Recaps

Meng Zhao formed an alliance with Beitang He, became General Yangwu after Zhu Xie Chiri’s assassination, and began strengthening the army. As unrest threatened Lingwu City, Wu River Pirates brought him news about the Jingshan Bandits hiding among the refugees.

• Beitang He agreed to ally with Meng Zhao against Zhu Xie Chiri, while the Xun, Ding, and Zhuo families sent their daughters to Meng Zhao’s household to secure ties with him.
• Zhu Xie Chiri was found dead near Lingwu City, and Meng Zhao blamed the Pudu Cult Master while offering to help investigate.
• Beitang Ang appointed Meng Zhao General Yangwu and Commander of Lingwu City's Defense, and Meng Zhao took command of the army.
• Meng Zhao and Beitang He agreed to divide military authority, recruit more soldiers, and strengthen Lingwu City’s defenses.
• The Pudu Cult Master investigated Zhu Xie Chiri’s death while concealing the severity of his injuries, and the Jingshan Bandits entered Lingwu City disguised as refugees as part of a rebel plan.
• Wang Xu’s Jingshan Bandits bribed a guard to carry a letter to the Wu River Pirates, asking them to rescue the bandits from the refugee camp.
• Leader Li and the fish shop owner decided to approach Meng Zhao for help, and Meng Zhao watched Linghu Rui train the Yangwu Army before meeting the visitors.
• Li Yuan and Yao Jun met Meng Zhao, and Li Yuan identified himself as a minor leader under one of the Wu River chiefs and begged for forgiveness.

Meng Zhao used Li Yuan and Yao Jun to expose and capture the Jingshan Bandits, learning that they were scouting Lingwu City for a rebel army with possible ties to Lifeng Trading Company and Dragon City. As he secured the Ding Family’s support, Ding Zhanyun and Ding Yuqin clashed over Dragon City and Qin Siqing’s inherited techniques, leaving Qin Siqing to stop their fight.

• Meng Zhao recruited Li Yuan and Yao Jun to infiltrate Wang Xu’s Jingshan Bandits, and Wang Xu accepted their offer of a way out after revealing the bandits’ hidden wealth.
• Meng Zhao’s forces lured Wang Xu and the Jingshan Bandits through a false escape route, captured them, and forced Wang Xu to confess that the rebels had sent them to scout Lingwu City.
• Wang Xu told Meng Zhao that the rebel army had about twenty thousand soldiers and plentiful supplies, and that Lifeng Trading Company’s Third Steward had visited its camp.
• Meng Zhao questioned Ding Zhanyun about Dragon City and visited the Ding Family, where he warned the Patriarch of the rebel threat and secured the family’s support while forbidding action against Dragon City without evidence.
• Ding Zhanyun cultivated ties with Qin Siqing and proposed that Dragon City join the Yangwu Army, then argued with Ding Yuqin over their suitors and the Secret Classic of Heavenly Crafts.
• Ding Yuqin attacked Ding Zhanyun with a palm force, Ding Zhanyun countered with her Plucking the Lute technique, and Qin Siqing stopped their attacks.

Meng Zhao won Qin Siqing’s Secret Classic of Heavenly Crafts and drew Ding Yuqin away from Dragon City while she secretly reported Dragon City’s connections. As Meng Zhao prepared to infiltrate and subdue the Rebel Army, he began tightening his grip on Lingwu City by arresting Howling Wind Hall.

• Qin Siqing ended the Ding sisters’ quarrel, then invited Meng Zhao and Dragon City to compete for her family’s Secret Classic of Heavenly Crafts.
• Meng Zhao’s presence and bearing impressed Qin Siqing, who gave the copied classic to Ding Zhanyun, and she passed it to Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao used his strength and resources to persuade Ding Yuqin to join his household, and she agreed in exchange for his protection of her reputation.
• Ding Yuqin secretly investigated Dragon City and reported his connection to Zhou Changfeng and Yao Jinling, leading Meng Zhao’s advisers to suspect Rebel Army infiltration among the refugees.
• Meng Zhao decided to subdue the Rebel Army and personally investigate it in Liang Prefecture, while arranging for others to manage Lingwu City during his absence.
• Meng Zhao chose Howling Wind Hall as his first target and ordered Meng Chuan to have Linghu Rui arrest all 397 of its men without harming them.

Meng Zhao crushed Howling Wind Hall after exposing its support for the southern Rebel Army, then prepared to travel to Liang Prefecture to suppress the rebels and confront the Pudu Cult. He left Liang Muqiu responsible for his household and warned that he would return quickly to keep Lingwu City secure.

• Meng Zhao arrested 397 soldiers and officers, interrogated them about Howling Wind Hall, and secured Beitang He’s help while planning a secret trip to Liang Prefecture.
• Linghu Rui led the Yangwu Army in a surprise assault on Howling Wind Fortress, capturing thousands and seizing account books that documented Howling Wind Hall’s dealings with the southern Rebel Army.
• Meng Zhao marched into the inner city, accused Zhang Zhichong of aiding the rebels, and produced testimony and records that turned Lingwu City’s onlookers against Howling Wind Hall.
• Zhang Zhichong and five Innate Masters tried to fight their way out, but Meng Zhao contained them and resisted their combined techniques.
• The five Innate Masters sacrificed their lives to empower Zhang Zhichong, but Meng Zhao defeated him despite his new strength and his use of the divine weapon Qingfeng.
• Meng Zhao killed Zhang Zhichong, ordered the execution of Howling Wind Hall’s remaining disciples, and had the hall’s wealth taken into army stores.
• Meng Zhao gave Liang Muqiu Divine Weapon Clearwind and promised to find her a suitable saber, while she continued managing his household and supporting his plans.
• Meng Zhao entrusted Liang Muqiu with the household, passed three-tenths of his cultivation to her so she could imitate his aura, and set out to suppress the Liang Prefecture Rebel Army before confronting the Pudu Cult.