Chapter Summaries

Li Xiao faced Wang Chongshan’s cavalry formation and stopped its charge with a single arrow, injuring Wang and forcing him to admit defeat. The onlookers hailed Li Xiao as a potential general, while Wang acknowledged his superior strength.

• Wang Chongshan charged Li Xiao with dozens of armored cavalry to test his archery and the power of the military formation.
• Li Xiao drew Snow Dragon Ridge and released an arrow infused with Swift Wind Thunderclap Arrow Intent.
• Wang Chongshan met the arrow with his lance, but its force bent the weapon, split his hands, and drove his warhorse backward.
• The arrow’s impact disrupted the cavalry formation, which halted dozens of zhang from Li Xiao.
• The spectators cheered Li Xiao and praised his potential as a fierce general.
• Wang Chongshan dismounted, approached Li Xiao, and admitted defeat.

After Li Xiao defeated Wang Chongshan’s armored cavalry with one arrow, he declined Wang Chongshan’s offer to stay in Nanzhou and pursue rank and wealth, choosing instead to seek a wider world. Wang Chongshan secured support for Wang Jinshan’s appointment as Willow City’s County Lieutenant, and Li Xiao prepared to leave.

• Li Xiao and Wang Chongshan acknowledged each other’s strengths after Li Xiao forced back Wang Chongshan and his armored cavalry with one arrow.
• Wang Chongshan invited Li Xiao to remain under Prince of Nanyang, but Li Xiao declined and said he wanted to explore the wider world.
• News of Li Xiao’s feat spread through Tianyang Commandery, while Wang Chongshan went to ask Commandery Governor Zhou Mingyuan to appoint Wang Jinshan as Willow City’s County Lieutenant.
• Zhou Mingyuan agreed to appoint Wang Jinshan, wary of displeasing Li Xiao after learning of his strength.
• Wang Shichong told Li Xiao that the County Lieutenant appointment had been approved as Li Xiao packed to leave.

Li Xiao thanked Wang Chongshan for securing Wang Jinshan’s appointment as Willow City’s County Lieutenant, then received the Wolf Rider Frost Shadow as a parting gift. After learning Frost Shadow ate meat, Li Xiao fed it and tested its remarkable speed before returning to the city.

• Li Xiao thanked Wang Chongshan after he confirmed Wang Jinshan was now the rightful County Lieutenant of Willow City.
• Wang Chongshan gave Li Xiao the Wolf Rider Frost Shadow, which had approached Li Xiao willingly.
• Wang Chongshan explained that Frost Shadow ate meat, preferably Exotic Beast Meat, and needed a large amount to gallop at full strength.
• Li Xiao fed Frost Shadow sauced beef, then rode it at high speed through the city and across the autumn plain.
• Li Xiao returned to Wang Chongshan and said he liked Frost Shadow, promising to treat the horse well.

Li Xiao used Qi Gazing to glimpse ominous black qi around Wang Chongshan and hidden potential in Wang Shichong before riding north. He left Tianyang Commandery still concerned about Wang Chongshan’s possible calamity and determined to settle the dangers threatening Willow City.

• Li Xiao saw strands of black qi clinging to Wang Chongshan’s fate but kept his observations to himself.
• Li Xiao noticed deep blue-green qi, pale blue threads, and faint purple intent around Wang Shichong, recognizing that he concealed ambition beneath his dandy persona.
• Li Xiao bid farewell to Wang Chongshan and Wang Shichong, then rode Frost Shadow north.
• Wang Shichong told Wang Chongshan he wondered whether Li Xiao would become famous, and reflected that he had decided to stop hiding his true self.
• As Li Xiao rode north, he resolved to investigate the possible danger to Wang Chongshan and remembered that he still needed to address the Feng Family’s connection to the provincial capital and the Wu Family’s threat.

Li Xiao arrived in Chiming Commandery and learned that the Wu Family controlled the city alongside the Commandery Governor Mansion. As he considered eliminating the family, Wu Qingshan announced himself upstairs at the inn.

• Li Xiao rode into Chiming Commandery on Frost Shadow, with soldiers letting him pass after noticing his imposing bow and steed.
• At Yuelai Inn, Li Xiao gave the waiter Exotic Beast Meat for Frost Shadow and ordered a meal of the same meat for himself.
• Li Xiao asked the waiter about the Wu Family and learned that Wu Zhenyue and the reclusive family ancestor were both Fourth Turn Great Martial Masters.
• The waiter explained that the Wu Family was joined to the Commandery Governor Mansion by marriage and held power across Chiming Commandery.
• Li Xiao considered what he had learned as Wu Qingshan loudly offered to pay for his companions' food and drink upstairs.

