Recaps

After the Wei Kingdom surrendered, Qin Huo and Xiao Mo returned toward the Qin capital, while the Qin Kingdom's Lord considered rewarding Xiao Mo with command of the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry. Xiao Mo's fame spread through the capital, where Qin Siyao awaited his return, and he believed she would know he was coming home.

• After a month-long siege, the Wei Kingdom's ruler surrendered the capital to Qin Huo and Xiao Mo, and the Wei Kingdom became part of the Qin Kingdom.
• The Qin Kingdom's Lord praised Xiao Mo's achievements and considered giving him command of the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry after he returned to court.
• A storyteller recounted Xiao Mo's victory at Frost Red City as his fame and the popularity of Asura Masks and the Frost Red Formation Breaking Song spread through the Imperial Capital.
• Qin Siyao told Peanut that Xiao Mo would return soon and said she simply knew.
• As the army approached the Imperial Capital, Xiao Mo held the Small Clay Figure and told Zhao Wei that Qin Siyao would know he was coming home.

Xiao Mo returned to the Qin Kingdom after conquering the Wei Kingdom, received the title of Frost King, and met a young woman who told him he had become even better-looking. The chapter ended with their reunion outside the palace.

• Xiao Mo entered the Imperial Capital wearing his mask at Qin Huo's order, then revealed his face to the cheering crowd.
• Qin Huo praised Xiao Mo's military achievements before the Qin Kingdom's Lord, who rewarded him with gold, silk, a residence, and the title of Frost King.
• Xiao Mo left the palace wary of the Qin Kingdom's Lord's attempt to win his loyalty.
• A young woman in a pale pink gown greeted Xiao Mo outside the palace and said he had become even better-looking.

After returning to Xiao Manor, Xiao Mo reunited with his mother, Zhou Ruoxi, and shared a meal with her and Qin Siyao. Zhou Ruoxi received an imperial title that raised her standing, while a maid arrived to invite Xiao Mo to a welcoming banquet hosted by the Second Prince.

• Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao returned to Xiao Manor, where Cuicui recognized Xiao Mo and summoned Zhou Ruoxi.
• Xiao Mo reunited with Zhou Ruoxi and ate the meal she had prepared, reassuring her about his years in the army.
• Eunuch Li delivered an imperial decree granting Zhou Ruoxi the title of First Rank Imperial Lady and elevating her status in Xiao Manor.
• A maid from the Second Prince's Manor invited Xiao Mo to a welcoming banquet that evening.

Xiao Mo attended Qin Jingyuan’s banquet, where both Qin Jingyuan and Qin Jingsu tried to win his favor with lavish gifts. Qin Siyao diverted the gifts to herself and gave them to Xiao Mo, then took him home; afterward, Qin Jingyuan was left alone drinking and reflecting on the throne he could not relinquish.

• Xiao Mo arrived at Qin Jingyuan’s residence with Qin Siyao and watched a dance celebrating his victories at Frost Red City.
• Qin Jingyuan offered Xiao Mo a Snow-Treading Horse, and Qin Jingsu arrived with wine and presented him with dragonscale armor.
• Qin Siyao claimed the horse and armor from her brothers, then gave both gifts to Xiao Mo to spare him from owing the princes a favor.
• Xiao Mo drank with Qin Jingyuan and Qin Jingsu until Qin Siyao took his cup and escorted him from the banquet.
• Qin Jingsu left, and Qin Jingyuan drank alone, laughing as he wondered why he could never let go of the throne.

After Xiao Mo escaped the princes’ drinking pressure with Qin Siyao’s help, she took him to a secret lakeside spot and he made the moonlit water sparkle with his spear. The night ended with Qin Siyao admiring Xiao Mo as much as the beautiful lake.

• Xiao Mo thanked Qin Siyao for helping him avoid drinking and for taking the princes’ gifts so he would not owe them a favor.
• Qin Siyao invited Xiao Mo to repay her by following her, then rode with him out of the Imperial Capital on the Snow-Treading Horse.
• Qin Siyao brought Xiao Mo to a lake where she often went to find peace and had planned to take him when he returned.
• Xiao Mo used his spear to send water sparkling into the night sky, and Qin Siyao gazed at him and called it beautiful.

