Recaps

Shen Tang asked the new alliance leader to lend her a piece of land in exchange for claiming the greatest credit, then grew desperate to leave the long meeting after drinking too much tea. She rushed into the forest with Gu Chi waiting outside, where an explosion suddenly sounded.

• Shen Tang asked the new alliance leader to rent her a piece of territory if she earned the greatest credit, and explained that she chose him because he had land and resources.
• The new alliance leader appointed Gu Ren to oversee provisions, while the factions argued over troop assignments and kept their forces together under unified command.
• After drinking cup after cup of tea during the meeting, Shen Tang woke with an urgent need to relieve herself and asked Qi Shan to stop her from drinking so much when she got drunk.
• Gu Chi offered to accompany Shen Tang, but waited outside as she hurried into the forest.
• An explosion suddenly sounded from Shen Tang's direction, startling Gu Chi.

Shen Tang stumbled upon Shao Chong attacking the wounded Zhai brothers and fought him off, then learned Chu Yao and Gongshu Wu had fled Xiaocheng with the Rebel Army pursuing them. Certain Chu Yao was alive, she set off to find him, while Gu Chi followed and the Alliance Army arrived to meet the Zhai brothers.

• After getting lost in the forest, Shen Tang heard a fight and found Shao Chong attacking Zhai Le, so she intervened and pulled Zhai Le to safety.
• Shen Tang defeated Shao Chong, while Gu Chi restrained him; Zhai Le explained that he and Zhai Huan had escaped Xiaocheng as Chu Yao and Gongshu Wu led the surviving garrison away from the Rebel Army.
• Shen Tang insisted Chu Yao was alive and asked which way he had gone; Zhai Huan pointed her toward the route, and Shen Tang rushed into the forest to find him.
• Gu Chi followed Shen Tang, while the Zhai brothers met the arriving Alliance Army and Qi Shan learned that Shen Tang had gone to find Chu Yao.

Chu Yao and a mysterious young man discussed the forces converging on Xiaocheng and the qualities of potential lords. Their conversation was interrupted when someone hidden nearby laughed.

• The young man treated the gravely wounded Gongshu Wu, while Chu Yao explained that few of his soldiers had survived the battle at Xiaocheng.
• The young man told Chu Yao that Zheng Qiao had offered titles and land to those who fought King Zhi, and that more than twenty factions were heading for Xiaocheng.
• Chu Yao encouraged the young man to seek a capable lord and suggested Wu Zhaode, but the young man rejected him as easily swayed by his wives.
• Chu Yao suggested Gu Ren, but the young man rejected him for swearing brotherhood with twelve people.
• Someone laughed in the darkness, and the young man immediately demanded to know who was there.

Shen Tang reunited with Chu Yao, who had been rescued by Kang Shi, and met Gu Chi at the cave. As the group waited for daybreak, Kang Shi explained that he was still searching for a lord who suited him and revealed his love of gambling.

• Shen Tang found Chu Yao in a cave and learned that Kang Shi had saved his life.
• Kang Shi asked how Shen Tang had passed his maze formation, and Gu Chi explained that he had broken it.
• Gu Chi asked Kang Shi about potential lords, but Kang Shi rejected Zhang He because he did not like his looks.
• The group stayed in the hills overnight because the wounded could not travel, and Gu Chi took the night watch.
• Kang Shi showed Shen Tang his jade dice and invited her to gamble, explaining that he always lost because of the Way of the Scholar.

Shen Tang played dice with Kang Shi, who unexpectedly won ten rounds in a row and reacted with shock rather than triumph. After questioning Shen Tang about her family and trusted allies, Kang Shi learned she had two capable confidants: Qi Shan and Chu Yao.

• Kang Shi showed off his dice-shaking technique but rolled only four points, while Shen Tang rolled three ones.
• Kang Shi challenged Shen Tang to another round, rolled sixes across all three dice, and continued winning until they had played ten rounds.
• Shen Tang quit in frustration, and Kang Shi stared at her in disbelief, asking whether he had really won all ten rounds.
• Kang Shi asked how many younger sisters-in-law Shen Tang had, then asked how many capable confidants she could rely on.
• Shen Tang said she had two confidants, Qi Shan and Chu Yao, while Gu Chi heard her thoughts.

Kang Shi explained that his gambling-based Way of the Scholar could bring a powerful but dangerous misfortune to his liege lord, so he decided to keep observing Shen Tang before committing to her. After waking, Shen Tang learned that two soldiers had died and prepared to return to the Alliance Army camp, leaving Chu Yao startled by her plan.

