Chapter Summaries

Leader Li received Wang Xu’s plea for help from the Jingshan Bandits, who were trapped among refugees in Lingwu City, but doubted they would assist a group with no real ties to the Wu River Pirates. The fish shop owner warned that Wang Xu’s men might be hiding a dangerous secret, leaving Leader Li to weigh the risks of helping them.

• Leader Li read Wang Xu’s letter asking the Wu River Pirates to rescue the Jingshan Bandits from Lingwu City’s refugee camp.
• Leader Li reflected that the Heavenly Wolf Alliance was little more than a name and that its members had no loyalty to Jade Faced Rakshasa or one another.
• The fish shop owner explained that strict patrols and the Yangwu Army made it nearly impossible for the Jingshan Bandits to escape without help.
• Leader Li questioned why Wang Xu’s men hid their martial abilities instead of seeking employment with one of Lingwu City’s factions.
• The fish shop owner suspected Wang Xu’s group was concealing a dangerous problem and warned that helping them could entangle the Wu River Pirates.

The fish shop owner and Leader Li weighed whether to help the Jingshan Bandits, fearing their scheme could endanger the Wu River Pirates. They decided to seek an influential ally and settled on informing Meng Zhao, leaving them poised to approach him.

• The fish shop owner warned Leader Li that rescuing the Jingshan Bandits could entangle the Wu River Pirates in trouble.
• Leader Li and the fish shop owner considered ignoring the plea or exposing the bandits, but worried either choice could backfire.
• The fish shop owner proposed telling an influential figure in Lingwu City about the Jingshan Bandits in exchange for protection or rewards.
• Leader Li approved the plan and agreed they should seek out a major power to suppress the bandits.
• The fish shop owner recommended Meng Zhao, citing his position as General Yangwu and his dominance in Lingwu City.

Meng Zhao oversaw the training of the Yangwu army, where Linghu Rui had rapidly improved the soldiers’ formations and discipline. The chapter left Meng Zhao confident in the army’s potential and urging Linghu Rui to keep training it.

• Leader Li agreed to seek out Meng Zhao, believing he was unlikely to harm people who approached him in good faith.
• Meng Zhao watched thousands of soldiers drill military formations at the Yangwu Grand Barracks and approved of their progress under Linghu Rui.
• Linghu Rui ended the formation drill and led the soldiers in Meng Zhao’s Tiger Roar Fist, which gathered their Blood Qi into a vast Blood Sun.
• Linghu Rui praised the fist art’s value for training troops, and Meng Zhao told him to keep improving the army and bring him any serious problems.

Meng Zhao left Linghu Rui in charge of drilling the Yangwu Army and rode back to the central camp with Meng Chuan. After hearing about two unknown visitors seeking an audience, he went to find out what information they had.

• Meng Chuan arrived at the drill grounds and reported that two people outside the camp had important information for Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao urged Linghu Rui to strengthen the troops in anticipation of a possible war involving the Pudu Cult, then left him to continue training them.
• Meng Zhao rode back with Meng Chuan, who told him that military life had improved his martial arts and helped him grow closer to the soldiers.
• Meng Chuan described the two visitors as unknown and unsettled, lowering Meng Zhao's expectations about their news.
• Meng Zhao decided to meet the visitors and hear what they had to report.

Meng Zhao received Li Yuan and Yao Jun in his command tent and learned that they were water-bandit subordinates from the Wu River. After Meng Zhao revealed his acquaintance with their three chiefs, the two men grew hopeful that they might gain his favor.

• Meng Zhao arrived at the command tent with Meng Chuan and ordered Li Yuan and Yao Jun inside while Meng Chuan stood guard.
• Meng Zhao removed his armor, drank tea, and made the nervous visitors introduce themselves.
• Li Yuan identified himself as a former water bandit, and Yao Jun said he worked under Li Yuan.
• Meng Zhao asked whether they served the three chiefs along the Wu River whom he had met before.
• Li Yuan eagerly confirmed that he was a minor leader under one of the chiefs and begged Meng Zhao's forgiveness.

Meng Zhao learned that Wang Xu and the Jingshan Bandits had entered Lingwu City with harmful intentions, and he questioned Li Yuan and Yao Jun about their strength and numbers. He considered how to deal with the threat and whether he could benefit from the Heavenly Wolf Alliance’s weakening leadership.

