Recaps

Liu Guan took Tudege’s place and rallied the Northern Desert troops, while Chu Yao turned the tide by exploiting their memories of eating human flesh. As Shen Tang arrived and Tudege feared Yun Da had failed, Yun Ce and Xianyu Jian stood beside their teacher’s grave, and Yun Ce revealed that his injuries had healed and his strength had grown immensely.

• Liu Guan shoved Tudege from his horse, transformed herself to look exactly like him, and led his guards into the battle to rally the Northern Desert survivors.
• Chu Yao learned Tudege had entered the fight and recognized that his charge had restored the Northern Desert troops’ morale, while Tu Rong and Lin Feng fought enemy generals near the front.
• Lin Feng killed a Northern Desert general who had attacked her, and Tu Rong charged toward the central army banner before Northern Desert warriors ambushed him.
• Chu Yao used A Dream of Nanke on a Pillow to make the Northern Desert troops recall eating human flesh and imagine themselves as the meat in their comrades’ bowls, causing their cloud of fortune to collapse.
• Chu Yao sensed Shen Tang’s arrival, and Tudege feared Yun Da had failed.
• Yun Ce and Xianyu Jian stood before their teacher’s new grave; Yun Ce said he was well, his injuries had healed, and his aura had grown far stronger.

Tudege’s hope of escaping collapsed when Shen Tang’s Word Spirit exposed the Northern Desert army’s cannibalism and shattered its morale. As Liu Guan’s charge stalled and Tu Rong moved to capture her, Chu Yao noticed snow falling and feared Kang Jishou had arrived.

• Tudege planned to escape the encirclement and regroup, but Shen Tang’s Word Spirit forced Northern Desert soldiers to relive memories of their wounded comrades being eaten.
• A wounded Northern Desert general killed a deserter, worsening the panic until soldiers began surrendering and throwing down their weapons.
• Liu Guan continued leading the charge despite the army’s collapse, switching her blade to her left hand after a Kang soldier badly wounded her right shoulder.
• Lin Feng signaled Tu Rong to attack Liu Guan, and he broke through the guards and shouted that Tudege was nearby, drawing Kang soldiers toward him.
• Chu Yao noticed rain and snow and suspected that Kang Jishou had appeared.

Shen Tang and her allies cornered Gong Cheng, but Yun Ce arrived with Yun Da’s inherited strength and helped secure the battle. Gong Cheng surrendered, and Tu Rong reported capturing Tu Dege alive.

• Shen Tang, Gong Xichou, and Shao Chong attacked Gong Cheng after Shen Tang returned to the battlefield.
• Yun Ce emerged from the frost mist with Yun Da’s aura and asked Shen Tang to help capture Gong Cheng.
• Gong Cheng surrendered after recognizing that he faced five opponents and restricted his own meridians.
• Shen Tang spared Gong Cheng and handed him over to Gongshu Wu.
• Tu Rong reported that he had captured Tu Dege alive.

After Kang’s victory, Gong Cheng was taken prisoner, and he revealed that the Gong Clan elders had already been moved to safety. Shen Tang then discovered that the captured “Tudege” was an impostor, while the real Tudege had been brought in by Chu Yao.

• Tu Rong told Shen Tang that he had captured “Tudege,” but the prisoner broke free of his restraints and accused Gong Cheng of betrayal.
• Gongshu Wu threatened the prisoner after he warned that the Gong Clan elders were in danger, and Gong Cheng said he had arranged for a friend to move them.
• Gongshu Wu learned the elders were safe, escorted Gong Cheng through the battlefield, and told him he could live as a commoner; Gong Cheng revealed he had a daughter with a Northern Desert woman.
• Shen Tang questioned why “Tudege” was so willing to die, and Chu Yao explained that he was a fake.
• Chu Yao presented the real Tudege, and the impostor revealed her true face as a woman.

Shen Tang confronted Liu Guan, who killed herself after admitting she had murdered Zheng Xiuchi, and ordered Tudege imprisoned. Qi Shan then told Shen Tang that Gong Cheng had killed himself and left her a letter; Yun Ce revealed that he also had a letter from his master.