After returning to the capital, Xiao Mo settled into Frost King's Manor and turned down marriage proposals while Qin Siyao grew increasingly jealous and preoccupied with him. Peanut told Qin Siyao that she had fallen in love with Xiao Mo and that her only cure was to grow old with him.

• Xiao Mo's mother refused to move from Xiao Manor, so he visited her often while he waited for a new post.
• Officials proposed marriages to Xiao Mo, and young women sent him love letters or watched him; Qin Siyao threw away the letters and chased off his admirers.
• Qin Siyao realized she thought about Xiao Mo constantly and felt anxious whenever other women approached him.
• Qin Siyao saw Xiao Mo laughing with several young women, ran home, and told Peanut about her jealousy and unhappiness.
• Peanut told Qin Siyao that she was in love with Xiao Mo and that only growing old together could cure her illness.

Xiao Mo hosted women who wanted to meet him, then spent time with Qin Siyao as she tried to understand her feelings for him. After learning what kind of woman he liked, Qin Siyao asked whether he could like her.

• Xiao Mo saw off the wives and daughters of Flame King's friends, then returned to studying spear techniques.
• Qin Siyao visited Xiao Mo and brought him pastries while quietly watching him practice.
• Qin Siyao recalled Peanut Sister's claim that she had fallen for Xiao Mo and wondered if she truly liked him.
• Qin Siyao asked about the women at Xiao Mo's manor, and Xiao Mo said he had no interest in marrying any of them.
• Xiao Mo described the qualities he wanted in a wife, and Qin Siyao checked how well she matched them.
• Qin Siyao asked Xiao Mo, "Could you like me?"

Qin Siyao blurted out her feelings to Xiao Mo and fled in embarrassment, while the Qin Kingdom's Lord arranged for Xiao Mo to join Prince Zhenbei's campaign against Wei. Prince Zhenbei accepted the plan, and the Lord reaffirmed his confidence in Xiao Mo's talent.

• Qin Siyao asked Xiao Mo if he could like her, then hurried back to her room and admitted to herself that she liked him.
• The Qin Kingdom's Lord rewarded Prince Zhenbei for his military service and proposed promoting and recalling several veteran generals.
• While playing chess, the Qin Kingdom's Lord praised Xiao Mo's achievements and said he wanted him to prove himself through further military service.
• The Qin Kingdom's Lord ordered Prince Zhenbei to lead an army against Wei and proposed that Xiao Mo command fifty thousand Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry in support.
• Prince Zhenbei accepted the plan but said he would adjust Xiao Mo's position if his abilities proved insufficient, and the Qin Kingdom's Lord declared his confidence in his judgment.

Xia Qingke learned that Xiao Mo had been ordered to join the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry and campaign against the Wei Kingdom. Before departing, Xiao Mo visited Qin Siyao, and they confessed their feelings as she vowed to find him if he did not return.

• Xia Qingke learned from Consort Die's letter that Xiao Mo would join Prince Zhenbei's campaign against the Wei Kingdom, and she decided to summon Yichuan back from the mountain.
• Eunuch Li delivered an imperial decree appointing Xiao Mo Left General of the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry and ordering him to leave for the Northern Wastes in two days.
• Xiao Mo went to Qin Siyao's residence and told her he was leaving for the campaign, possibly for several years.
• Qin Siyao tried to stop Xiao Mo from going, but he explained that he wanted to win the right to marry her with a proper ceremony.
• Xiao Mo promised he would like Qin Siyao if he returned, and Qin Siyao vowed to find him if he did not come back and insisted he love her too.

Xiao Mo told Zhou Ruoxi that he had to leave for the Northern Wastelands, and Qin Siyao grew closer to his mother while helping prepare his farewell meal. As Xiao Mo set out, Qin Siyao passed along Zhou Ruoxi’s message that he would always have a home to return to.