• Kang Shi told Shen Tang that losing to him could mean she was a True Dragon, but his completed Way of the Scholar would burden its liege lord with bad luck, so he chose to observe her longer.
• Gu Chi heard Kang Shi's thoughts and suspected that Shen Tang's real danger was Kang Shi, while Shen Tang blamed her repeated sneezing on Qi Shan badmouthing her.
• Shen Tang woke at dawn and learned from Chu Yao that two wounded soldiers had died and been buried, leaving only forty-six survivors.
• Chu Yao said Banbu's injuries had stabilized after Gongxi Chou defeated Gongshu Wu, and Shen Tang resolved that surviving the encounter was a fortunate outcome.
• Shen Tang told Chu Yao to pack so they could return to the Alliance Army camp, and Chu Yao stared at her in surprise.

Shen Tang brought Chu Yao and the others back safely to the Alliance Army camp, where Qi Shan met the unfamiliar Kang Shi. Kang Shi recognized Qi Shan from childhood and asked whether Qi Shan knew who he was.

• Shen Tang told Chu Yao she was working with the Alliance Army to secure a foothold and shared that Lin Feng and Tu Rong had survived, though Tu Rong’s family had died.
• Gu Chi informed Shen Tang that the men were ready to leave, and Kang Shi joined their group for the journey back.
• Shen Tang’s group evaded Rebel Army search parties and reached the Alliance Army camp, where Qi Shan let them in after Shen Tang called for him.
• Qi Shan explained that Zhai Yuewen and the others were recovering, while Gu Ren had not explained Shao Chong’s outburst.
• Kang Shi introduced himself to Qi Shan, then asked whether Qi Shan recognized him from childhood.

Shen Tang watched Qi Shan leave with Kang Shi, worried they might fight, while the two men privately confronted Qi Shan’s stolen identity. Qi Shan revealed that the real Qi Shan had died years ago, leaving Kang Shi reeling.

• Shen Tang tried to ease the tension and stepped between Qi Shan and Kang Shi before Kang Shi invited Qi Shan to talk privately.
• Kang Shi recognized Qi Shan as an impostor and demanded to know who he really was and where Yuan Liang had gone.
• Qi Shan identified himself as Tan Qu, also known as Tan Lezheng, and explained that he had taken the real Qi Shan’s identity.
• Kang Shi pressed Qi Shan for the truth, and Qi Shan admitted that Yuan Liang was dead.
• Qi Shan recounted how the real Qi Shan had died and explained that he had kept the truth from the Qi Clan and Kang family.

Kang Shi confronted Qi Shan about assuming Tan Qu’s identity, but learned Qi Shan intended to honor the life Tan Qu had traded to save him. Their conversation turned to family and adoption before Qi Shan discovered Kang Shi had taken a liking to Shen Tang, leaving him stunned and jealous.

• Kang Shi challenged Qi Shan for using Tan Qu’s identity, and Qi Shan asked him not to expose the truth because Tan Qu had traded his life to save him.
• Qi Shan asked about the Kang family and said he hoped to adopt a child into the family someday, while Kang Shi suggested he marry a Kang relative and have children instead.
• Kang Shi admitted he had come to see whether he liked anyone and said Shen Tang had caught his eye.
• Qi Shan reacted with shock and anger when Kang Shi revealed his interest in Shen Tang.
• Shen Tang privately asked Qi Shan whether he and Kang Shi had fought and who had won, and Qi Shan said they had more or less drawn.

After waking from a two-day recovery, Gongshu Wu recognized the debts he owed Shen Tang’s allies and pledged himself to Shen Tang. His allegiance strengthened Shen Tang’s small force as it joined the campaign against King Zhi’s Rebel Army.

• Shen Tang climbed onto the palisade to scout the Rebel Army’s silent camps, but Qi Shan warned her not to look like a spy.
• Shen Tang learned Gongshu Wu had awakened after sleeping for two days to recover from a difficult breakthrough.
• Gongshu Wu reflected on how Wu Lang, Qi Shan, and Chu Yao had each saved him, and Chu Yao questioned whether he would willingly submit to Shen Tang.
• Shen Tang told Gongshu Wu that she was gathering troops and doing what she could in the Alliance Army’s campaign against King Zhi’s Rebel Army.
• Gongshu Wu knelt before Shen Tang, offered her the Martial Gall Tiger Tally, and pledged to serve her with all his strength.

