Chapter Summaries

Lin Taichu led an imperial force to the Land of Yellow Sands to stop the Sand Giant Scorpions and devised a fire-based ambush. The scorpions were trapped in a burning depression, where the soldiers began attacking them with flaming arrows.

• The emperor tasked Lin Taichu with eliminating the Sand Giant Scorpions and gave him five thousand elite soldiers, twenty Cultivators, supplies, and authority over the border garrisons.
• Lin Taichu inspected his troops, gathered fire arrows and Fire Oil, and had enormous shields made before departing the capital.
• After reaching the border town, Lin Taichu learned from General Li that the scorpions emerged at dusk, relied on sound, and feared fire.
• Lin Taichu planned an ambush at a depression, using trenches filled with firewood and Fire Oil while Daoist Master Wang’s lightning techniques lured the scorpions in.
• Daoist Master Wang struck the ground with lightning, drawing the scorpions into the depression, and Lin Taichu ordered the trenches ignited and the soldiers to fire flaming arrows.

Lin Taichu and his allies were surrounded by Sand Giant Scorpions after the creatures outsmarted their fire trap. As the formation faltered and their spiritual power ran low, Lin Taichu poured his remaining strength into the Reincarnation Token to hold back the swarm.

• The Sand Giant Scorpions smothered a gap in the fire wall and charged the slope, overcoming the Soldiers' arrows and the Cultivators' spells.
• More scorpions erupted from the sand on both sides, trapping Lin Taichu, General Li, Daoist Master Wang, and their forces in an encirclement.
• Lin Taichu ordered Daoist Master Wang to stun the scorpions with lightning while General Li led a shield formation toward a weak point.
• The Soldiers targeted the scorpions' eyes and soft abdomens, but the formation advanced slowly as casualties mounted and the Cultivators' spiritual power dwindled.
• Lin Taichu poured his remaining spiritual power into the Reincarnation Token, which expanded in dazzling golden light and pressed down on the swarm.

Lin Taichu led the survivors back to town after they broke through the giant scorpion swarm, then planned a dawn assault on the creatures’ nest at Heifeng Pass. He and Daoist Master Wang’s group reached the dormant swarm and began their ambush, ending as Lin Taichu ignited the first Fire Oil flask.

• Lin Taichu and General Li led the Soldiers through the scorpion swarm and escaped into town, where fewer than three thousand Soldiers and fifteen Cultivators remained.
• After the Sand Giant Scorpions withdrew, Lin Taichu proposed taking Cultivators to destroy their nest at Heifeng Pass, and Daoist Master Wang and the others agreed.
• Lin Taichu prepared Fire Oil, supplies, and barbed spears, then left town at dawn with Daoist Master Wang and fourteen Cultivators.
• The group found the giant scorpions dormant in a cave at Heifeng Pass, including an enormous scorpion they believed was the swarm’s leader.
• Lin Taichu split the group into two teams and threw a Fire Oil flask and torch toward the sand pile to begin the ambush.

Lin Taichu and the Cultivators wiped out the giant scorpions in the sand pit, then searched for survivors and discovered the creatures had been breeding there. Lin Taichu remained uneasy because he had not seen the hidden scorpions or eggs when he first examined the pit.

• Lin Taichu and Daoist Master Wang used fire, lightning, and spells to drive the giant scorpions into a narrow hollow and attack their vulnerable abdomens.
• The largest giant scorpion attacked Lin Taichu and Daoist Master Wang, but the Cultivators surrounded it and Lin Taichu killed it with his spear.
• Lin Taichu ordered the Cultivators to seal the sand pit with Fire Oil and use lightning to uncover and destroy the small scorpions hiding beneath the sand.
• Lin Taichu and Daoist Master Wang searched the area, found more small scorpions and a burrow containing unhatched Scorpion Eggs, and Lin Taichu questioned why he had not noticed them earlier.

After Lin Taichu and the others wiped out the Sand Giant Scorpions in Heifeng Pass, a much larger predator emerged and drove them toward the entrance. The Sand Lizard stopped at a wall of fire, and Lin Taichu resolved to search its lair for a weakness rather than lead it back to town.

• A roar from deeper inside Heifeng Pass led Lin Taichu to realize that a natural predator may have been keeping the Sand Giant Scorpions confined.
• A huge Sand Lizard emerged from a grotto, and Daoist Master Wang identified it as a desert ruler that fed on Monster Beasts and especially Sand Giant Scorpions.
• Lin Taichu covered the group's retreat, but his spear and Reincarnation Token could not injure the Sand Lizard, which pursued them toward the entrance.
• Lin Taichu led the group to a wall of fire, where the Sand Lizard stopped rather than cross the flames.
• Lin Taichu refused to lead the Sand Lizard to town and proposed searching its lair for a weakness, while Daoist Master Wang and the others hesitated.

