Chapter Summaries

Chu Yao disrupted the Ten Crows’ battlefield communications with his war drums, helping Chu Jie and their allies seize control of the battle. With the enemy’s rear still steady and its morale gathering around a possible formation core, Kang Shi prepared to break it.

• Chief Clerk Yu recognized Chu Yao’s battlefield tactics and recalled how he used Word Spirits, signals, and war drums to disrupt enemy commands.
• Chu Yao’s drumbeat damaged the Ten Crows’ soldiers’ hearing and slowed their responses while Chu Jie’s cavalry protected him.
• Chu Jie saw Chu Yao’s former confidence return and considered joining Shen’s side, while making sure his soldiers were treated fairly.
• Chief Clerk Yu and Kang Shi assessed the Ten Crows’ formation and noticed that its rear remained steady despite the disorder among its vanguard and flanks.
• Kang Shi left Chief Clerk Yu to watch the battlefield and set out to break the enemy’s ominous morale gathering, which he suspected was the core of its formation.

Kang Shi confronted Ten Crows’ formation from above and used his gambling-themed Way of the Scholar to destroy the morale core powering it. The formation faltered, leaving Ten Crows vulnerable to the forces below.

• Kang Shi convinced Chief Clerk Yu to let him try to break Ten Crows’ formation and leapt from the city wall toward the battlefield.
• Kang Shi studied the formation and discovered it drew on vitality, Death Qi, and Qi Yun to strengthen itself as the battle continued.
• Kang Shi summoned thirty-two domino tiles and used his Way of the Scholar to create a warrior that launched a powerful arrow.
• Kang Shi feinted at the formation’s shield, then pierced the morale core with his arrow and disrupted the formation.
• Kang Shi turned over another domino tile and prepared to exploit Ten Crows’ weakened defenses.

Xun Zhen used his Way of the Scholar to intensify Yonggu Pass’s attack as the Ten Crows ordered a retreat. Shen Tang mourned the gold Kang Shi had spent, while Xun Zhen’s newly empowered Heroic Spirits pressed after the withdrawing enemy.

• Xun Zhen watched Kang Shi’s power and the battle’s progress, then resolved to prove his worth by earning military merit.
• The Ten Crows’ Great King ordered a retreat after his ministers argued over the losses, and Su Shi Yilu disengaged from Chu Jie.
• Xun Zhen activated [Quick-Witted in a Crisis] and used the Word Spirit [One must press the attack while the enemy's strength is spent], armoring ten thousand Heroic Spirits and doubling their speed.
• Shen Tang discovered that Kang Shi had spent her gold nugget and vowed to make him work without respite, while Gu Chi and Jiang Sheng reacted to her outburst.

After Kang Jishou’s scheme left Shen Tang afflicted by extraordinary bad luck, Jiang Sheng warned that it would last several days. Shen Tang briefly acted strangely while unconscious, then resolved to keep the incident quiet and continue traveling cautiously through Ten Crows territory.

• Shen Tang realized Kang Jishou had cheated her and became so angry that she fainted; Jiang Sheng used Observing Qi to warn that her fortunes would remain low for days.
• While Shen Tang was unconscious, she climbed onto the Motorcycle rocking ride, inserted a coin, and sang children’s songs before waking with no memory of it.
• Gu Chi and Jiang Sheng told Shen Tang what she had done and confirmed that a physician found her physically healthy.
• Shen Tang ordered them to keep her strange behavior private, stay cautious while crossing Ten Crows territory, and escort the soldiers home if anything happened to her.
• Over the following days, Shen Tang endured a string of mishaps and joked to Gu Chi that she must have been a god banished to mortal life as a hapless sucker.

Shen Tang learned that Yonggu Pass had won a stunning victory against the Ten Crows, then hurried home to find unexpected familiar faces among her returning companions. The chapter ended as Jiang Sheng realized Xun Zhen might have met Qi Shan.