• Meng Zhao shifted from a cold, commanding manner to a warm welcome after Li Yuan said he and Yao Jun served the chief, and the two river bandits sat nervously before him.
• Li Yuan recounted how the Jingshan Bandits had approached Yao Jun for help and explained why he and Yao Jun suspected they posed a threat to Lingwu City.
• Meng Zhao judged that the bandits might stir unrest among refugees, but resolved not to let his guard down even though they had exposed themselves.
• Meng Zhao thanked Li Yuan and Yao Jun for the intelligence and asked about Wang Xu’s identity, martial arts, and followers.
• Li Yuan said Wang Xu had reached the Innate Realm and Qi Condensation into Gang, then handed Meng Zhao a letter describing the bandits’ circumstances.
• After reading the letter, Meng Zhao reflected on Beitang He’s refugee-camp measures and considered taking advantage of the Heavenly Wolf Alliance’s weakened leadership.

Meng Zhao agreed to give Li Yuan and Yao Jun a chance to work for the Meng Family in exchange for helping him uncover the Jingshan Bandits in the refugee camp. He arranged a secret plan to lure the bandits out one by one for capture, with support from the army and the County King's Mansion.

• Li Yuan and Yao Jun asked Meng Zhao for an opportunity to rise rather than a monetary reward.
• Meng Zhao agreed to have them transferred to the Meng Family and ordered them to contact Wang Xu of the Jingshan Bandits to gather information.
• Li Yuan suggested informing their chief, but Meng Zhao refused because news might leak through the chief's many associates.
• Meng Zhao instructed them to pose as greedy intermediaries, offer food, and promise a way to smuggle the bandits out one by one.
• Meng Zhao promised army and County King's Mansion assistance, and Li Yuan and Yao Jun pledged to carry out the plan.

After days of waiting, Wang Xu and the Jingshan Bandits received a response from the Wu River Pirates, who could not yet extract them from Lingwu City but offered help in exchange for their hidden wealth. Wang Xu shared the delivered roast goose with his men, then gathered them to discuss the pirates’ demands.

• Wang Xu and the Jingshan Bandits waited four days for the Wu River Pirates to answer their letter, growing increasingly desperate in the refugee camp.
• The man who had carried their letter delivered a warm roast goose wrapped in yellow paper, and Wang Xu shared it among the men.
• Wang Xu noticed writing on the paper and learned that the Wu River Pirates had received their letter but could not contact their chief outside sealed-off Lingwu City.
• The message said the pirates had bribed several camp patrolmen to help the Jingshan Bandits and asked them to recover their hidden wealth so they could arrange a quick escape.
• Wang Xu showed the message to his men, who argued over the hope of escape and the pirates’ demand for their wealth.

Wang Xu quelled a dispute among the Jingshan Bandits over whether to surrender their buried valuables to the Wu River Pirates, persuading them that cooperating was safer than trying to escape Lingwu City. The bandits agreed to follow his plan to infiltrate the inner city, though some remained uneasy about staking their last savings on it.

• The Jingshan Bandits argued over whether to hand their valuables to the Wu River Pirates or keep the wealth they had saved.
• Little Liu urged Wang Xu to lead them out of Lingwu City and return to their old life as bandits.
• Wang Xu warned that escape would likely fail, promised to repay the valuables, and explained that success could bring them far greater rewards.
• The Jingshan Bandits accepted Wang Xu's plan to gain a foothold in Lingwu's inner city and gather intelligence, while a few remained worried about losing their last means of retreat.

Meng Zhao used the Jingshan Bandits’ misconduct in the refugee camp to prepare a trap for Wang Xu and his men. Wang Xu led all twenty-three bandits through the south gate, believing they had secured their escape, and approached the waiting man in blue.

• Wang Xu revealed more hidden treasures to Li Yuan and Yao Jun, who reported them to Meng Zhao; Meng Zhao sent men to retrieve the wealth and rewarded the two.
• The Jingshan Bandits enjoyed special food and drink in the refugee camp, then some began assaulting women; the reports reached Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao ordered preparations to capture the bandits, and his people arranged a false escape route with Li Yuan and Yao Jun.
• Wang Xu received word that the way out was clear and gathered all twenty-three Jingshan Bandits after dinner.
• The messenger led Wang Xu and his men through the open south gate, where a blue-robed man with a steel spear waited for them.
• Wang Xu happily approached the blue-clad man, who answered with a strange smile.