Lin Taichu and seven Cultivators tracked the Sand Lizard into its cavern and planted gunpowder to collapse it. With the fuses connected and the creature still near the pool, Lin Taichu waited for it to move away before detonating the charges.

• Lin Taichu led Daoist Master Wang and six other Cultivators into the cavern while the remaining seven hid nearby to report back if the mission failed.
• Lin Taichu followed the Sand Lizard's tracks through the cavern and found it resting beside a bubbling green pool.
• Lin Taichu proposed collapsing the cavern with gunpowder and Fire Oil because the Sand Lizard's hide was too thick for a direct attack.
• Lin Taichu, Zhang, and the others placed charges along the passages while Daoist Master Wang used a lightning spell to distract the Sand Lizard.
• Zhang connected the fuses to a main line, and Lin Taichu waited near the cavern entrance for the Sand Lizard to move farther from the charges.

Lin Taichu and his allies sealed the Sand Lizard inside its cavern, ending the threat to the town, and Lin Taichu received a promotion and imperial rewards. After returning to the capital, he faced obstruction from hostile officials and generals but worked to train and support his undermanned troops.

• Lin Taichu lit the fuse and escaped as the Sand Lizard pursued him, then an explosion collapsed the cavern entrance.
• Lin Taichu had the group cover the rubble with Fire Oil and burn it, and they returned safely to town.
• After the town remained peaceful for half a month, Lin Taichu reported the victory to the imperial court and received promotion to General Dingyuan.
• At the Ministry of War, Secretary Wang mocked Lin Taichu, and his requests for supplies and capable Soldiers were obstructed.
• Lin Taichu learned Secretary Wang was acting for the prime minister, while General Zhao also ridiculed him, so he personally trained and supplied his Soldiers until they grew more resilient.

Lin Taichu faced escalating attacks from General Zhao and the Prime Minister’s faction, then went to the Emperor to report their obstruction. He lured Secretary Wang to his residence under the pretense of an alliance and confronted him over his schemes.

• General Zhao brought Personal Soldiers to the Barracks at night and nearly started a fight before the Minister of War intervened and sent him away.
• Lin Taichu was falsely accused of inflating his military achievements, embezzling pay, and letting enemies escape, but he defended himself with testimony from General Li and Daoist Master Wang.
• Daoist Master Wang warned Lin Taichu that officials linked to the Prime Minister were gathering and might target his army’s provisions and equipment.
• Lin Taichu presented the Emperor with a memorial about the repeated obstruction, and the Emperor said he would warn Secretary Wang and General Zhao.
• Lin Taichu invited Secretary Wang to his residence with a false offer of an alliance, prepared for his arrival, and confronted him about withholding provisions and replacing Soldiers.

Lin Taichu secretly killed Secretary Wang and arranged the scene to make it look like a robbery by Wang’s attendants. After the emperor ordered an investigation, General Zhao visited Lin at the Barracks and apologized, apparently frightened by Wang’s death.

• Lin Taichu ordered his personal soldiers to kill Secretary Wang and his attendants, then dispose of their bodies to frame them as robbers.
• The Prime Minister demanded an investigation at court, while General Zhao accused Lin Taichu of killing Secretary Wang.
• Lin Taichu denied the accusation, and the emperor ordered the Dali Temple to investigate without drawing premature conclusions.
• Daoist Master Wang warned Lin Taichu that his enemies would grow more hostile, but Lin said he had seized the initiative.
• General Zhao visited Lin Taichu at the Barracks, privately hinted that he suspected Lin had killed Secretary Wang, and apologized for opposing him.

Lin Taichu learned that the prime minister was secretly plotting against him and used the prime minister’s youngest son’s mistress to uncover a plan to cut off his military supplies. He realized the prime minister intended to use the resulting crisis to strip him of his command.

• General Zhao warned Lin Taichu that the prime minister suspected him and was searching for evidence to use against him.
• Lin Taichu rejected his guard’s suggestion to strike first and ordered him to investigate the prime minister’s youngest son and his mistress, Cui’er.
• Lin Taichu arranged for Cui’er to question Li Ren about the prime minister’s dealings in exchange for money and help leaving the capital.
• Cui’er obtained a note listing officials and indicating that the prime minister planned to cut off Lin Taichu’s provisions at the end of the month.

Lin Taichu disrupted the Prime Minister’s plans with warnings and exposed a false treason charge, then investigated a Military Governor’s suspicious contact with the Prime Minister’s residence. He realized messages had likely been passed through Yingke Teahouse and left to plan how to catch the conspirators.