Shen Tang accepted Gongshu Wu’s allegiance and the National Seal, then faced Captain Yang after he awakened and learned of his losses. As the alliance prepared to attack Xiaocheng, the chapter ended with Gongxi Chou being summoned to a banquet by his adoptive father.

• Shen Tang accepted Gongshu Wu’s Martial Gall Tiger Tally and the National Seal, which flowed into her Dantian.
• Qi Shan and Chu Yao confirmed that Gongshu Wu had explained everything and handed the seal to Shen Tang.
• Shen Tang visited the awakened Captain Yang, admitted she had intercepted the Tax Silver, and learned that he had lost his family as well as his strength.
• Wu Xian ordered the alliance army to attack, and Shen Tang confirmed she would lead the first battle.
• Gongxi Chou ignored the old general’s officials while recovering, then learned that his adoptive father had invited him to a banquet.

Gongxi Chou was ordered by his adoptive father to lead ten thousand elite troops against the Alliance Army, while refusing to take advantage of the woman assigned to him. As the two armies met on the same road, Alliance Lord Wu Xian learned that Gongxi Chou commanded the opposing force.

• Gongxi Chou reluctantly attended a feast, rejected a dancing girl, then agreed to let her stay after his adoptive father ordered him to lead troops against Wu Xian's Alliance Army.
• Gongxi Chou told the woman he would not take her because he practiced the Chastity Cultivation Technique, and she chose to remain under his protection.
• Gongxi Chou warned his adopted elder brother not to interfere with his territory, then led ten thousand elite soldiers out to march against the Alliance Army.
• Both armies mobilized at the same time and took the same road, and Alliance Lord Wu Xian learned that the enemy banner bore Gongxi Chou's name.

Alliance Leader Wu Xian’s army faced Xiaocheng’s forces, and Zhao Feng rode out to fight their first challenger while Gongxi Chou watched from the sidelines. Zhao Feng built up his strength through successive blows, but the duel’s outcome remained unresolved.

• Wu Xian’s assembled forces wavered as both sides prepared to attack, and Zhao Feng volunteered to fight for the Alliance Army.
• Qi Shan told Shen Tang that Zhao Feng was a formidable former elite of one of his past lords, while Shen Tang fretted over her mule Motorcycle and her own lack of a strong mount.
• Wu Xian gave Zhao Feng permission to fight, and Zhao Feng charged out with his bronze club.
• A Xiaocheng general met Zhao Feng in battle as Gongxi Chou watched, confident that the opponent posed little threat to him.
• Zhao Feng exchanged several rounds of blows with his opponent and explained that each strike stored Martial Spirit for a devastating final attack.

Zhao Feng fought the Rebel Army’s bearded general in the opening duel, while Shen Tang and the Alliance Army watched anxiously. Zhao Feng revealed a second bronze mace and began to gain the upper hand, leaving the battle poised for an Alliance victory.

• Zhao Feng struggled to defeat the bearded general, who matched him in speed, strength, and experience.
• Shen Tang realized Zhao Feng was fighting with only one mace, and Gu Chi suggested that he might be holding back.
• Gu Ren quietly arranged for Chao Lian to prepare for the possibility that Zhao Feng might lose.
• Wu Xian and Gongsu remained confident as they watched Zhao Feng warm up against a worthy opponent.
• Zhao Feng produced a second bronze mace and unleashed a stronger attack, gradually turning the duel in his favor.

Zhao Feng nearly defeated the Bearded Man general, but Gongxi Chou intervened and sent him flying, revealing his overwhelming strength. As the Alliance Army reacted to Gongxi Chou’s arrival, Zhao Feng charged him and Gongxi Chou caught his bronze maces with two fingers.

• Zhao Feng blocked the Bearded Man general’s attack and blasted him away with a roar, then moved in to strike him down.
• Gongxi Chou intervened before Zhao Feng could hit the Bearded Man general, sending Zhao Feng and his horse flying and ordering the defeated general back to his formation.
• Wu Xian, Gu Ren, and the Alliance Army were shocked to learn that the imposing newcomer was Gongxi Chou.
• Young General vowed to twist off Gongxi Chou’s head, while Shen Tang declared Gongxi Chou her soulmate and kindred spirit in music.
• Zhao Feng retrieved his injured horse and charged Gongxi Chou, who caught the shafts of his bronze maces between two fingers.