• Xiao Mo told Zhou Ruoxi that he would leave for the Northern Wastelands the next morning, and she agreed to cook him a farewell meal.
• Qin Siyao helped Zhou Ruoxi prepare dinner, and the three shared a meal as Xiao Mo explained his mission while downplaying its dangers.
• Xiao Mo stayed overnight in the courtyard, and Zhou Ruoxi let Qin Siyao share her bed.
• The next morning, Xiao Mo left after breakfast, and Qin Siyao accompanied him toward the city gates.
• Qin Siyao told Xiao Mo that Zhou Ruoxi had said he could always return to a table of hot food in their courtyard.

Xiao Mo arrived at the Three Northern Wastelands to take up his post as Left General of the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry and met his father, Xiao Shi. As the army prepared to attack Bishui City, Xiao Shi asked Xiao Mo and Xiao Yishe which of them would lead the charge.

• Xiao Mo considered why his grandfather had moved the Xiao Family to the Imperial Capital and recognized the Qin ruler's plans for him and the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry.
• A month later, Xiao Mo reached the cavalry camp and saluted Xiao Shi, while Xiao Yishe stood nearby, still furious over their earlier fight.
• Xiao Shi reminded Xiao Mo that the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry recognized military ranks rather than noble titles, and Xiao Mo accepted the distinction.
• Xiao Shi and his officers chose Bishui City as their target and debated who should lead the charge against Xiahou Nan.
• Xiao Shi asked Xiao Mo and Xiao Yishe which of them was willing to lead the charge the next day.

Xiao Mo volunteered to face Xiahou Nan in the first clash and defeated several Wei Kingdom generals before overpowering the city lord. Xiao Shi stopped a Wei cultivator from striking Xiao Mo, then ordered the Northern Wilderness Army to attack Bishui City.

• Xiao Mo volunteered to take the first clash after Xiao Yishe hesitated, and Xiao Shi confirmed his decision despite the generals' doubts.
• Xiao Mo reunited with Xiao Gui, his new deputy, and told him that he would fight in the first clash the next day.
• Xiao Shi led the Northern Wilderness Army to Bishui City, where Xiahou Nan refused his offer to surrender and Xiao Mo rode out to challenge him.
• Xiao Mo killed Li Heilong, a general wielding a meteor hammer, and a Golden Core Realm Sword Cultivator in successive fights.
• Xiao Mo fought Xiahou Nan with his God-Slaying Spear and knocked him from his horse, but a Wei cultivator attacked Xiao Mo with a Mountain-Turning Seal.
• Xiao Shi blocked the seal and ordered the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry and the Northern Wilderness Army to charge.

Xiao Mo captured Mati City, broke through the Wei Kingdom’s southern defenses, and seized Yanmen Pass, cutting off the supply lines to the border cities. As the Wei Kingdom attacked Yanmen Pass and Xiao Shi assaulted Bishui City, Li Jing delivered Xiao Shi’s question: could Xiao Mo hold the pass for thirty days?

• Xiao Mo helped drive Xiahou Nan’s army behind Bishui City’s walls, then used a skirt and insulting letter to taunt him for refusing to fight.
• Xiao Mo studied the Wei Kingdom’s generals before Xiao Shi divided his army and sent him to attack Mati City.
• Xiao Mo spread rumors about Lian Li and Xiahou Nan, which stirred suspicion and panic at both kingdoms’ courts.
• Lian Li led Mati City’s army into battle, but Xiao Mo defeated and captured her, and the city’s soldiers surrendered.
• Xiao Mo captured four more cities and then seized Yanmen Pass, cutting off the supply lines to the Wei Kingdom’s southern border cities.
• Xiao Shi launched an assault on Bishui City while the Wei Kingdom sent troops against Yanmen Pass, and Li Jing asked Xiao Mo whether he could hold it for thirty days.

Xiao Mo rationed Yanmen Pass’s supplies, seized grain from wealthy merchants, and arranged thick porridge for the people before leading a cavalry charge that broke Wei Kingdom’s assault and reached Golden Core Realm. He returned to the city with the head of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, while Guo Xin vowed to take Yanmen Pass within twenty days and Xiao Shi continued his siege of Bishui City.

