Recaps

After Shen Tang recovered, she learned that Qi Shan’s Way of the Scholar made him share her injuries as a second life, and she angrily demanded that he stop. Their argument ended when Gongxi Chou appeared in the secluded spot.

• Shen Tang joined the others for a meal, ate Chu Yao’s stewed pig’s trotters and Zhai Le’s share of the roast pig, and joked with him about fighting Gongxi Chou again.
• Shen Tang noticed Qi Shan looked unwell and pressed the others to explain what they were hiding, believing someone in the Alliance Army had injured him.
• Qi Shan took Shen Tang aside and confessed that his Way of the Scholar made him her second life, sharing the consequences of her injuries for as long as she trusted him.
• Shen Tang grew furious that Qi Shan had concealed the arrangement and demanded that he sever it, but he said he could neither control nor end it.
• Gongxi Chou appeared, and Shen Tang pulled Qi Shan behind her.

Gongxi Chou told Shen Tang that Shao Chong carried a Gu Mother that might be linked to the Wu State Gu Calamity, and the group informed Gu Ren. Gu Ren struggled to accept that Shao Chong’s strength and madness came from a Gu planted in him during childhood.

• Gongxi Chou told Shen Tang he had come to kill Shao Chong because Shao Chong was a Gu Mother carrying a Gu Worm.
• Gongxi Chou explained that Gu Worms could grant great strength at the cost of lifespan, potential, and vital essence, and that Wu State had collapsed when its Gu-empowered warriors died.
• Shen Tang and Qi Shan considered how to investigate the person who had planted the Gu, and Shen Tang wondered whether Gu Ren might be responsible.
• Gu Ren kept watch over Shao Chong as his sixth younger brother reported that Shao Chong’s condition was improving.
• Shen Tang and Qi Shan told Gu Ren about the Gu Mother, and Gu Ren struggled to accept that someone had harmed Shao Chong when he was young and that his strength was consuming his life.

Shen Tang told Gu Ren that Shao Chong’s Gu Worm could be suppressed or overcome by making him kill and grow strong enough to devour it, while warning that success would make him extraordinarily powerful. As Gu Ren considered the choice, his sixth brother revealed that a former Imperial Physician connected to the Wu State Gu Calamity was Zhang He of Yiru, Lingzhou.

• Gu Ren asked Qi Shan how to save Shao Chong, and Shen Tang explained that suppressing the Gu Worm could only treat its symptoms while overcoming it would risk leaving Shao Chong crippled.
• Shen Tang told Gu Ren that Shao Chong could become the Gu Worm’s new Gu Mother by growing strong enough to refine and devour it, and Gu Ren agreed to consider the dangerous method to keep him alive.
• After leaving Gu Ren’s tent, Shen Tang told Qi Shan that Gongxi Chou might have been a victim of the Gu Calamity and had encouraged Shao Chong’s transformation to create a formidable rival.
• Qi Shan inferred that Shen Tang was a woman, and she confirmed that only a handful of their companions knew the truth so far.
• Gu Ren’s sixth brother explained that a former Imperial Physician had investigated the Wu State Gu Calamity and identified him as Zhang He of Yiru, Lingzhou.

Gu Ren and Sixth Brother suspected Zhang He had caused the Lingzhou epidemic by using Gu Worms to build his reputation, and they planned to investigate the connection to Thirteen. Meanwhile, Gongxi Chou learned that the King Zhi's adviser shared his clan name and bore the clan mark, then heard that Xiaocheng's troops might withdraw because the National Seal had been taken.

• Sixth Brother identified Zhang He as the former Imperial Physician of Xin Country's Medical Bureau and connected him to the Gu Worm inside Thirteen.
• Gu Ren and Sixth Brother reconsidered Zhang He's role in the Lingzhou epidemic, suspecting it had been a Gu Worm calamity, and decided to follow Lord Shen's lead to help Thirteen.
• Gongxi Chou returned to his tent and confronted the King Zhi's adviser, who accused him of secretly colluding with the enemy.
• The adviser revealed his Gongxi family name and clan mark, but Gongxi Chou challenged his identity because he had accounted for every clan member and collected the Clan Genealogy.
• The adviser told Gongxi Chou to inspect the Clan Genealogy and warned that Xiaocheng's troops might withdraw because the National Seal had fallen into someone else's hands.