Wu Qingshan spotted Frost Shadow, a legendary Wolf Rider, and became determined to claim it for his father and secure the Wu Family heir position. He went downstairs to confront its calm owner, followed by the noble scions who had urged him on.

• Frost Shadow broke a waiter's leg after he tried to steal its Exotic Beast Meat.
• Wu Qingshan and the noble scions saw Frost Shadow and realized it was a legendary Wolf Rider.
• Wu Qingshan forced the waiter to reveal that the horse belonged to the composed man dining downstairs.
• Wu Qingshan imagined presenting Frost Shadow to Wu Zhenyue to win the Young Master position and, encouraged by his companions, went downstairs to claim it.

Li Xiao rejected Wu Qingshan’s demand for Frost Shadow by striking down one of his followers, then accepted Wu Qingshan’s three thousand taels. Wu Qingshan took the payment as agreement to sell the horse, while Li Xiao’s intentions remained unclear.

• Wu Qingshan introduced himself as the son of Wu Zhenyue and offered to pay Li Xiao for Frost Shadow.
• When a scion tried to grab Li Xiao, Li Xiao struck him with Iron Sand Palm and knocked him unconscious.
• Wu Qingshan and his followers threatened Li Xiao, boasting about the Wu Family’s two Fourth-Turn Great Martial Masters.
• Wu Qingshan placed three thousand taels in Banknotes on the table and demanded that Li Xiao leave Frost Shadow behind.
• Li Xiao picked up the Banknotes and tucked them into his robes, prompting Wu Qingshan to laugh and assume he had agreed.

Li Xiao let Wu Qingshan take Frost Shadow while considering how to gain a legitimate pretext against the Wu Family. At the Commandery Governor Mansion, Madam Wu had Jin Se beaten and ordered her sold, while Zhou Mingyuan stood by, unable to oppose her.

• Wu Qingshan and his companions took Frost Shadow after paying Li Xiao three thousand taels, and Wu Qingshan proudly rode the horse.
• Li Xiao restrained himself from attacking Wu Qingshan, recalling Qian Li’s warning about the consequences of killing without cause, and decided he needed a clear pretext against the Wu Family.
• Zhou Mingyuan entered the rear courtyard and found Madam Wu’s servants beating Jin Se on her orders.
• Madam Wu accused Jin Se of encouraging Zhou Xiong to compete with her son for position, then ordered Jin Se locked up and sold to a brothel.
• Zhou Mingyuan did not stop the servants from taking Jin Se away, and Madam Wu reminded him that he depended on the Wu Family.

After witnessing Jin Se’s abuse and sale, Zhou Mingyuan brooded over his powerlessness under the Wu Family’s control. Li Xiao secretly entered the Commandery Governor Mansion and asked Zhou to help destroy the Wu Family, but Zhou doubted he could overcome its two Fourth Turn Great Martial Masters.

• Zhou Mingyuan returned to his study after Jin Se was beaten and sold, lamenting that the Wu Family had reduced him to a powerless figurehead.
• Li Xiao emerged from behind the folding screen, blocked Zhou Mingyuan’s palm with a punch, and persuaded him not to raise the alarm.
• Li Xiao confronted Zhou Mingyuan about standing by while Jin Se suffered, but Zhou dismissed his words as an attempt to sow discord.
• Li Xiao declared that he wanted Zhou Mingyuan’s help to eliminate the Wu Family, which he considered a mortal enemy.
• Zhou Mingyuan described the Wu Family’s two formidable Fourth Turn Great Martial Masters and questioned whether Li Xiao alone could defeat them.

Li Xiao revealed Jin Se’s abuse and the loss of her unborn child to Governor Zhou, urging him to act. Zhou rescued Jin Se from the Firewood Room and vowed that no one would hurt her again, while anger at the Wu Family began to burn within him.

• Zhou Mingyuan recognized Li Xiao and warned that he could not easily challenge the Wu Family alone.
• Li Xiao told Zhou that Jin Se was to be sold the next morning and that Madam Wu had caused her unborn child to be lost.
• Enraged, Zhou Mingyuan rushed to the Firewood Room and killed the two Wu Family guards who tried to stop him.
• Zhou found the severely injured Jin Se, believed her denial that she had seduced the young master, and carried her to his room.
• Zhou summoned a physician and promised Jin Se that no one would hurt her again.