• Xiao Mo assessed Yanmen Pass’s dwindling supplies and ordered rationing, grain seizures from wealthy merchants, and daily porridge for the people.
• Zhao Guang and Xiao Gui seized most of the merchants’ grain, and the people of Yanmen Pass received thick porridge at distribution points.
• As Wei Kingdom attacked Yanmen Pass, Xiao Mo led the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry into the enemy ranks and underwent tribulation on the battlefield, reaching Golden Core Realm.
• Xiao Mo drove Guo Xin’s forces into retreat, killed a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, and hung the man’s head on the city wall before returning inside.
• Guo Xin ordered his army to capture Yanmen Pass within twenty days, while Xiao Shi remained before Bishui City as Xiahou Nan taunted him about whose city would fall first.

Xiao Mo led the defense of Yanmen Pass through repeated Wei Kingdom assaults and a raid on the besiegers’ camp, while his exhausted forces faced dwindling supplies. After rejecting Xiahou Nan’s offer to defect and giving Lian Li a letter for the Spear Immortal, Xiao Mo appeared to accept her plea to surrender; on the fifteenth day of the siege, an envoy arrived at Guo Xin’s camp announcing that Yanmen Pass was surrendering.

• Xiao Mo repelled Guo Xin’s night attacks and tunnel assaults, then raided the Wei Kingdom camp, destroying siege equipment and taking grain before escaping with his cavalry.
• Xiao Mo’s army continued holding Yanmen Pass as its numbers, supplies, and strength dwindled, while he learned that the southern cities were cut off.
• Yang Zhu delivered Xiahou Nan’s offer of riches and a princess in exchange for Xiao Mo’s surrender, but Xiao Mo refused and sent Yang Zhu away with Lian Li’s food and wine.
• Xiao Mo visited Lian Li in the dungeon, gave her a letter for Huang Shan, and told her he would surrender after she urged him not to die at Yanmen Pass.
• On the fifteenth day of the siege, a Northern Wilderness envoy arrived at Guo Xin’s camp and announced that Yanmen Pass was surrendering.

Guo Xin received Li Jing’s proposal for Xiao Mo to surrender Yanmen Pass to the Wei Kingdom and agreed to accept it while seeking the ruler’s approval. At Bishui City, Xiao Shi continued the assault, while Qin Siyao learned of the surrender and feared the report was false because Xiao Mo would never surrender.

• Li Jing told Guo Xin that Xiao Mo would surrender Yanmen Pass in exchange for an official edict granting him high rank, a fief, marriage to a Wei princess, and titles for his generals.
• After consulting his generals, Guo Xin agreed to accept the surrender, sent a message to Yanmen Pass, and ordered his army to remain vigilant.
• Xiao Shi learned that Yanmen Pass had requested surrender, reprimanded Xiao Yishe for condemning Xiao Mo, and ordered the assault on Bishui City to continue in secrecy.
• Qin Siyao found a battle report saying the Wei ruler had accepted Xiao Mo’s surrender and granted him a title, three provinces, and marriage to the Grand Princess.
• Qin Siyao asked Peanut to take her to the Northern Wilderness front lines, insisting through tears that Xiao Mo was too stubborn to surrender.

Xiao Mo accepted the Wei Kingdom’s surrender terms while secretly weighing how to protect his army from Guo Xin. He promised to open Yanmen Pass in two days, but when Guo Xin’s troops gathered outside, the gates remained shut.

• Xiao Mo accepted the Wei emperor’s decree granting him the title of Frost King, a three-province fief, and a marriage to Princess Xu Shenggē.
• Xiao Mo told Meng Cang he would open Yanmen Pass in two days, then discussed with his commanders how the Wei Kingdom might exploit their surrender.
• Xiao Mo questioned whether Wei’s generous terms were sincere and remarked that ten days remained.
• Meng Cang reported to Guo Xin that Xiao Mo had agreed to surrender and promised to open the gates.
• Guo Xin planned to force Xiao Mo’s soldiers into the vanguard and dismissed the value of the promised fief and marriage.
• Two days later, Guo Xin assembled his army outside Yanmen Pass, but Xiao Mo did not open the gates.

