As the fourth month arrived and the regional marquises prepared to travel to Chaoge or send representatives, Zi Shou summoned Fei Zhong and You Hun.

Zi Shou ordered Fei Zhong and You Hun to solicit gifts from the visiting regional lords and donate the collected wealth to Great Shang’s state treasury. Yunxiao challenged his scheme and asked whether he feared alienating the lords.

• Zi Shou asked Fei Zhong and You Hun whether they would accept bribes, then told them to demand gifts from every lord who came to Chaoge to pay court.
• You Hun asked whether the collected wealth should go to Zi Shou’s private treasury, and Zi Shou said it belonged to the ministers but suggested donating it to the state treasury.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun understood that the donations would distance Zi Shou from the bribery and left to carry out his decree.
• Yunxiao appeared after the ministers departed, criticized Zi Shou for teaching them to accept bribes, and asked whether he feared alienating the lords.

Zi Shou explained to Yunxiao how little genuine loyalty Great Shang could expect from its vassals, and she vowed to face the crisis alongside him. When the regional vassal leaders came to court, Zi Shou’s bribery scheme exposed their divided loyalties, and he began the audience by pretending not to recognize them.

• Zi Shou told Yunxiao that most regional vassals backed their own interests or Ji Chang, while Jiang Huan Chu was Great Shang’s strongest loyal ally; Yunxiao promised to stand with Zi Shou.
• In the eighth year of Di Xin, Fei Zhong and You Hun solicited bribes from the visiting vassals, while E Chongyu and Su Hu refused to pay.
• Ji Chang secretly sent Fei Zhong and You Hun a gift larger than the other vassals’ offerings, and Zi Shou received every submitted gift list.
• Zi Shou ordered the regional leaders summoned to court, and Jiang Huan Chu, E Chongyu, Ji Chang, and Chong Houhu entered the hall.
• Zi Shou asked Shang Rong who the four leaders were and claimed he did not recognize them, prompting Shang Rong to introduce them.

Zi Shou welcomed the four regional marquises, then summoned Su Hu and praised his uprightness and devotion to a subject’s duty. His remarks left Ji Chang uneasy, since his own past rebellions and schemes made Su Hu’s words sound like an indirect rebuke.

• Zi Shou mistook Jiang Huan Chu for Ji Chang and praised him before Jiang Huan Chu corrected him.
• Zi Shou repeated his praise to Ji Chang, then called him a humble sage in front of the officials.
• Zi Shou asked where the other lords were and ordered Su Hu, Marquis of Jizhou, brought into the hall.
• Zi Shou praised Su Hu for acting according to his duty, and Su Hu declared that a subject who failed to uphold his duty was unworthy to serve.
• The officials voiced agreement, while Ji Chang felt Su Hu’s words condemned him for his past rebellion and schemes.

Zi Shou asked Su Hu to send his daughter into the palace, but Su Hu invoked his existing marriage arrangement with Bo Yikao and challenged the king’s conduct. Zi Shou asked the officials whether they agreed with Su Hu, leaving the hall in tense silence.

• Zi Shou praised Su Hu and proposed summoning Su Hu’s daughter into the palace as his consort.
• Su Hu and Ji Chang were shocked, while Ji Chang wondered whether Xiqi had learned of his marriage alliance with Su Hu.
• Su Hu asked Zi Shou to withdraw his command, arguing that the king already had consorts and that the people might call him lustful.
• Zi Shou questioned whether Su Hu was calling him an immoral ruler, and Su Hu compared the king’s conduct to Xia Jie’s while praising Cheng Tang.
• Zi Shou swept his gaze over the officials and asked whether they all agreed with Su Hu.

Zi Shou threatened to execute Su Hu after Su Hu challenged him, while Ji Chang avoided intervening until guards began dragging Su Hu away. Ji Chang secured Su Hu’s release by proposing that Su Hu return home and offer his daughter willingly, and Zi Shou mocked the advice while accepting it.

• Zi Shou rejected Su Hu’s criticism, declared that he would learn from Xia Jie’s rule, and asked Su Hu if he wished to die.
• Su Hu sought help from Ji Chang, but Ji Chang stayed silent because he feared Zi Shou might kill him too.
• Zi Shou ordered the guards to take Su Hu away for execution after Su Hu hesitated to submit.
• Ji Chang intervened and argued that sparing Su Hu would make it easier to win his daughter’s favor.
• Zi Shou ordered Su Hu released and accepted Ji Chang’s proposal, sarcastically praising his experience with his many consorts.

After Zi Shou spared Su Hu and dismissed court, Ji Chang hurried out of Chaoge and told San Yisheng and Nangong Shi that the current king was far more formidable than rumor claimed. He explained that the late Di Yi, whom they remembered as a Benevolent Ruler, had first secured Great Shang through ruthless tyranny.

• Zi Shou spared Su Hu after Ji Chang intervened, and Su Hu acknowledged that he could no longer rely on Ji Chang.
• Ji Chang refused Zi Shou’s banquet and left Chaoge at once, recognizing that Zi Shou had followed a path of dominance to its extreme.
• At a post station outside Chaoge, Ji Chang told San Yisheng and Nangong Shi that the current king differed greatly from the rumors about him.
• Ji Chang said Di Yi had once ruled as a tyrant, crushing disloyal feudal lords before later becoming known as a Benevolent Ruler.

Ji Chang feared Zi Shou’s tyrannical nature and ordered his return to Xiqi while secretly directing San Yisheng to provoke a rebellion in Jizhou. Zi Shou summoned Chong Houhu for a task, leaving the nature of that task unresolved.