Zhou Mingyuan learned that Jin Se’s unborn child had died after Madam Wu ordered her punished, and he confronted Madam Wu over her long-standing murders of his children. Li Xiao arrived and killed Madam Wu, leaving Zhou Mingyuan’s conflict with the Wu Family unresolved.

• The physician told Zhou Mingyuan that Jin Se was pregnant but had lost the child and needed careful treatment.
• Zhou Mingyuan recalled how Madam Wu had killed his children and concubines to protect her son’s position.
• Madam Wu defended her actions and reminded Zhou Mingyuan that the Wu Family had made him commandery governor.
• Zhou Mingyuan slapped Madam Wu and accused her of killing his children, but she admitted she had targeted Jin Se’s unborn child.
• Li Xiao urged Zhou Mingyuan to resist the Wu Family, then swiftly broke Madam Wu’s neck when she threatened him.

Li Xiao killed Madam Wu and forced Zhou Mingyuan to choose between opposing him and joining him against the Wu Family. At the Wu estate, Wu Qingshan presented Frost Shadow to Wu Zhenyue, who approved of the horse and ordered his son to investigate its previous owner before dealing with him.

• Li Xiao killed Madam Wu and offered Zhou Mingyuan the choice of arresting him or helping destroy the Wu Family.
• Zhou Mingyuan ordered the Commandery Governor Mansion sealed and sent commandery troops to surround the Wu estate.
• Li Xiao told Zhou Mingyuan he had come to Chiming Commandery to kill the Wu Family's two strongest members.
• Wu Qingshan presented Frost Shadow, a Wolf Rider, to Wu Zhenyue before the Wu Family elders and younger clansmen.
• Wu Zhenyue praised the horse, warned Wu Qingshan to learn its former owner's background, and ordered Frost Shadow taken to the rear courtyard.

Zhou Mingyuan surrounded the Wu Mansion with Commandery Soldiers and declared that he would arrest the Wu Family for its crimes after executing Madam Wu. Li Xiao revealed himself by shooting Wu Zhenyue with a Wind Thunder Arrow, leaving the Wu Patriarch wounded as Wu Qingshan recognized him.

• A servant warned Wu Zhenyue that Commandery Soldiers had surrounded the Wu Mansion, and the Wu Family rushed to the gates.
• Zhou Mingyuan accused the Wu Family of abusing its power, colluding with bandits, and murdering people, then ordered his soldiers to arrest them.
• Zhou Mingyuan revealed that he had executed Madam Wu after she killed his child and the woman he loved, and Wu Zhenyue drew his sword in fury.
• Li Xiao shot Wu Zhenyue with a Wind Thunder Arrow, breaking his sword and piercing his right arm.
• Wu Zhenyue ordered a trusted aide to summon the Wu Family Old Ancestor and demanded to know why Li Xiao was targeting them.
• Wu Qingshan recognized Li Xiao as the man who had sold him the Wolf Riders and realized he was the famed martial master.

Li Xiao confronted the Wu Family over Wu Qingshan stealing his Wolf Rider and rejected Wu Zhenyue’s offer of compensation, intent on destroying the family. He waited for the Wu Family Old Ancestor to emerge, hoping to test his growing strength against him and the wounded Wu Zhenyue.

• Li Xiao revealed that the Wolf Rider Wu Qingshan had ridden belonged to him, leaving Wu Qingshan terrified and Wu Zhenyue stunned.
• Wu Zhenyue offered to return the Wolf Rider and pay thirty thousand taels of silver, but Li Xiao demanded that Wu Zhenyue kill his son as an apology.
• Li Xiao recognized that Wu Zhenyue was stalling for the Wu Family Old Ancestor and chose to wait, while Zhou Mingyuan warned him to attack before the Old Ancestor arrived.
• Li Xiao considered his improved strength and Wu Zhenyue’s injuries as he waited for a chance to test himself against both Wu Family fighters.
• The Wu Family Old Ancestor emerged from the depths of the mansion, releasing a powerful Martial Way True Intent.

Li Xiao fought the Wu Family's Old Ancestor in a fierce battle, using his movement technique and wind-and-thunder arrows to wear the old man down. As the Old Ancestor launched a desperate sword strike, Wu Zhenyue tried to ambush Li Xiao but was struck down, leaving the fatal sword attack still bearing down on Li Xiao.