Gongxi Chou crushed Zhao Feng in the generals' challenge, then fired an arrow at Alliance Leader Wu Xian. Shen Tang saved Zhao Feng and split the arrow with her sword, leaving Gongxi Chou and Qi Shan exasperated by her sudden arrival.

• Gongxi Chou defeated Zhao Feng with a finger flick and cowed the Alliance Army with his Killing Intent.
• Gongxi Chou shot a dark-green arrow toward Alliance Leader Wu Xian, and Zhao Feng leaped into its path to protect him.
• Shen Tang caught Zhao Feng by the collar and cut Gongxi Chou's arrow apart with one sword strike.
• Gongxi Chou sighed at Shen Tang's return, while Qi Shan lamented that she had appeared again.
• Before Shen Tang's group set out, Chu Yao gave Kang Shi two bottles of pills and said they were for heart trouble.

Shen Tang rescued Zhao Feng from Gongxi Chou, then faced his taunts as he refused to duel her again. Shao Chong accepted the next challenge and threatened to twist Gongxi Chou’s head off.

• Shen Tang charged into the fight and rescued Zhao Feng from Gongxi Chou, shocking the Alliance Army.
• Kang Shi asked Qi Shan whether Shen Tang was normal, and Qi Shan defended her unusual bravery.
• Shen Tang challenged Gongxi Chou over his refusal to fight her, but he said he was bored of their repeated duels.
• Gongxi Chou mocked the Alliance Army, and Shao Chong rode out with Gu Ren’s permission to challenge him.
• Gongxi Chou called Shao Chong a child, and Shao Chong grinned and threatened to twist his head off.

Gongxi Chou fought Shao Chong, whose bloodlust drove him into a feral, nearly unstoppable state. Just as Gongxi Chou prepared to kill him with his Twin Crescent Serpent Halberd, Shen Youli intervened, provoking his fury.

• Shao Chong absorbed his warhorse's martial energy and charged Gongxi Chou in a frenzied state.
• Gongxi Chou and Shao Chong abandoned their weapons and fought barehanded, trading more than a hundred blows.
• Gongxi Chou overpowered Shao Chong and used the Twin Crescent Serpent Halberd to prepare a killing strike.
• Shen Youli blocked Gongxi Chou's halberd with her sword, and he threatened her before swinging at her.

Shen Tang fought Gongxi Chou while protecting Shao Chong, and Gongxi Chou revealed that he considered killing Shao Chong an act of mercy. The battle continued as Shen Tang faced Gongxi Chou’s next attack.

• Shen Tang taunted Gongxi Chou by counting the times she had saved people from him, then joked that she could run if she could not win.
• Gongxi Chou suddenly attacked Shen Tang and threatened to kill both her and Shao Chong.
• Shen Tang pushed Shao Chong toward Chao Lian, who caught him and rode away with his men while Shen Tang held Gongxi Chou back.
• Gongxi Chou cut Shen Tang’s face and said killing Shao Chong was mercy because leaving him alive would be cruelty.
• Gongxi Chou sent Shen Tang flying and struck the ground with his halberd, but his attack hit empty air before a streak of sword light appeared through the dust.

Shen Tang fought Gongxi Chou but was badly wounded after he unleashed a powerful Martial Spirit attack. She rose from the crater and threatened to cheat in return, while Shao Chong remained injured and recovering at the battlefield’s edge.

• Chao Lian brought the convulsing Shao Chong back to Gu Ren and his sixth brother, who used silver needles to subdue him and suspected Gongxi Chou had disrupted his Dantian.
• Gu Ren blamed himself for Shao Chong’s condition, while Chao Lian vowed to avenge him and Gu Ren urged him to wait for another chance.
• Shen Tang and Gongxi Chou resumed their fight, and Gongxi Chou was astonished by the strength she exerted despite her small frame.
• Gongxi Chou distracted Shen Tang by calling her “Mama,” then struck her with a massive Martial Spirit attack that sent her crashing to the ground.
• Shen Tang struggled back to her feet and accused Gongxi Chou of playing dirty, declaring that she would cheat too.

Shen Tang used alcohol to restore her lost strength and transformed the bout with Gongxi Chou into an escalating fight. She left Gongxi Chou wounded and surrounded him with giant chess pieces, though the outcome remained uncertain.