Xiao Mo’s forces endured Guo Xin’s renewed siege as Yanmen Pass ran out of food and its City Protection Array neared collapse. On the thirtieth morning, Xiao Mo left Lian Li’s cell insisting that the people themselves could still defend the city.

• After Guo Xin learned that Xiao Mo had used a false illness to stall for time, he ordered the Wei army to attack Yanmen Pass again.
• Xiao Mo commanded the city’s defense day and night, while more than ten thousand local men joined him and soldiers marked each day they held the walls.
• As the siege dragged on, food ran out and the soldiers resorted to eating fallen warhorses, while the civilians endured increasingly thin porridge.
• With three days left, the City Protection Array was close to breaking, and Xiao Mo admitted to Lian Li that the city could no longer hold out by ordinary means.
• On the morning of the thirtieth day, Xiao Mo unlocked Lian Li’s cell and told her that even with the food gone and the array broken, the people could still fight.

Xiao Mo gathered the Northern Wilderness Army before the final battle for Yanmen Pass, admitting that reinforcements might not arrive and offering the soldiers the chance to leave. Every soldier stepped forward, and they vowed to die with him.

• Chen Dong reflected on how Xiao Mo had earned the soldiers’ trust through his victories and his willingness to share their hardships.
• Xiao Mo addressed the gathered army on the thirtieth day of defending Yanmen Pass, saying the city had run out of food and its City Protection Array was close to breaking.
• Xiao Mo announced that his troops would fight one last battle against Wei Kingdom and told anyone who wished to leave that he would not blame them.
• All 30,000 soldiers stepped forward, and Xiao Mo asked them to die with him.
• The soldiers shouted that they were willing to die with the general.

After leaving the dungeon, Lian Li returned to Yanmen Pass’s walls and watched Xiao Mo lead the outnumbered Northern Wilderness Army into battle after the City Protection Array fell. The Wei army was driven back, but Wei Han vowed to kill Xiao Mo before his growing strength threatened them.

• Xiao Gui returned Lian Li’s belongings and told her she could leave Yanmen Pass or stay to face the Wei army.
• Lian Li hung Xiao Mo’s token at her waist and went to the northern gate, where she saw the City Protection Array shatter.
• Xiao Mo led 5,223 Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry and 25,420 Northern Wilderness infantry against the Wei army.
• Xiao Mo repeatedly outmaneuvered Guo Xin’s forces, driving their front line back despite being outnumbered.
• Wei Han promised Guo Xin that he would kill Xiao Mo within two hours and said Xiao Mo had to die that day.

Xiao Mo and the last five hundred Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry prepared to die defending Yanmen Pass when Guo Xin offered him a chance to surrender. Just as the Wei Kingdom army closed in, reinforcements burst from the pass, and Si Yao reached Xiao Mo and demanded to know why he would not surrender.

• Xiao Mo fought for nearly thirty days at Yanmen Pass, and the five thousand Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry who had charged with him dwindled to five hundred.
• Surrounded by Guo Xin's forces, Xiao Mo refused to escape or surrender and led the remaining cavalry in a final charge.
• Lian Li watched from the wall as tens of thousands of Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry emerged from the north gate, led by General Huang, Fang Weiming, and Zhang Kui.
• A Vermilion Bird attacked the Wei Kingdom army with flames after the Anti-flight Magic Array was destroyed.
• Si Yao jumped from the Vermilion Bird, ran to Xiao Mo, hugged him, and tearfully called him an idiot for refusing to surrender.

After the Northern Wilderness Army defeated the Wei forces at Yanmen Pass, Xiao Mo honored the fallen, gained command of a greatly expanded force, and prepared with Xiao Shi to attack Yuetong Pass. Lian Li left to travel the kingdoms, while Qin Siyao spent a tender evening with Xiao Mo and asked what he thought of being called the Frost Queen Consort.