• The Wu Family's Old Ancestor emerged, recognized Li Xiao's strength, and challenged him to a fight to the death.
• Li Xiao dodged the Old Ancestor's sword and countered with arrows that forced the old man back and injured his hand.
• Wu Zhenyue watched the battle and prepared to attack Li Xiao with a short sword in his left hand.
• The Old Ancestor burned his qi and blood and unleashed a powerful sword strike as Wu Zhenyue launched his sneak attack.
• Li Xiao sensed Wu Zhenyue and knocked him away with a backward punch, while the Old Ancestor's sword reached Li Xiao's throat.

Li Xiao killed the Wu Family's Old Ancestor and Wu Zhenyue, then watched the Commandery Soldiers destroy the Wu Family. After waiting with Frost Shadow, he met Zhou Mingyuan at the Commandery Governor Mansion.

• Li Xiao used three arrows to kill the Wu Family's Old Ancestor, then ordered Zhou Mingyuan to deal with the remaining Wu Family members.
• Li Xiao killed the badly wounded Wu Zhenyue and walked to the rear courtyard to meet Frost Shadow.
• The Commandery Soldiers captured or killed the Wu Family members and seized the clan's assets while Li Xiao waited in the courtyard.
• Zhou Mingyuan finished directing the cleanup and returned to the Commandery Governor Mansion, where Li Xiao was waiting.

Li Xiao learned that Feng Tianshu, the Feng Family heir he sought, was favored by Nanzhou Governor Zhao, a powerful Round Marrow Realm expert. After disguising himself, Li Xiao reached the provincial capital and began gathering information about Feng Yushu, whose residence and routine he soon discovered.

• Li Xiao asked Commandery Governor Zhou Mingyuan about the Feng Family and learned that its surviving heir served in the provincial capital.
• Zhou Mingyuan explained the Fifth Turn realms and warned Li Xiao that Governor Zhao, Feng Tianshu's patron, had reached the Round Marrow Realm.
• Li Xiao thanked Zhou Mingyuan and left him to handle the Wu Family's affairs while considering how to deal with Feng Tianshu.
• Li Xiao left Chiming Commandery at dawn and traveled for three days to the provincial capital, disguising himself with coarse clothes and grass juice.
• Li Xiao rented a room at an inconspicuous inn and gathered information, learning Feng Yushu's residence and daily movements.

Li Xiao killed Feng Tianshu after hearing him confess that he knew Li Xiao had annihilated the Feng Family but had stayed silent while waiting to gain power. The next morning, the story shifted to the Governor’s Estate, where Nanzhou Governor Zhao Huan was introduced.

• Li Xiao learned that Feng Tianshu had discovered who killed the Feng Family but feared reporting it because of the political ties involved.
• Li Xiao entered Feng Tianshu’s residence at night and overheard him vow to seek revenge once he became Commandery Governor.
• Feng Tianshu recognized Li Xiao and tried to flee and call for help.
• Li Xiao killed Feng Tianshu by kicking a piece of gravel through his upper body, then escaped the courtyard.
• The next morning, Nanzhou Governor Zhao Huan sat in the main hall of the Governor’s Estate.

Zhao Huan learned that Feng Tianshu and the Wu Family had been killed by Li Xiao, but chose not to intervene and took note of Li Xiao’s strength. Li Xiao left the prefectural city and headed north, while Feng Tianning felt an ominous premonition and set out to descend the mountain.

• Zhao Huan heard that Feng Tianshu had been assassinated and the Wu Family had been executed, and dismissed the deaths as no concern of his.
• Zhao Huan praised Li Xiao’s strength and decided to let him act without interference.
• After three days in the prefectural city, Li Xiao retrieved Snow Dragon Ridge and Frost Shadow and rode north.
• Feng Tianning felt a powerful heart palpitation while drawing Talismans, and Xuanzhenzi warned it might signal calamity for him or someone tied to him.
• Feng Tianning suspected the Feng Family was in trouble and asked Xuanzhenzi for permission to descend the mountain, which Xuanzhenzi granted.

Li Xiao traveled through war-ravaged lands and killed a troop of Fengyang Military Governor’s soldiers who tried to seize Frost Shadow. He reached a desolate Prefecture City and approached a porridge shed run by a suspicious Daoist.

• Li Xiao rode north through famine-stricken villages and saw the devastation caused by the military governors’ armies.
• A captain and thirty or forty soldiers surrounded Li Xiao and tried to requisition Frost Shadow.
• Li Xiao used Dragon-Snake Illusory Body and Severing Gate Saber Technique to kill the soldiers and their captain.
• Li Xiao entered Prefecture City, where he saw starving residents and shuttered shops.
• Li Xiao noticed a suspicious Daoist serving porridge to a long line of commoners and walked toward the shed with Frost Shadow.