• Wu Xian ordered Gongsu to prepare the Alliance Army to stop Gongxi Chou if Shen Tang lost, while Qi Shan explained that Shen Tang's drunken state could restore her former strength.
• Shen Tang activated her Literary Heart Word Spirit, and Gongxi Chou charged at her, eager to face her at full strength.
• Gongxi Chou appeared to pierce Shen Tang's head, but Qi Shan recognized the fallen figure as a dummy; Shen Tang reappeared and cut Gongxi Chou across the collarbone and shoulder.
• Shen Tang used Scattered Like Stars and Chess Pieces to create a chessboard that weighed Gongxi Chou down, then defended against his attacks as their powers clashed.
• Shen Tang transformed the literary qi scattered across the chessboard into hundreds of giant chess-piece soldiers, surprising the Alliance Army and delighting Gongxi Chou.

Shen Tang battled Gongxi Chou while Wu Xian and his adviser discussed where to lend her land. As the duel continued, Qi Shan collapsed from his horse, revealing that he was injured.

• Shen Tang commanded Literary Qi giants to attack Gongxi Chou, who fought them off and taunted her.
• Gongxi Chou summoned seven hundred and fifty soldiers with his Martial Gall Tiger Tally, then struck at Shen Tang; she caught his halberd but bloodied her palm while evading the blow.
• Shen Tang and Gongxi Chou continued their exhausting duel as Wu Xian worried about the delay and discussed lending Shen Tang a difficult territory.
• Wu Xian noticed Qi Shan swaying and called attention to him.
• Gu Chi caught Qi Shan as he fainted from his horse, and Kang Shi hurried over, noticing blood on Gu Chi's clothes.

Qi Shan’s injuries revealed that his Way of the Scholar linked his wounds to Shen Tang’s, while Shen Tang faced Gongxi Chou in a decisive duel. She shattered the Rebel Army’s combined shield with a vast sword attack, then vanished as she collapsed, leaving Gongxi Chou determined to defeat her next time.

• Kang Shi and Gu Chi discovered that Qi Shan had suffered the same wounds Shen Tang received, and they realized his Way of the Scholar linked their injuries.
• Qi Shan concealed the truth from Wu Xian’s messenger by claiming an old injury had reopened.
• Shen Tang and Gongxi Chou agreed to settle their duel with one final move, and Shen Tang summoned countless sword images by drawing in literary qi and Heaven and Earth Qi.
• Shen Tang sent the sword images against the Rebel Army’s ten-thousand-soldier shield as Wu Xian ordered the Alliance Army to attack.
• Shen Tang’s sword images shattered the shield, after which she collapsed and vanished before a Rebel Army soldier’s arrow could strike her.
• Gongxi Chou recognized that Shen Tang had deliberately targeted the shield and resolved to claim a true victory next time.

Gongxi Chou fought off the Alliance Army’s elite warriors while Qin Li’s Way of the Scholar’s dense fog shifted the battle in Wu Xian’s favor. Qi Shan explained his history with Qin Li, and the chapter ended with Qin Li realizing his fog had no effect on Gongxi Chou.

• Gongxi Chou killed a Martial Gall Warrior in one move and taunted the surrounding fighters as the battle continued.
• Wu Xian ordered Qin Li to raise a fog, allowing Wu Xian’s troops to navigate it by following Qin Li’s directions.
• Kang Shi and Gu Chi asked Qi Shan about the fog, and Qi Shan identified it as Qin Li’s Way of the Scholar.
• Qi Shan recounted how his former lord’s tyranny and his own actions led to Qin Li’s imprisonment, the kingdom’s collapse, and Qin Li’s family being destroyed.
• Qin Li told Wu Xian that his Way of the Scholar had no effect on Gongxi Chou.

After the fog-shrouded battle ended, the Alliance Army argued over its heavy losses, while Shen Tang remained unconscious as her companions worried over her. She finally woke to the smell of roasted pork and rushed outside, fearing her beloved boar had been slaughtered, only to find Qi Shan and Zhai Le with her pig.

• Gongxi Chou used the fog to strike the Alliance Army, protect his elite troops with armor from the Martial Gall Tiger Tally, and fight off pursuing Martial Gall Warriors.
• Wu Xian ordered Qin Li to end the fog, and the battle continued for more than two hours before both armies retreated with heavy casualties.
• Qin Li blamed the other forces’ poor command for their losses, and Wu Xian calmed the resulting dispute after one man tried to attack Qin Li.
• Chu Yao worried over Shen Tang, ordered a pig slaughtered for recovery soup, and learned that Qi Shan had hidden how her injuries affected him.
• Shen Tang woke to the smell of pork, mistook the news for the slaughter of her great wild boar, and ran outside to find Qi Shan and Zhai Le eating roasted pork.