• Shen Tang joked with Gu Chi and Jiang Sheng about her bad luck and the oddballs around her, then planned to recruit more people after returning to Longwu Commandery.
• A captured Ten Crows deserter told Shen Tang that Yonggu Pass had killed more than forty thousand enemy soldiers and forced the rest to retreat after the Ten Crows royal capital was destroyed.
• Relieved that Longwu Commandery had been spared devastation, Shen Tang praised Kang Jishou and sped up the journey back to Yonggu Pass.
• Shen Tang arrived at Yonggu Pass, where Xun Zhen recognized Xian Deng and was surprised to learn Lin Feng served under Lord Shen.
• Jiang Sheng recognized Xun Zhen as Hanzhang and wondered whether he had already met Qi Yuanliang.

Shen Tang welcomed Xun Zhen without knowing the full cost of his help defending Yonggu Pass. Jiang Sheng and Kang Shi realized that her promise had committed her to paying Xun Zhen a total of fifty thousand taels of gold, and Kang Shi dreaded the coming banquet.

• Shen Tang invited Xun Zhen to stay, then bowed to thank him after Chu Jie revealed that Xun Zhen had helped protect Longwu Commandery.
• Jiang Sheng and Gu Chi exchanged knowing looks while Kang Shi tried to reassure himself that Xun Zhen and Yuan Liang would not become mortal enemies.
• Jiang Sheng asked Kang Shi what had been promised to Xun Zhen for defending Yonggu Pass, and Kang Shi said he had offered five thousand taels of gold.
• Jiang Sheng explained that Shen Tang had promised another forty-five thousand taels when she declared she would pay fifty thousand to protect the pass and its people.
• Kang Shi realized Shen Tang's words had become a binding contract and worried that the welcoming banquet would turn into a dangerous confrontation.

At a victory banquet, Shen Tang learned about Lü Jue’s raid and Xun Zhen’s role in defending Yonggu Pass. Chu Yao then confessed that he had promised Xun Zhen five thousand taels of gold on Shen Tang’s behalf, leaving her inwardly reeling.

• Shen Tang hosted a victory banquet for Xun Zhen and watched her officers drink, switching Chu Yao and Gu Chi to goat’s milk.
• Gu Chi prompted Chu Jie to explain that Lü Jue had led eight hundred warriors in a successful night raid on the Ten Crows’ supply train.
• Chu Jie said Lü Jue was injured but recovering, and Chu Yao explained that Lü Jue had volunteered to fight after hearing the Ten Crows were raiding the commandery.
• Chu Jie praised Xun Zhen’s major contribution to defending the pass and mentioned that five thousand taels of gold could not buy such a victory.
• Chu Yao confessed that he had promised Xun Zhen five thousand taels of gold on Shen Tang’s behalf, and Shen Tang silently panicked.

Shen Tang accepted Xun Zhen as her new subordinate after he spent five thousand taels to cripple the Ten Crows, then drank with her gathered allies. After the feast, she led Gu Chi beyond Yonggu Pass and sat alone in a barren field with another jar of wine.

• Gu Chi was overwhelmed by the loud inner voices until Shen Tang blocked them, and Jiang Sheng urged him to stay away from her for a while.
• Shen Tang hid her distress over losing five thousand taels and praised Chu Yao and Xun Zhen for putting the greater situation first.
• Xun Zhen declared that he would serve Shen Tang, and Chu Jie called for a celebratory drinking feast.
• Shen Tang and her allies drank through the night, while Gu Chi avoided the alcohol and pretended to be drunk on goat's milk.
• Shen Tang summoned Gu Chi for a walk, led him beyond Yonggu Pass, and sat down in a barren open space with a jar of wine.

Shen Tang poured out wine and played a farewell tune for Yan Xingning, remembering him and the Heroic Spirits who died in battle. As dawn broke, she returned with Gu Chi, who learned she knew only that one song.