Gongxi Chou learned that King Zhi had been willing to sacrifice thousands of soldiers to seize Xin Country’s National Seal, then investigated the Staff Envoy’s identity. He discovered a likely match in the clan genealogy and suspected that the Staff Envoy was his long-lost older brother.

• The Staff Envoy told Gongxi Chou that the National Seal’s aura had vanished, and Gongxi Chou angrily asked why the soldiers had not been warned sooner.
• The Staff Envoy revealed that King Zhi had ordered Gongxi Chou’s troops and his adoptive father’s troops sacrificed if necessary, and that Xiaocheng’s soldiers could be abandoned if their casualties failed to force out the seal.
• The Staff Envoy told Gongxi Chou that he should have died with the clan and then vanished into the darkness.
• Gongxi Chou searched the clan genealogy and found two names whose handwriting might belong to the Staff Envoy.
• Gongxi Chou recalled his older brother, who had supposedly died young, compared their faces in a mirror, and realized that he and the Staff Envoy looked alike.

Shen Tang maneuvered to secure River Yin as her territory, with Wu Xian assigning Zhao Feng and his thousand private troops to accompany her. The chapter ended with Shen Tang preparing to face River Yin’s dangerous locals while avoiding Zheng Qiao, whose National Seal could expose her.

• Chu Yao and Qi Shan discussed using Gu Ren’s favor to help Shen Tang secure territory without relying on Wu Xian’s goodwill.
• Shen Tang persuaded Gu Ren to recommend her for the difficult territory she had planned to borrow from Wu Xian.
• Wu Xian rejected Shen Tang’s first proposed location, then offered her River Yin and Zhao Feng’s thousand private troops.
• Shen Tang accepted River Yin and explained to Zhai Le that she had reasons for taking an indirect route to secure it.
• Zhai Le warned Shen Tang that River Yin was difficult to claim without enough people or food, and Shen Tang vowed to overcome its challenges.

Gongxi Chou objected to the order to withdraw, then returned to his residence and praised Shen Tang while challenging a dancing girl’s assumptions about women’s education. Shen Tang described Gongxi Chou as a useful, powerful sparring partner, leaving Lin Feng wondering how to remain loyal to both sides.

• Gongxi Chou questioned his adoptive father about withdrawing, but the old general told him to obey the order and dismissed his protest as a reaction to defeat.
• Gongxi Chou returned to his residence, played marbles with the dancing girl, and told her about Shen Tang’s remarkable stamina and abilities.
• The dancing girl said women had little place in the world, and Gongxi Chou insisted Shen Tang was different and criticized the limited expectations placed on women.
• Shen Tang sneezed and guessed Gongxi Chou might be praising her, then told Lin Feng she saw him as an excellent opponent from whom to gain experience.
• Lin Feng wondered aloud how she could remain loyal to both sides, confusing Shen Tang.

Shen Tang advised Lin Feng to follow her heart if she ever had to choose between repaying Gongxi Chou and serving her lord, then promised to capture Gongxi Chou alive if they met. The Alliance Army pursued the withdrawing Rebels but stopped at the edge of King Zhi’s territory, then turned to reclaim other parts of Sibao Prefecture as Shen Tang saw the devastation the Rebels had left behind.

• Lin Feng asked Shen Tang how to repay Gongxi Chou for saving her life when he might one day stand against Shen Tang, and Shen Tang told her to follow her heart.
• Lin Feng declared that she believed Shen Tang and Gongxi Chou would eventually meet, so Shen Tang promised to capture Gongxi Chou alive and let Lin Feng plead for him.
• Scouts reported that the Rebels had withdrawn from Xiaocheng, and the Alliance Army decided to pursue them in case they had obtained the National Seal.
• Gongxi Chou’s older brother used a Word Spirit to speed the Rebel army’s march, while the Alliance Army chased for two days and became increasingly scattered.
• Wu Xian stopped the pursuit before the Alliance Army entered King Zhi’s territory, then led it to reclaim other Rebel-held areas in Sibao Prefecture.
• Shen Tang saw that the Rebels had plundered wealthy households and ordinary people alike, and she remained troubled despite the Alliance Army’s victories.