Zhou Hu revealed that the Jingshan Bandits had been betrayed and surrounded by Imperial Court troops under General Yangwu. With bed crossbows and archers covering their escape, Wang Xu and his men faced capture or death.

• Wang Xu arrived with the Jingshan Bandits and grew wary of Zhou Hu’s strange demeanor.
• Zhou Hu signaled, and disciplined soldiers in black armor surrounded the bandits with torches.
• Wang Xu and the Jingshan Bandits realized the Wu River Pirates had betrayed them after taking their treasures.
• Wang Xu assessed the encirclement and focused on defeating Zhou Hu so he could escape.
• Zhou Hu identified himself as a centurion under General Yangwu and ordered the bandits to surrender.
• Soldiers rolled out bed crossbows and raised bows, aiming them at Wang Xu and the Jingshan Bandits.

Wang Xu killed a subordinate who urged surrender, then used a secret technique to drive the Jingshan Bandits into a charge while he tried to escape. Zhou Hu struck him down with a Buddhist palm technique, leaving him immobilized and captured.

• Wang Xu crushed the throat of the subordinate who suggested surrender and killed him.
• Wang Xu urged the Jingshan Bandits to fight their way out, using a sound-wave technique and secret spiritual art to send them charging at the soldiers.
• Wang Xu hurled the dead subordinate at Zhou Hu, who destroyed the corpse with a strike from his steel spear.
• The Jingshan Bandits realized Wang Xu had manipulated them as a diversion and turned against him as he fled toward a weak point in the encirclement.
• Zhou Hu unleashed a golden Buddhist palm that caught Wang Xu, immobilized him, and knocked him to the ground.

Zhou Hu’s Buddha Palm subdued Wang Xu, while the Jingshan Bandits realized their leader had been captured and their resistance was hopeless. Zhou Hu forced the remaining bandits to surrender, leaving the entire group alive for Meng Zhao and Dou Xi to interrogate.

• Zhou Hu reflected that Meng Zhao’s hidden martial technique had immobilized Wang Xu by transforming the Buddha Palm into roaming dragon qi and chain-like marks.
• Zhou Hu’s soldiers held several Jingshan Bandits captive, while the others remained surrounded and demoralized by Wang Xu’s capture.
• Zhou Hu ordered the remaining bandits to kneel and surrender, explaining that they would otherwise be buried alongside Wang Xu.
• The Jingshan Bandits surrendered, and Zhou Hu personally kept watch over Wang Xu while the soldiers bound the captives.

Meng Zhao interrogated Wang Xu after the Jingshan Bandits were captured and learned that Wang Xu had already guessed his identity. The chapter ended with Wang Xu nervously flattering Meng Zhao, the Yangwu General and Lord of the Northern Meng Dragon King.

• Meng Zhao learned from Zhou Hu that the capture of the Jingshan Bandits had gone smoothly and ordered him to bring Wang Xu to the command tent.
• Zhou Hu dragged the immobilized Wang Xu into the tent and left him under guard outside.
• Meng Zhao tapped his desk, dissolving the force restraining Wang Xu and restoring his ability to move.
• Wang Xu reacted fearfully to Meng Zhao and praised him as an immortal god.
• Wang Xu reasoned that Meng Zhao had defeated him and recognized him as the Yangwu General and Lord of the Northern Meng Dragon King.

Meng Zhao interrogated Wang Xu about why the Jingshan Bandits had entered Lingwu City, and Wang Xu eventually admitted they had joined the Rebel Army to infiltrate the city and prepare for an attack. The chapter left Wang Xu exposed as a self-serving captive whose fear of death and hunger for profit had made him betray his allies.

• Meng Zhao challenged Wang Xu's claim that the Jingshan Bandits had come to Lingwu City only to find food.
• Meng Chuan entered the tent and reported that the other captured bandits had already revealed the scheme.
• Meng Zhao told Wang Xu that his fellow bandits had cooperated, then asked whether he would keep lying.
• Wang Xu knelt and confessed that the Rebel Army had sent the Jingshan Bandits to gather intelligence and scout Lingwu City's defenses for a future coordinated attack.

Meng Zhao questioned Wang Xu about a covert rebel army in Liang Prefecture and learned that it was large, well trained, and secretly well supplied. Wang Xu identified Lifeng Trading Company as a possible supporter, leaving Meng Zhao with a new lead to investigate.