• Lin Taichu sent the Minister of Revenue a protective note and threatened officials of the Ministry of Personnel to keep them from aiding the Prime Minister.
• The Minister of Revenue stayed away from court, Ministry of Personnel officials avoided the Prime Minister, and General Zhao reported that the Prime Minister was furious.
• An official accused Lin Taichu of keeping the giant scorpion leader’s shell, but Lin produced the armory’s receipt and the Emperor dismissed the charge.
• Lin ordered an investigation into the Military Governors and learned that a trusted confidant of Military Governor Wu had stayed near the Prime Minister’s residence.
• Lin discovered that the confidant had visited Yingke Teahouse, whose rear window faced the residence’s back wall, and suspected it had been used to pass messages.

Lin Taichu captured Sun Yong, Governor Wu’s messenger, and learned that Sun’s family had vanished after he began carrying messages. He urged Sun to reveal the plot in exchange for help rescuing his family, but Sun remained torn and had not yet agreed to speak.

• Lin Taichu captured Governor Wu’s confidant at Yingke Teahouse and brought him to the Barracks for questioning.
• Lin Taichu gave the captive time instead of using harsh interrogation and ordered an investigation into his background.
• A personal soldier identified the man as Sun Yong, a captain in Governor Wu’s personal guard, and reported that Sun’s pregnant wife and parents had disappeared from Qinghe County.
• Lin Taichu confronted Sun with evidence that Governor Wu or the prime minister had likely taken his family hostage to force him to pass messages.
• Lin Taichu offered to rescue Sun’s family if he revealed the messages and the plot, but Sun feared they would be killed and could not decide whether to cooperate.

Sun Yong revealed that the prime minister had secretly allied with the Jin Kingdom and that Governor Wu had helped prepare for an invasion. Lin Taichu rescued Sun Yong's family and began seeking decisive proof, ending by asking Sun Yong whether he had ever seen the Jin envoy.

• Sun Yong told Lin Taichu that the prime minister had agreed to open the capital's gates to the Jin Kingdom after the autumn harvest, while Governor Wu supplied defense maps and provisions information.
• Lin Taichu sent men to Qingzhou Prefecture to locate Sun Yong's family and hid Sun Yong in the barracks as a cook.
• After finding the family in Zhou Ping's care, Lin Taichu sent soldiers to rescue them and bring them to the capital.
• Lin Taichu arranged for Sun Yong's reunited family to stay under guard behind the barracks, and Sun Yong pledged his loyalty.
• Lin Taichu considered how to prove the prime minister's treason without being accused of framing him, then asked Sun Yong whether he had seen the Jin envoy.

Lin Taichu broke into the prime minister's residence and found letters proving the prime minister's conspiracy with the Jin Kingdom, along with an account book recording aid to the enemy. Sun Yong escaped with the evidence while Lin Taichu stayed behind to fight the Guards.

• Lin Taichu planned to search the prime minister's residence during the palace banquet, when its guards would be fewer.
• Lin Taichu left the banquet, entered the residence with Sun Yong and four Personal Soldiers, and found a hidden room behind the study's bookshelf.
• Sun Yong found letters between the prime minister and the Jin Kingdom, and Lin Taichu found an account book detailing the delivery of maps and provisions.
• When Guards discovered the break-in, Lin Taichu sent Sun Yong through a dog hole with the evidence and stayed behind to cover their escape.
• Lin Taichu faced the Guards led by Scarface and fought his way against them in the courtyard.

Lin Taichu fought the Guards at the prime minister’s residence and faced Gao Yang, the Imperial Guard’s top master. After using his true qi to recover his strength, he injured Gao Yang and resumed their battle, with neither man yet defeated.

• Lin Taichu wounded several Guards but was gradually worn down as they surrounded him.
• Gao Yang arrived and demanded that Lin Taichu surrender, but Lin said he had sent evidence of treasonous collusion to the palace.
• Gao Yang disarmed Lin Taichu and struck him across the back while Scarface went to investigate a clash with Lin’s Personal Soldiers outside.
• Lin Taichu drew on his true qi, regained his speed and strength, and cut Gao Yang’s calf.
• Lin Taichu and Gao Yang continued fighting, with Lin’s fierce saber attacks forcing Gao Yang to defend himself.

Lin Taichu fought Gao Yang through a prolonged battle, refusing to surrender despite his injuries and dwindling strength. After striking Gao Yang hard enough to make him spit blood, Lin Taichu limped toward the courtyard gate.