• Xiao Shi's main force routed Guo Xin's Wei army at Yanmen Pass, and Xiao Shi ordered survivors rescued, provisions distributed, and the city's defenses reinforced.
• Xiao Mo and the Northern Wilderness Army commemorated their fallen comrades; Xiao Shi then placed fifty thousand Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry riders and two hundred thousand infantry under Xiao Mo's command.
• Xiao Mo learned how the Northern Wilderness Army had captured the eleven southern border cities after Sunset Glow City's deputy killed its lord and surrendered the city, forcing Xiahou Nan to break out.
• Xiao Shi, Xiao Mo, and the generals decided to rest for ten days, then attack Yuetong Pass and advance toward the Wei capital in five forces.
• Lian Li told Xiao Mo she planned to travel through the kingdoms, then left; Qin Siyao emerged from hiding, teased Xiao Mo about Lian Li, and joined him at a camp gathering.
• Qin Siyao drank Sangluo Wine, became drunk, and told Xiao Mo she preferred being called the Frost Queen Consort as he carried her back.

Qin Siyao woke bashful and happy after confessing her feelings to Xiao Mo, then joined him for a stroll through Yanmen Pass. As they spoke about war and a future golden age, Xiao Mo promised to see it with her.

• Qin Siyao blushed as she remembered telling Xiao Mo that she liked the title “Frost Queen Consort,” and Peanut announced that Xiao Mo had come to visit.
• Xiao Mo thanked Peanut for helping at Yanmen Pass and learned that she had been cast out by the Vermilion Bird clan.
• Xiao Mo invited Qin Siyao to walk around town, and she eagerly left with him.
• Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao saw Yanmen Pass slowly recovering from the war and discussed how a united world under a wise ruler might end wars and bring peace.
• Qin Siyao asked Xiao Mo to stay by her side when the golden age arrived, and he promised they would see it together.

After conquering Yuetong Pass, Xiao Mo led the Northern Wilderness Army toward Wei Kingdom’s capital while Xiao Yishe struggled with his growing irrelevance. In Qin Kingdom, a scholar acting for Jin Kingdom’s Prime Minister offered Qin Jingyuan help in competing for the crown prince position.

• Qin Siyao left Yanmen Pass with Peanut, and the Northern Wilderness Army prepared to advance after reorganizing and absorbing surrendered soldiers.
• Xiao Shi’s forces captured Yuetong Pass in less than half a month and divided the army into five offensives toward Wei Kingdom’s capital.
• Xiao Mo learned that Xiao Manor’s eldest young master was coming from the Taoshan Sect, while Xiao Yishe hoped his brother would replace Xiao Mo in the army.
• Xiao Yishe delivered the Northern Wilderness King’s orders to Xiao Mo, then watched Xiao Mo lead 250,000 soldiers out while the formation’s officers barred his way.
• A scholar representing Jin Kingdom’s Prime Minister told Qin Jingyuan that Jin Kingdom was willing to help him challenge the First Prince’s rise.

The Wei Kingdom prepared to defend its capital as Xiahou Nan assigned commanders to confront the Northern Wilderness Army. Xiao Mo pinned Du Beiwang at Fengshang City, then feigned a withdrawal to lure him into an ambush, leaving their armies poised for battle.

• The Wei ruler spared Xiahou Nan, gave him full military authority, and let him appoint commanders to face the Northern Wilderness Army.
• Xiahou Nan asked Du Beiwang to confront Xiao Mo, who had already captured two cities before reaching Fengshang City.
• Xiao Mo defeated Gu Yuan in battle, while Du Beiwang retreated behind Fengshang City's walls and endured Xiao Mo's challenges and raids.
• Xiao Mo taunted Du Beiwang with a poem, and the two commanders fought a month-long contest of attacks and counterattacks around Fengshang City.
• Xiao Mo falsely claimed that the Chu Kingdom had attacked Qin and withdrew, persuading Du Beiwang to march out and try to recover lost cities.
• Xiao Mo revealed the deception and surrounded Du Beiwang's army on a plain; Du Beiwang ordered his troops to attack.