• Meng Zhao questioned Wang Xu about the rebel army's commander, strength, officers, and supplies.
• Wang Xu reported that the rebel army had around twenty thousand trained soldiers, including Innate officers, and a masked leader whose cultivation he could not determine.
• Meng Zhao questioned how the army sustained itself amid Liang Prefecture's famine and unrest.
• Wang Xu said the army had plentiful provisions and cultivation resources, then revealed that Lifeng Trading Company's Third Steward had visited its camp.
• Wang Xu explained that his past dealings as a Jingshan bandit had allowed him to recognize Lifeng Trading Company's Third Steward.

Meng Zhao questioned Wang Xu about Widow Xie and learned of rumors linking her to Dragon City. Suspecting Dragon City had built a hidden network of wealth and influence and might threaten the Northern Lands, Meng Zhao decided to visit the Ding Family.

• Meng Zhao recalled Yan Xing's claim that Widow Xie and several other influential women were romantically involved with Dragon City, and doubted that Widow Xie would knowingly fund a rebellion.
• Wang Xu suggested that someone at Lifeng Trading Company might have supported the rebel army in secret, but Meng Zhao argued that Widow Xie must have known about the enormous cost of supplying twenty thousand soldiers.
• Wang Xu told Meng Zhao that Dragon City had once made a name for himself in Liang Prefecture and that people had rumored he and Widow Xie were unusually close.
• Meng Zhao grew more suspicious of Dragon City's concealed influence and considered how he might use the Yangwu Army either to destroy or seize control of its fifty thousand troops.
• Meng Zhao concluded that Dragon City could become a great threat to the Northern Lands and decided to find an opportunity to visit the Ding Family.

Meng Zhao considered using Dragon City and the Ding Family as openings in the unsettled realm, then secured Wang Xu’s submission by displaying his overwhelming authority. Wang Xu agreed to serve Meng Zhao and set aside his hatred for the Wu River Pirates who had betrayed him.

• Meng Zhao decided that Dragon City’s connection with Ding Yuqin and the Ding Family could offer a chance to investigate or exploit them.
• Meng Zhao asked Wang Xu how he should be dealt with, and Wang Xu offered his knowledge of the rebel army and its secret signals in exchange for his life.
• Meng Zhao ordered Wang Xu to attack him so he would understand their difference, but Wang Xu recognized he could not win and pledged himself to Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao revealed that the Wu River Pirates who betrayed Wang Xu were now serving under him and asked Wang Xu to forgive them.
• Wang Xu suppressed his anger and promised to sever ties with the past and serve Meng Zhao without seeking revenge.

Meng Zhao questioned Ding Zhanyun about her half-sister Ding Yuqin and Dragon City, whom he considered a possible future rival. Ding Zhanyun described Dragon City as a womanizer who had flirted with her sisters, leaving Meng Zhao with suspicions about his connections.

• Meng Zhao asked Ding Zhanyun about her relationship with Ding Yuqin, and she said they had little contact and that Ding Yuqin was secretly involved with Zhuo Mufeng before turning to Dragon City.
• Ding Zhanyun said her family disliked Ding Yuqin and mentioned that Zhuo Mufeng had died after the affair with Dragon City began.
• Meng Zhao asked what Ding Zhanyun knew about Dragon City because he expected they might clash in the future.
• Ding Zhanyun assured Meng Zhao she had no interest in Dragon City and said several of her sisters had written to him out of curiosity.
• Ding Zhanyun claimed Dragon City’s letters to her sisters became flirtatious and suggested he had seduced other women as well.

Meng Zhao brought Ding Zhanyun to visit the Ding Family and demonstrated that he valued her as his wife. The Ding Family Patriarch was reassured by her happiness and recognized that she had firmly aligned herself with Meng Zhao.

• Meng Zhao learned from Ding Zhanyun that Dragon City was a womanizer who toyed with women’s feelings.
• Meng Zhao and Ding Zhanyun arrived at the Ding Family estate, where the family’s senior members came out to welcome them.
• Meng Zhao greeted the Ding Family Patriarch warmly and helped him rise, presenting himself as the family’s son-in-law rather than General Yangwu.
• The Ding Family Patriarch saw Ding Zhanyun’s luxurious appearance and sincere affection for Meng Zhao and felt reassured about her marriage.
• Ding Zhanyun greeted her father, then directed her attention back to Meng Zhao, showing that she now stood with her husband.