• Lin Taichu spent his remaining true qi on a powerful saber strike, and Gao Yang admitted that he had underestimated him but warned he would not escape.
• Wang Yong screamed in the distance, prompting Lin Taichu to rush for the courtyard exit as Gao Yang pursued him.
• Gao Yang used his Five Thunder Strike against Lin Taichu, eventually knocking him down and pinning him to the ground.
• Lin Taichu spat a corrosive substance onto Gao Yang's sleeve and challenged him to fight again.
• The two battled for a long time until lightning injured Lin Taichu and sent him to the ground.
• Lin Taichu struck Gao Yang in the stomach, making him stagger and spit blood, then limped toward the gate.

Lin Taichu brought evidence that Prime Minister Zhang was conspiring with the Jin Kingdom before the emperor, but Zhang’s hidden soldiers attacked the palace. Lin Taichu and Gao Yang fought to protect the emperor as the Jin soldiers gained the upper hand, and an unseen attack came at Lin Taichu from behind.

• Gao Yang stopped Lin Taichu from escaping the residence until an imperial decree summoned them both to the palace.
• Sun Yong presented letters and account books implicating Prime Minister Zhang in treason, and the emperor ordered the guards to seize him.
• Prime Minister Zhang summoned black-clothed Jin Kingdom soldiers, who attacked the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
• Lin Taichu and Gao Yang joined the Imperial Guards to defend the emperor as the Jin soldiers began to overwhelm them.
• After Lin Taichu cut down an attacker, a gust of wind suddenly struck him from behind.

Lin Taichu and Gao Yang helped defend the emperor from the Prime Minister’s Jin soldiers until the Town Suppressing General’s reinforcements arrived. After recovering from their wounds, they clarified that Gao Yang had secretly been investigating the Prime Minister and had only pretended to fight Lin Taichu.

• Lin Taichu and Gao Yang fought side by side to protect the emperor as the Prime Minister’s Black-clothed Men overwhelmed the Imperial Guards.
• The Town Suppressing General’s reinforcements entered the hall, captured the Jin soldiers and arrested the Prime Minister.
• Lin Taichu woke the next afternoon and learned that Gao Yang was recovering in a nearby tent.
• Gao Yang told Lin Taichu that the emperor had ordered him to investigate the Prime Minister and that he had staged their earlier fight to avoid exposing his mission.
• Lin Taichu and Gao Yang discussed Wang Yong’s loyalty, their fighting styles and why the emperor needed evidence before acting against the Prime Minister.

After learning that the Jin Kingdom would attack early with Governor Wu’s rebel forces, Lin Taichu and Gao Yang were appointed to lead separate armies to defend Yanmen Pass and Juyong Pass. They began preparing for the campaign, with Lin Taichu identifying a damaged section of Yanmen Pass’s defenses that needed immediate repairs.

• Lin Taichu and Gao Yang recovered together in the barracks before the Emperor summoned them to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
• The Town Suppressing General revealed that the Jin Kingdom planned to invade next month, armed with leaked defense information, and Governor Wu had defected with fifty thousand troops.
• The Emperor appointed Lin Taichu and Gao Yang as Great Generals Who Suppress the Nation, assigning them eighty thousand troops at Yanmen Pass and seventy thousand at Juyong Pass.
• Lin Taichu requested Sun Yong for his knowledge of Governor Wu’s defenses, while Gao Yang requested three hundred Imperial Guards; the Emperor granted both requests and ordered them to depart in three days.
• Lin Taichu and Gao Yang summoned their deputy generals and began reviewing maps; Lin Taichu pointed out that a gorge’s damaged defenses at Yanmen Pass needed immediate repairs.

Lin Taichu led reinforcements to Yanmen Pass and found the Jin army camped nearby with ample supplies and catapults, but refusing to attack. He recognized that the enemy was using repeated false alarms to exhaust his troops, and the Jin continued the tactic as the chapter ended.

• Lin Taichu ordered two thousand men to fortify a gorge before he and Gao Yang received swords from the emperor and departed for the border.
• Lin Taichu reached Yanmen Pass, inspected the Jin camp, and ordered stronger watches and scouting after learning that more than a hundred thousand Jin soldiers had arrived without attacking.
• Sun Yong reported that the Jin had plentiful supplies and new catapults, while Gao Yang confirmed that the enemy at Juyong Pass was also holding back.
• Lin Taichu decided not to attack first and warned Sun Yong that the Jin intended to wear down their smaller force.
• When scouts reported apparent attacks, Lin Taichu repeatedly assembled his troops, then realized the Jin were staging false threats to deprive the Soldiers of rest.
• The Jin kept alternating displays of catapults, cavalry, and formations before the pass, while Lin Taichu’s troops remained on alert.