• Shen Tang recognized Liu Guan, while Chu Yao brought the captured Tudege back bound by a rope and reminded him of his father's fate.
• Liu Guan admitted to killing Zheng Xiuchi and provoked Shen Tang before impaling her throat on Qi Shan's sword and destroying her own brain with Literary Energy.
• Shen Tang ordered Liu Guan's body burned and her ashes sent to Zheng's family, then had Tudege imprisoned so his capture could be used against the Northern Desert tribes.
• Qi Shan told Shen Tang that Gong Cheng had destroyed his Dantian and killed himself, leaving letters for Gongshu Wu and Shen Tang and writing that he faced southeast and would not see his ancestors.
• Qi Shan said Gong Cheng had a daughter with a Northern Desert woman and that Banbu planned to find and raise her; Shen Tang agreed and said she would warn Banbu about the difficulties the girl's identity might bring.
• Qi Shan questioned Yun Ce about his cultivation, and Yun Ce handed Shen Tang a letter from his master.

Shen Tang learned from Yun Da’s letter that the world would end in twelve years unless the continent was united and the National Seals gathered. Gong Cheng entrusted his family to her before taking his own life, while Gongxi Chou began to suspect Qi Shan’s identity after recognizing his sword.

• Shen Tang read Yun Da’s letter and learned that his true body planned to sink the continent by severing the Four Pillars unless the world united within twelve years.
• Yun Ce and Xianyu Jian recalled Yun Da’s final instructions, his death after the [Anointing], and his warning that they would meet again in twelve years.
• Shen Tang read Gong Cheng’s letter, which offered information about the Assembly of Gods and asked her to protect the Gong Clan’s elderly and children, Gongshu Wu, and his remains.
• Shen Tang sent for Gongshu Wu and ordered Gong Cheng’s body kept safe, while the others returned to their post-battle duties.
• Gongxi Chou recognized Qi Shan’s sword as one once owned by Qu Tan and suggested that Qi Shan might be the same person as Dan Qi, Qu Tan’s traveling companion.

Gongxi Chou recognized Qi Shan as an old friend, then helped with the wounded while the Kang army prepared to retake Shexing Pass. After Shen Tang’s forces captured the pass and Tudege, Shen Tang rejected his assumption that she wanted the customary annual tribute.

• Gongxi Chou used the sword’s bond to identify Qi Shan as the childhood friend called A Nian, and Qi Shan admitted he was Qu Tan but said Dan Qi was dead.
• Qi Shan declined Gongxi Chou’s invitation to drink, and Yun Ce also turned down a sparring match because military duties remained.
• Gongxi Chou summoned Martial Qi Soldiers to carry the wounded to the medical camp, where doctors sorted patients for treatment.
• The Kang army retook Shexing Pass after Shen Tang exposed Liu Guan’s replacement of Tudege and persuaded some of Tudege’s troops to open the gates.
• Shen Tang showed the captured Tudege the piles of human bones, and when he began discussing annual tribute, she asked what tribute he meant.

Shen Tang rejected Tudege’s offer of tribute and announced that she intended to annex Northern Desert as Desert Province, even if she had to conquer it by force. In the wounded soldiers’ camp, Su Shi Yilu traded barbs with Chu Jie, met Gongshu Wu’s young clan relative, and heard how Gongshu Wu’s family had reacted to his return as a skeleton.

• Tudege offered annual tribute and vassal status, but Shen Tang argued that Northern Desert should pay taxes directly instead.
• Shen Tang told Tudege she would rename Northern Desert Desert Province and take its land, fighting until its people surrendered if necessary.
• Su Shi Yilu’s deputy urged him to catch up with Chu Jie, and Chu Jie briefly returned before leaving after Su Shi Yilu teased him.
• Su Shi Yilu met Gongshu Wu and a young girl from his clan, gave her a bone carving, and noticed she wore mourning clothes.
• Su Shi Yilu’s deputy described how Gongshu Wu’s relatives had reunited with him in Tuocheng, while Gongshu Wu’s mother repeatedly fainted from grief.

Gongshu Wu reunited with his mother and learned that Gong Cheng had died by suicide, then discovered the story behind Gong Cheng’s adopted daughter, Yimamusong. The chapter ended with Gongshu Wu accepting the girl and urging her to live with her head held high.