Shen Tang volunteered to take in three or four thousand survivors left destitute by King Zhi’s Rebel Army, then secured grain loans from the Alliance Army and permission to leave early for Heyin. As she prepared to depart, Captain Yang offered to use his old connections to help her if her resources ran short.

• Shen Tang condemned the Rebel Army’s massacres, looting, and destruction, then pressed Wu Xian to make plans for the surviving commoners.
• Shen Tang told Wu Xian she would take in the three or four thousand elderly people, women, and children, despite Gu Chi’s concerns about the burden.
• Wu Xian presented Shen Tang’s offer to the Alliance Army, and Gu Ren and the other leaders agreed to lend grain; Shen Tang arranged to record their loans.
• Shen Tang used the survivors’ needs and the stabilizing situation in Sibao Prefecture to secure permission to leave early for Heyin, with Zhao Feng assigned to accompany her group.
• Qin Li remained suspicious of Shen Tang’s motives, while Wu Xian defended her and Captain Yang offered to help her borrow supplies through his old connections.

Shen Tang bid farewell to Wu Xian and the Zhai brothers before leading more than eighteen hundred refugees toward Heyin. As her group planned to build strength by taking in their enemies, Lin Feng reported that they had rescued a living person from the water.

• At the farewell banquet, Wu Xian sent Zhao Feng to help Shen Tang repay her debt, and Shen Tang later shared a final drink with Zhai Le, who promised they would meet again after pacifying the southeast.
• Shen Tang and her companions departed with just over eighteen hundred elderly people, women, and children; at a fork in the road, Zhai Huan and Zhai Le parted ways with them for Shen Country.
• The group traveled for more than half a month, leaving Sibao Prefecture and discussing how to establish themselves in unruly Heyin.
• Shen Tang and her companions agreed to build their forces by gradually absorbing their opponents, and Zhao Feng supported the plan with his experience recruiting former bandits.
• Lin Feng rushed to Shen Tang and reported that they had pulled a living person out of the water.

Shen Tang's group rescued the badly wounded Bai Su, who revealed she had been robbing the rich to aid the poor in Heyin. She began explaining her impoverished childhood after warning Shen Tang not to travel there.

• Shen Tang examined the rescued woman's calluses and muscles, while Gu Chi treated her severe wounds and the group continued toward Heyin.
• As Shen Tang reviewed her accounts, Gu Chi proposed taking wealth from Heyin's corrupt powerful families, and Shen Tang asked him to find out whether Qi Shan and Chu Yao would support the idea.
• Bai Su awoke and falsely claimed to be a farm girl named Hei, but Gu Chi exposed her story and Shen Tang told her to leave in the morning.
• Bai Su revealed that her name was Bai Su and warned Shen Tang against going to Heyin, then admitted she had robbed the rich to aid the poor.
• Bai Su began describing how her poor family had struggled under a heartless landlord.

Bai Su told Shen Tang how she became a bandit who helped the poor and warned her not to go to He Yin, but learned Shen Tang was headed there to take up an official post. After resting, Bai Su woke during the journey and saw Shen Tang’s group carefully escorting a crowd of vulnerable commoners toward He Yin.

• Bai Su recounted her family's deaths, her adoption and training by Nameless, and her decision to continue helping the poor as a thief.
• Bai Su warned Shen Tang that He Yin was dangerous, then learned Shen Tang was going there to take up her post and was asked to share everything she knew about the region.
• Shen Tang gave Bai Su time to recover, while Gu Chi pointed out that Bai Su had only pretended to faint.
• Shen Tang and Gu Chi discussed her attempts to earn Bai Su's trust, and Shen Tang confirmed that she was a woman.
• The group set out at first light, and Bai Su woke to find that they were escorting many elderly people, women, and children alongside their own guards.

Bai Su learned why Shen Tang’s refugees considered him a great benefactor and was moved by the food and care he provided. Meanwhile, Shen Tang grew bored on the journey and joked with Kang Shi about asking Qi Shan what color of sack he liked.