• Ji Chang told San Yisheng and Nangong Shi that Zi Shou reminded him of Zi Xian and had compared himself to Xia Jie, then ordered preparations to leave Chaoge.
• Ji Chang sent Nangong Shi to prepare his return to Xiqi and instructed San Yisheng to travel to Jizhou and arrange for Su Hu’s daughter to die, provoking Su Hu into rebellion.
• San Yisheng accepted Ji Chang’s secret order, and Ji Chang departed for Xiqi with Nangong Shi and his guards.
• Zi Shou learned that the other feudal lords had left Chaoge and ordered Fei Zhong to summon Chong Houhu for a task.
• Chong Houhu, who had stayed in Chaoge hoping to request more troops for the northern rebellion, hurried to greet Fei Zhong at the relay station.

Zi Shou summoned Chong Houhu to the palace and asked him to watch the Marquis of Jizhou after returning north. Chong Houhu accepted the assignment, while his request for more troops against the North Sea rebellion went unanswered.

• Fei Zhong brought Chong Houhu to Chaoge's palace, promising that The King had an important task for him.
• Zi Shou received Chong Houhu at Feiyun Pavilion and asked why he had stayed in Chaoge after the other feudal lords departed.
• Chong Houhu explained that he had hoped to ask for more reinforcements for the North Sea campaign.
• Zi Shou declined to send more troops and told Chong Houhu to monitor the Marquis of Jizhou after returning home.
• Chong Houhu agreed to carry out Zi Shou's command.

After Zi Shou ordered Chong Houhu to watch Su Hu and destroy him if he broke his promise, Su Hu returned to Jizhou and faced his family’s anger over sending Daji to the palace. The chapter ended with Su Hu unable to tell his beloved daughter the bitter truth.

• Zi Shou ordered Chong Houhu to monitor Su Hu and destroy him if he reneged on sending Daji to the palace.
• Su Hu returned to Jizhou and went straight to ask for Daji, while Zhao Bing told Su Quanzhong what had happened in Chaoge.
• Su Quanzhong raged against Zi Shou and urged Su Hu to rebel, but Su Hu warned that revolt would doom the Su clan.
• Su Hu admitted he had no choice but to send Daji into the palace, and Su Quanzhong left in anger.
• Su Hu visited Daji and, overcome by sorrow, lamented having such a beautiful daughter without explaining what awaited her.

Su Hu told Daji that the king had summoned her, and Daji accepted entering the palace to protect the Su clan. Meanwhile, San Yisheng plotted to kill Daji and provoke Su Hu into rebellion as Chong Houhu and Chong Hei Hu led armies toward Jizhou, while Ji Chang allowed the plot to continue despite suspecting it would fail.

• Su Hu told Daji everything that had happened and admitted that he could not judge what sort of person the king was.
• Daji agreed to enter the palace, saying that doing so could save the Su clan and seemed more interesting than marrying the Western Marquis's son.
• San Yisheng gathered Xiqi's agents in Jizhou and planned to kill Daji before she left the city, provoking Su Hu to rebel.
• Chong Houhu mustered troops to escort Daji to Chaoge and sent word to Chong Hei Hu, who secretly informed Ji Chang with his Iron-Mouthed Divine Eagle.
• Chong Hei Hu also raised troops and set out for Jizhou, maintaining his cover while remaining pledged to Ji Chang.
• Ji Chang realized Chong Houhu's presence would make the plot less useful for testing Great Shang, but let San Yisheng proceed so Xiqi might weaken Chong Houhu.

Su Daji was killed in an attack on the Marquis of Jizhou's residence, prompting Su Hu's forces to prepare for war until Luohu arranged for Qingqiu to take Daji's place and altered Su Hu's memories. Daji's soul entered reincarnation after Great Emperor Fengdu promised her ten lifetimes of prosperity and her father's safety.

• Assassins attacked Su Hu's residence, and Su Daji died from a sword wound, leaving Su Hu panicked about how to answer the king.
• A rumor blamed the king for Daji's death, and Su Hu accused Ji Chang while Su Quanzhong, Zhao Bing, Chen Jizhen, and other generals prepared to fight.
• Luohu brought Qingqiu to Jizhou and explained that Daji's death could lead to the Su clan's destruction and war; Qingqiu agreed to impersonate Daji.
• Luohu made Su Hu believe Daji had only been injured, while Qingqiu replaced Daji's body, and the marquis's residence announced that Daji would soon travel to the capital.
• San Yisheng abandoned plans for another assassination and left Jizhou to report to Ji Chang.
• Great Emperor Fengdu escorted Daji's soul to reincarnation, promising her ten lifetimes of prosperity and ensuring Su Hu's safety.

After Luohu concealed Daji’s supposed death and arranged for Qingqiu to help control Shang king Zi Shou, Su Hu escorted Daji toward Chaoge under Chong Houhu’s watch. At court, Zi Shou demanded to know where Daji was, leaving Su Hu confused.

• Luohu altered the memories of Jizhou City’s residents, and Su Hu decided to send Daji to Chaoge after she rested overnight.
• Qingqiu asked Luohu whether Zi Shou was his target and demanded that he rescue the other Little Qingqiu if she faced backlash; Luohu agreed but concealed Zi Shou’s true identity.
• Su Hu set out with Daji, while Chong Houhu and Chong Hei Hu arrived with a large force and followed to ensure Su Hu did not betray the King’s orders.
• After several days, Su Hu and Chong Houhu entered Chaoge with Daji, and Chong Houhu’s troops withdrew toward Chong City.
• At morning court, Zi Shou summoned Su Hu and Chong Houhu, then demanded to know where Daji was, confusing Su Hu.