• Gongshu Wu reunited with Old Madam, apologized for arriving late, and learned that Yun Chi had cared for her and the Gong Clan’s elderly and children.
• Gongshu Wu told Old Madam that Yun Chi had taken his own life, and she understood why he had chosen that end.
• Gongshu Wu asked about Yun Chi’s daughter, and Old Madam explained that the child was Yimamusong, whom Gong Cheng had adopted.
• Gong Cheng had brought Yimamusong and her pregnant mother to the Gong Clan after rescuing them; the woman told him that he had killed her family and hoped her children could grow up as people.
• Yimamusong’s mother died giving birth, and the newborn also died despite Gong Cheng’s efforts to save him.
• Gongshu Wu accepted Yimamusong as family and told her to live with her head held high.

Gongshu Wu adopted Yimamusong and brought her back to Shen Tang’s camp, where her Northern Desert heritage made her a possible bridge to the conquered region. As the war neared its end, Qi Shan accepted Yimamusong as a student, and Gongxi Chou offered to teach her martial arts.

• Gongshu Wu decided to raise Yimamusong, and Old Madam agreed after he promised to honor Yun Chi’s final request.
• Gongshu Wu refused to adopt a male heir immediately and returned to camp with Yimamusong, while Aunt Cui cared for her along the way.
• Shen Tang approved Yimamusong’s name and planned to use her Northern Desert background to help win over the region as Kang’s forces took two-thirds of its territory.
• Shen Tang’s prisoner camp remained orderly, and many Northern Desert prisoners began wanting to fight alongside Kang after learning how their homeland treated exchanged captives.
• Qi Shan accepted Yimamusong as his student in a politically significant apprentice ceremony.
• Gongxi Chou offered to teach Yimamusong martial arts, but Qi Shan and the woman caring for her both sneered at the suggestion.

Shen Tang learned that Qi Shan had once been engaged to Cui Hui, Cui Shanxiao’s daughter, and heard how their near-marriage ended in tragedy. Qi Shan planned to find Cui Hui’s missing mother and warned that he might kill Cui Shanxiao if their old grievances could not be resolved.

• Cui Hui revealed that she and Qi Shan had nearly married, and Qi Shan admitted she was an old friend.
• Shen Tang questioned Qi Shan privately, and he explained that their planned marriage had been a temporary arrangement while he investigated a feudal lord’s rebellion.
• Qi Shan recounted how he fled Cui Hui’s wedding and how bloodshed at her later wedding killed her husband and the bandits she considered family.
• Qi Shan said Cui Shanxiao had secretly served the feudal lord and kept his involvement from his wife and daughter.
• Cui Hui told Qi Shan she had not seen her mother for five years, so he planned to search for her and said he might kill Cui Shanxiao if reconciliation proved impossible.

Shen Tang tried to prevent Qi Shan and Cui Xiao’s old feud from destabilizing the Kang court, and spoke with Cui Hui while learning about life among the Northern Desert tribes. Cui Hui revealed she had no intention of exposing Qi Shan’s identity and offered to keep her father quiet.

• Shen Tang told Qi Shan and Cui Xiao to settle their personal grudge without involving other officials, preferably after the war, and decided to meet Cui Hui herself.
• Cui Hui met Shen Tang, who brought her to visit Northern Desert households and explained why a ruler needed to understand ordinary people’s lives and expenses.
• Cui Hui said she had made peace with some of her resentment toward Cui Xiao but could not forgive him, and called Qi Shan despicable.
• Shen Tang clarified that Cui Xiao did not know Qi Shan’s identity as Qu Tan, and Cui Hui understood that Shen Tang feared she might reveal it.
• Cui Hui offered to keep Cui Xiao quiet, saying she would handle her father if Shen Tang trusted her.

Cui Hui traveled with Qi Shan to meet Cui Xiao and recounted how she had remarried, raised three children, and later divorced her second husband. The convoy headed toward Heyin as Shen Tang prepared to redeploy her forces against Wu Xian, where Zhao Feng continued taunting Gao Country’s army from his defensive position.

• Shen Tang persuaded Qi Shan to accompany Cui Hui, explaining that she had arranged for the army to follow close behind as a backup.
• Cui Hui tearfully parted from Yimamusong and told Qi Shan how she had fallen in love with a Literary Scholar and married him despite their different backgrounds.
• Cui Hui explained that she divorced her second husband after discovering he remained in contact with his former wife and that his family treated her and her children poorly.
• Qi Shan asked which family Cui Hui’s ex-husband belonged to and joked about killing him, but Cui Hui asked him to spare her children’s father.
• Shen Tang sent Cui Hui and Qi Shan toward Heyin while preparing to redeploy her troops there after the Northern Desert campaign.
• Zhao Feng defended Heyin by avoiding major battles, grilling food for Gao Country’s generals, and shooting his burned cooking over to them.