• Bai Su questioned the woman caring for her and learned that Shen Tang had taken in her and her child after rebels killed the rest of her family.
• Bai Su saw the refugees receive generous flatbreads and watched them eat, confirming the woman’s account of Shen Tang’s kindness.
• Lin Feng brought wild-game soup for Bai Su, who gave it to the woman’s child and remembered how her younger siblings had died after eating mud.
• Shen Tang entertained herself by imagining melodramatic stories, leaving Gu Chi frustrated because she had not finished one of them.
• Qi Shan teased Gu Chi, who threatened him with his sword scabbard, and Shen Tang told Kang Shi to ask Yuan Liang what color of sack he liked.

Shen Tang's group traveled onward as Qi Shan and Gu Chi's rivalry sparked comic misunderstandings, while Zhao Feng discovered that Lili had Martial Qi. Bai Su apologized to Shen Tang for misjudging her and offered to serve her.

• Shen Tang's explanation of the sack saying and a crude hometown joke bewildered Kang Shi and embarrassed Qi Shan and Gu Chi.
• Zhao Feng admired Gongshu Wu's training and noticed Lili's potential, but Gongshu Wu said Lili was not a Martial Gall Warrior.
• Zhao Feng and Gongshu Wu examined Lili and discovered faint Martial Qi in his meridians.
• Lili celebrated the discovery by shouting to the soldiers that he had Martial Qi, while Bai Su and her attendant mistakenly thought he was pregnant.
• Bai Su apologized to Shen Tang for judging her unfairly and offered to serve at her command.

Shen Tang heard Bai Su’s detailed account of Heyin’s feuding families and used the Zhang family scandal to devise a way to weaken their united resistance. She left the group planning to exploit old wrongful cases as a pretext for intervention.

• Bai Su told Shen Tang and Kang Shi how a sage and the Zhang family’s adopted daughter conspired to place their child in the Zhang household, with help from rival Zhang relatives.
• Bai Su warned Shen Tang that Heyin’s powerful families were linked by marriage and would unite against her small force.
• Shen Tang said she had found a solution to her manpower shortage and asked about the Zhang family’s secret execution of the adopted daughter and sage.
• Kang Shi and Chu Yao explained that Shen Tang could use Heyin’s past wrongful cases to justify seeking revenge and investigating the local families.
• Shen Tang claimed she had a female cousin in Heyin, giving herself a pretext to intervene against the families.

Shen Tang chose the Zhang Clan of Heyin as the first target for her campaign against the local powerful families after Bai Su described its abuses. When Zhao Feng arrived with Lili, Shen Tang concealed the truth about Lili’s new Martial Qi by claiming he had succeeded through an ancestral cultivation secret, leaving Zhao Feng unaware of the real circumstances.

• Bai Su named the Zhang Clan of Heyin as a suitable target and recounted its members’ brutal exploitation and abuse of commoners.
• Shen Tang learned about the Zhang Clan Head’s younger brother’s depraved Three Beauties and vowed to kill him, then settled on striking the clan before the New Year.
• Gongshu Wu brought Zhao Feng and Lili to Shen Tang, and Shen Tang guessed that Lili had managed to cultivate his first wisp of Martial Qi.
• Shen Tang claimed Lili’s success came from a secret ancestral cultivation method, and Lili played along with the story.
• Zhao Feng considered the method’s potential but concluded that Lili had begun cultivating too late to become exceptionally powerful, then left to handle other matters.
• Shen Tang told Lili to keep practicing the supposed secret method and seek guidance from Banbu or Captain Yang.

Shen Tang asked Gu Chi to investigate Bai Su and considered recruiting talented girls as future fighters while she waited for Wu Xian and Gu Ren to secure her claim to Heyin. Meanwhile, Wu Xian learned that Yan An had entered Zheng Qiao’s service and discovered that the two were fellow disciples.