Zhao Feng held his ground against Gao Country while its commanders plotted to undermine his army from within, but Gu Chi’s counterintelligence operation exposed their spies. An urgent dispatch revealed Wu Xian was nearing Heyin and Shen Youli was racing there, while Qi Shan arrived first with explicit paintings that enraged Gu Chi.

• Zhao Feng praised a soldier’s barbecue and joked with him and the other generals during a frontline meal.
• Gao Country’s commander agreed to exploit resentment among Zhao Feng’s subordinates, but Gu Chi’s spies were caught before they could act.
• Gu Chi and Cui Xiao discussed Wu Xian’s public mourning, Gao Country’s war preparations, and Gu Chi’s unfinished book about the enemy.
• An urgent message arrived among Qi Shan’s explicit paintings, revealing that Wu Xian was nearing Heyin and Shen Youli was rushing there.
• Gu Chi charged at Qi Shan with a sword when he arrived, while Cui Xiao and Cui Hui noticed each other.

Shen Tang discovered that Qi Shan painted erotic works for Gu Chi, then Cui Hui confronted her father, Cui Xiao, about his old grievances and urged him to let them go. Cui Xiao remained hurt and angry, but Cui Hui revealed she had come to end the family’s old grudge.

• Shen Tang learned that Qi Shan had painted Fire Avoidance Paintings for Gu Chi and that Gu Wangchao collected them, while the Imperial Recorder carefully recorded only part of the truth.
• Cui Hui met Cui Xiao and told him she had come to see him about an important matter involving Qi Shan.
• Cui Hui revealed that Qi Shan was Qu Tan, whom Cui Xiao blamed for the family’s past tragedy.
• Cui Hui argued that Qu Tan was not the true cause of the family’s suffering and reminded Cui Xiao that his own choices had helped bring it about.
• Cui Hui told Cui Xiao she had remarried and built a new family, and urged him to put aside his personal grudge and serve Kang Country and its people.
• Cui Xiao became tearful and accused Cui Hui of being influenced by Qi Shan, while Cui Hui stayed silent, knowing her father’s emotional nature.

Cui Xiao accepted Cui Hui’s choices but grew furious when he learned she had divorced her husband, threatening to kill the man and his family. After Cui Hui revealed her former husband’s ties to Qi Country’s ruling family, she settled in Fugu City, where Qi Shan pointed out a stranger who had been watching her.

• Cui Xiao agreed to respect Cui Hui’s wishes and warned Qi Shan that he would scrutinize him in the Censorate.
• Cui Xiao learned Cui Hui had divorced and threatened her former husband, then discovered the man belonged to a prominent Cui clan in the Southwest.
• Cui Hui revealed that her former husband’s ex-wife was Shen Tang, the Sovereign of Qi Country, and Cui Xiao declared he would deal with Qi Country as well.
• Cui Xiao arranged for Cui Hui to stay in Fugu City, where she rested after her journey.
• Cui Hui went to a night market for food, and Qi Shan told her that an ordinary-looking man had been watching her.

Cui Hui and Qi Shan uncovered a Mei Clan spy in Fugu City, whose trail led to Mei Jinghe, a trusted aide to Qi Country’s Sovereign. Qi Shan anticipated that the bodies would be stolen and secretly replaced them, while Mei Meng learned that her spy had been caught after recognizing Cui Hui.

• Qi Shan noticed a suspicious man watching Cui Hui, and his guards captured him after he tried to leave.
• Cui Hui suspected the man might belong to her former husband’s people, but the interrogation revealed he was a Mei Clan spy who had recognized her by chance.
• Cui Hui identified Mei Jinghe as her former husband’s first wife, now serving Qi Country’s Sovereign, and Qi Shan connected the spy’s presence to wider political maneuvers.
• The spy killed himself, and a woman who came to meet his handler was also found dead; Qi Shan ordered the bodies preserved for questioning.
• Both bodies vanished from the Prefectural Yamen overnight, but Qi Shan revealed he had substituted decoys and secretly moved the real bodies back to camp.
• Mei Meng learned that her spy had been caught after spotting Cui Hui in Fugu City, and her investigation left her face darkened.

Mei Meng ordered her compromised intelligence network dismantled after Qi Shan exposed her informant, then prepared to meet him as an old acquaintance. Lü Jue learned that his wife Mei Meng was nearby, but Qi Shan stopped him from abducting her, leaving the two old acquaintances face to face.

• Mei Meng discovered that Qi Shan had exposed her informant and ordered her subordinates to eliminate the compromised network without fleeing Fugu City.
• Mei Meng recalled how she had once rescued Qi Shan, a wounded Literary Scholar, and how he later restored her treasured painting before they parted on good terms.
• Mei Meng went to visit Cui Hui, where she encountered Qi Shan and greeted him after many years apart.
• Lü Jue learned that Mei Meng was in Heyin Commandery and insisted he wanted to bring her back, while promising Qi Shan he would not betray his lord.
• Qi Shan refused to let Lü Jue use force against Mei Meng, and Lü Jue stayed behind as Mei Meng arrived and greeted Qi Shan.

Mei Meng visited Cui Hui at night, then explained to Qi Shan that she had come to Kang Country seeking a breakthrough and had acted for her own protection. Qi Shan accepted her explanation for now, though he ordered her watched, and later discovered Lü Jue had disappeared.

• Mei Meng arrived at Cui Hui’s home late at night, and the two women drank spirit brew and talked until they fell asleep.
• Qi Shan arrived before dawn and waited until Cui Hui and Mei Meng woke, then confronted Mei Meng about her servants and her presence in Kang Country.
• Mei Meng admitted her servants were hers and said she had returned to worship her ancestors and seek an opportunity to perfect the Way of the Scholar.
• Qi Shan judged that he had no evidence to act against Mei Meng, eased his hostility, and spoke with her about Literary Scholar cultivation over wine.
• Cui Hui brought wine and dishes while Qi Shan and Mei Meng chatted, and Qi Shan later left with orders to keep Mei Meng under watch.
• Qi Shan called for Lü Jue after his carriage had gone some distance, but Lü Jue was nowhere to be found.

Lü Jue reunited with Mei Meng, and their reunion turned intimate before she sent him away. Back at camp, he suspected she had used a hidden technique on him, and the group found an encrypted Word Spirit on his Martial Gall Tiger Tally.

• Lü Jue followed Mei Meng to her lodgings after watching her leave Cui Hui, and she welcomed him as her old friend Lili.
• Mei Meng and Lü Jue reunited passionately, and Lü Jue said he would make her a widow if her husband stood between them.
• Lü Jue told Qi Shan that Mei Meng had seen through his attempt to take her away and had thrown him out, while Qi Shan scolded him for failing to ask about her Way of the Scholar.
• Lü Jue asked Qi Shan to examine him because he suspected Mei Meng had used him, but the Xinglin Physician found nothing wrong.
• Cui Xiao told them to check Lü Jue's Martial Gall Tiger Tally, and they discovered an encrypted Word Spirit that required a trigger to activate.

Lü Jue and Qi Shan discovered that Mei Meng had hidden an explosive Word Spirit in Lü Jue’s Martial Gall Tiger Tally to destroy the corpses, but they removed it before it could harm anyone. Mei Meng then watched Fugu City welcome Shen Tang home and recognized the power of Shen Tang’s bond with the people.

• Qi Shan identified the Word Spirit in Lü Jue’s tally as a trap meant to destroy the corpses, and the group safely tested and removed it.
• Mei Meng learned her plan had failed, accepted the setback, and told her aide to prepare a gift while Kang Country spies watched her.
• Mei Meng and Cui Hui spent two days exploring Fugu City, then learned the city’s residents had left to welcome Shen Tang and traveled toward the gathering.
• Mei Meng carried Cui Hui up a tree to watch the crowd as people shouted their welcome to Shen Tang, and Mei Meng reflected on the ruler’s ability to win the people’s hearts.

Shen Tang returned to Heyin Commandery, welcomed by a vast crowd, and checked the local governor’s record while war reports warned that Gao and Tianhai were closing in on her territory. After a blind girl and her grandfather came to see her, the girl declared that Shen Tang had the Emperor’s Aura but faced danger on every side, leaving Shen Tang asking how it could be resolved.