• Gu Chi warned Shen Tang to stay wary of Zhao Feng and suggested testing Bai Su’s potential to cultivate a Martial Spirit.
• Shen Tang told Gu Chi to sound out Bai Su and use her only if she proved trustworthy and loyal.
• Wu Xian received Zheng Qiao’s summons for the Alliance Army to collect titles and rewards, then followed Qin Li’s advice to attend rather than risk seeming guilty.
• Qin Li investigated the situation at court and reported that Yan An had joined Zheng Qiao’s service.
• Wu Xian recognized Yan An’s name and learned from Qin Li that Yan An and Zheng Qiao were senior and junior fellow disciples.

Wu Xian and Gu Ren worried that Yan An’s service under Zheng Qiao would strengthen the Sovereign and threaten their interests, while Yan An tried to make Zheng Qiao address the people’s food shortage. The chapter left Yan An preparing to audit grain stores and distribute food as Zheng Qiao dismissed the crisis as a trivial matter.

• Wu Xian recalled that Yan An had politely sent him away on all three visits after he criticized Zheng Qiao, and Qin Li explained that Yan An had likely been pleased with him otherwise.
• Qin Li warned Wu Xian that Yan An’s influence might help Zheng Qiao stabilize his rule, but predicted Zheng Qiao’s cruelty and intolerance would eventually put Yan An in danger.
• Gu Ren restrained his sworn brothers when they proposed killing Yan An, reminded them they were near Zheng Qiao’s traveling palace, and ordered most of them to stay behind the next day.
• Gu Ren met Wu Xian on the way to the traveling palace, where Zheng Qiao listened impatiently as Yan An reported on urgent matters.
• Yan An insisted that the people’s livelihood was not a trivial concern and planned to audit grain stores and distribute food to prevent famine and unrest.

Yan An’s proposal to provide winter rations was blocked by court officials, while Zheng Qiao rewarded the Alliance Army and appointed Shen Tang governor of Heyin Commandery despite her absence. Several days later, a youth conquered a bandit stronghold and was acclaimed as its new boss.

• Court officials opposed Yan An’s plan to distribute winter rations, and Zheng Qiao let them argue before shifting the court’s attention to the Alliance Army.
• Zheng Qiao rewarded Wu Xian, Gu Ren, and the other Alliance Army leaders for their military merits.
• Gu Ren and several others recommended Shen Tang as governor of Heyin Commandery, and Zheng Qiao approved the appointment despite Wu Xian’s shock.
• Yan An warned Zheng Qiao that Shen Tang’s absence and her refugee convoy might be connected to the missing National Seal, but Zheng Qiao dismissed his suspicion.
• Wu Xian blamed Gu Ren for taking the governorship from him, while Qin Li suspected Qi Yuanliang had arranged the recommendation.
• A youth fought through a bandit stronghold, killed its leader, and forced the surviving bandits to acclaim him as their boss.

Shen Tang seized two bandit strongholds near Heyin and began turning their surviving bandits into an organized force. She paused her campaign to bring the recruits under control while her allies pursued separate plans against other strongholds.

• Shen Tang killed the Head of the Household, intimidated the bandits into submission, and appointed members of her hype squad as squad leaders.
• Shen Tang took two strongholds in one day, using captured bandits to lead her to the next one.
• Shen Tang ordered the hype squad to organize and discipline the recruits, threatening punishment for anyone who rebelled or fled.
• Shen Tang's allies split up: Gongshu Wu and Chu Yao guarded the people in the valley, Zhao Feng and Qi Shan targeted a larger stronghold, and Kang Shi and Captain Yang used a disguised merchant caravan to lure bandits into an ambush.

Shen Tang exchanged messages with Qi Shan, Chu Yao, and Kang Shi using a blue-bird Word Spirit, then her forces began rounding up the bandits from two captured strongholds. The chapter left the bandits being forced awake under threat of death.

• Qi Shan sent Shen Tang a message reporting that he and Zhao Feng had captured their target, found evidence that a powerful Heyin family backed the bandits, and asked how her forces were faring.
• Shen Tang created a blue-bird message in reply, bragging about her exploits and sending questions to Chu Yao and Kang Shi as well.
• Chu Yao received Shen Tang's message and taught Lin Feng how blue-bird message Word Spirits worked; Lin Feng sent a short letter to Shen Tang.
• At dawn, Shen Tang's twenty-five cheer squad members woke and registered the bandits from both captured strongholds, killing one who resisted.
• The young man threatened the bandits with death if they were not all awake within ten breaths.