• Mei Meng and her blind apprentice watched Shen Tang’s army approach, and the apprentice said a worthy ruler had descended into the world.
• Shen Tang questioned the Heyin Commandery Governor about the gathered crowds and the evacuation, then tested his performance and praised his work.
• Shen Tang read reports about Wu Xian’s advance toward Yiru and the Assembly of Gods’ movements, including Mei Meng’s efforts to perfect her Way of the Scholar.
• Shen Tang secretly ordered Qin Li to summon Luan Xin so he could identify Mei Meng’s Way of the Scholar.
• An old beggar and his granddaughter asked to meet Shen Tang, and the White-eyed Girl warned that Shen Tang had the Emperor’s Aura but was surrounded by danger.

Shen Tang questioned the White-eyed Girl and her master, learned why they had fled Lu Country, and recruited the girl for her talent in divination and weather prediction. After hearing a warning about an Eternal Life Cult Attendant in Gao Country, Shen Tang prepared to take the initiative in the coming war, while Gu Chi arrived at camp looking unwell and carrying a suspicious scent.

• The White-eyed Girl claimed that many people countered Shen Tang and that something complementing her was nearby, but Shen Tang dismissed the offer to identify her supposed hindrances.
• The White-eyed Girl and her master revealed that they had fled Lu Country because the Eternal Life Cult persecuted dissenters, and the girl admitted she had concealed the truth about her supposed prophecies and childhood.
• Shen Tang believed the White-eyed Girl, arranged for her to stay, and considered putting her abilities to use at the Bureau of Astronomy.
• The White-eyed Girl warned Shen Tang that she had seen an Eternal Life Cult Attendant beside Wu Xian in Gao Country and urged her to kill the person if she had the chance.
• Shen Tang decided to attack Gao Country and set the battlefield on its territory because the border had few Heroic Spirits to aid a defense.
• Gu Chi arrived at Shen Tang's tent looking frail, accepted her offer of a tiger-hide cloak, and gave an excuse for a red mark on his neck; Shen Tang then noticed the sandalwood scent usually associated with Bai Su.

Shen Tang learned that Zheng Qiao’s former general, Qi Yanqing, had helped Qi Country’s Sovereign seize the throne with a National Seal, while Qi Country and the Eternal Life Cult pursued a wary alliance. Kang Shi also revealed that Mei Meng had secretly investigated the cult, whose leader might be one of Wu Country’s five great generals.

• Shen Tang noticed the scent of Yaohe’s incense on Gu Chi, who claimed it helped him sleep.
• Qi Shan returned and told Shen Tang that Lady Cui had let the matter involving him go; he and Gu Chi then exchanged private accusations over the marks on Gu Chi’s neck.
• Kang Shi reported that Qi Yanqing had taken Zheng Qiao’s National Seal and used it to help Qi Country’s Sovereign ascend to the throne.
• Kang Shi explained that Qi Country was cooperating warily with the Eternal Life Cult, while Wu Zhaode had promised to let the cult preach in Gao Country in exchange for its help.
• Kang Shi revealed that Mei Meng was a deputy head of the Assembly of Gods’ Southwest Branch and had secretly investigated the Eternal Life Cult; its leader might be one of Wu Country’s five great generals.

Shen Tang learned that the Eternal Life Cult’s leader was a skeletal 20th Rank Che Hou and that an ancient Literary Scholar was with Wu Xian of Gao Country. As her allies gathered to discuss the threat, Gongxi Chou arrived with records identifying the warrior’s weakness and warning that the scholar was the greater danger.

• Kang Shi told Shen Tang that the Eternal Life Cult’s leader was a skeletal 20th Rank Che Hou and that his uncle-nephew companion, an ancient Literary Scholar, was likely still alive.
• Qi Shan found Assembly of Gods records describing the scholar as “cunning and valiant” and the skeletal general as a commander of both living troops and the dead.
• Kang Shi revealed that the Literary Scholar was with Wu Xian of Gao Country and would likely join the coming battle, prompting Shen Tang to summon the master and disciple for information.
• Kang Shi briefed Shen Tang’s gathered allies, and Qian Yong suggested recruiting a retired 20th Rank Che Hou before Shen Tang dismissed the idea as unreliable.
• Gongxi Chou arrived with a reply from his brother, saying the skeletal Che Hou had an exploitable weakness but the scholar was the real threat, and that they had to use their forces in reverse to defeat them.