Shen Tang forced hundreds of bandits from two strongholds into submission and put them through a brutal seven-day training program. As the bandits began to improve, Chu Yao and Gu Chi received her progress report while their allies continued watching the refugees and hunting other strongholds.

• Shen Tang threatened the bandits with a countdown, and one bandit killed a stubborn companion with a rock so the others could meet her demand to stand up.
• Shen Tang had the surviving bandits line up, learned that only around twenty people had died overnight, and ordered the mood-setting crew to train them for seven days.
• The mood-setting crew put the bandits through punishing drills, and escape attempts and a disturbance led to more deaths over the first two days.
• Shen Tang used a bluebird to tell Chu Yao that the bandits had made rapid progress, while Chu Yao, Gu Chi, and Gongshu Wu discussed her report.
• Gu Chi warned Chu Yao that some refugees had ulterior motives, and Chu Yao advised keeping watch over them.
• Chu Yao and Gu Chi compared Shen Tang's results with the more traditional training led by Zhao Feng and Qi Shan, then contacted Kang Shi and Captain Yang about their hunt for nearby strongholds.

Kang Shi and Captain Yang used a caravan as bait to investigate a suspicious gang of young robbers, while Lili learned of his past connection to Captain Yang’s former acquaintance and vowed to catch up to her. When the robbers attacked, Captain Yang held back to see whether a more powerful force would appear.

• Kang Shi and Captain Yang concluded that the unusually cruel robbers were likely being funded and set out to draw them into an ambush.
• Captain Yang recognized Lili’s name from stories told by a former Prefect and urged him to work hard; Lili said he hoped Madam would rise higher and that he would catch up to her.
• Lili detected an approaching arrow, knocked it aside, and warned the caravan as dozens of coordinated attackers emerged from the woods.
• Lili and Captain Yang’s soldiers fought the attackers while pretending to be ordinary guards, and Kang Shi secretly monitored the battle.
• After a blade nearly reached Captain Yang inside the carriage, he refused to intervene, deciding to wait and see whether a bigger target would take the bait.

Captain Yang and Kang Shi captured a bandit and learned that the Zhang Lineage of Heyin secretly operated a weapons workshop and mine. They summoned reinforcements while the Zhangs remained unaware that their armed men had been wiped out.

• Captain Yang killed the attacking bandits and had Kang Shi question a surviving prisoner.
• Kang Shi learned that the bandits guarded a mountain mine and weapons workshop preparing to send out five thousand arrows.
• Kang Shi identified the Zhang Lineage of Heyin as the workshop's owner, and he and Captain Yang discussed Shen Tang's coming struggle with the local clans.
• Kang Shi sent bluebirds to summon reinforcements while Captain Yang's men disposed of the bodies and maintained their disguise.
• The Zhangs learned that all the men they had sent down the mountain were dead, but their leader dismissed the idea of moving the workshop and ordered more men sent instead.

After receiving Kang Shi’s report about a weapons workshop, an ore vein, and five thousand arrows, Shen Tang roused her bandits and led them toward the neighboring mountain. Kang Shi and Captain Yang’s group fought off an enemy led by a Fifth-Rank Grand Master, while Zhao Feng rushed to join the battle.

• Shen Tang received Kang Shi’s letter, woke the bandits, and promised rewards for defeating enemies and taking prisoners.
• Shen Tang used a Word Spirit to speed the bandits as they marched toward the neighboring mountain.
• Kang Shi warned Captain Yang that a powerful enemy force led by a Fifth-Rank Grand Master was approaching.
• The Fifth-Rank Grand Master attacked a guard but discovered the caravan had a Literary Scholar and numerous Martial Gall Warriors.
• Kang Shi used “Scattered Like Stars and Chess Pieces” to hinder the fighters while two Fourth-Class Bugeng engaged the Fifth-Rank Grand Master.
• Zhao Feng reached the mountain path, sent Qi Shan on more slowly, and leapt ahead toward the battle.