• Gu Chi asked Shen Tang whether she regretted the gold spent on Xun Hanzhang, and she said she would not be the one to suffer after sobering up.
• Shen Tang told Gu Chi she did not remember her age or past, though she believed she was older than her younger self.
• Shen Tang poured wine as an offering to Yan Xingning and asked Gu Chi for his short flute.
• Shen Tang played a tune she called “Soul Ferry,” hoping to ferry Yan Xingning and the fallen Heroic Spirits onward and wishing for peace.
• At dawn, Gu Chi asked why Shen Tang's musical theory was normal, and she explained that she only knew that one song.

Shen Tang woke from a hangover, checked on the pregnant Shen Zhi, and found her new staff already at work. After finishing her duties, she prepared to visit someone and leave for Longwu Commandery, while planning to claim the troops at Yonggu Pass.

• Shen Tang regretted drinking and decided she needed to recruit ordinary Literary Scholars to fill staffing gaps.
• Shen Tang recognized the pregnant Shen Zhi, thanked her for helping the Ten Crows expedition, and told her to report any problems; Shen Zhi hesitated to reveal something troubling her.
• Shen Tang asked Bai Su to watch over Shen Zhi, and Bai Su promised to pay closer attention.
• Shen Tang joined Xun Zhen, Chu Yao, Kang Shi, Jiang Sheng, and Gu Chi at the camp, confirmed she had not acted outrageously while drunk, and quickly reviewed her documents.
• Shen Tang asked Chu Yao to prepare offerings and announced they would travel to the administrative seat the next day; she also confirmed they would take over the troops at Yonggu Pass.

Shen Tang proved her strength to Chu Jie and his veteran generals by presenting more than thirty thousand Ten Crows ears and evidence of a raid on their royal capital. After the generals pledged themselves to her, they burned the remains in honor of Yonggu Pass’s fallen, and Chu Jie began to understand why Chu Yao trusted her.

• Shen Tang explained that her army had brought back Ten Crows right ears instead of heads, and Chu Jie summoned his veteran officers to see the spoils.
• Bai Su and Xu Quan showed the generals jars packed with ears and a box containing more ears and official seals from Ten Crows leaders captured in a raid on their royal capital.
• Chu Jie smashed open several jars, and the generals confirmed the proof before declaring their loyalty to Shen Tang.
• Chu Jie ordered the ears burned to honor the fallen, and Shen Tang led the memorial service at the pyre.
• Watching Shen Tang, Chu Jie understood why Chu Yao had entrusted his life to her and considered that the continent might soon change.

Shen Tang arranged for two veteran generals to reinforce Longwu Commandery, assigned Yu Zi to handle rewards and military supplies, and checked on Lü Jue before setting out for Ruyáo. On the way, her troops captured horse bandits carrying the spoils of a raid on a wealthy household, and Chu Yao’s explanation left Shen Tang concerned.

• Chu Jie recommended two veteran generals, who each led two thousand garrison troops to Longwu Commandery’s seat.
• Shen Tang asked Yu Zi to tally rewards and compensation, manage the troops’ grain and pay, and submit the records within a month.
• Shen Tang urged the wounded Lü Jue to recover and stop taking reckless risks, while he explained his ambition to earn a name worthy of the lady he loved.
• Shen Tang’s forces set out for Ruyáo, and Jiang Sheng hinted that Xun Zhen should prepare to meet Qi Yuanliang.
• The troops encountered and captured horse bandits returning from a raid on a wealthy Longwu household, and Chu Yao told Shen Tang something that made her frown.

Shen Tang returned to Ruyáo after defeating Ten Crows, bringing captured bandits and the scholar Xun Zhen back to the commandery seat. There, Qi Shan recognized Xun Zhen as an old enemy, and Xun Zhen began recounting how their feud started.

• Shen Tang ordered Chu Yao to bind the bandits and take them back, postponing their execution while she addressed the captured women.
• Gu Chi suggested that Qi Shan had engineered the wealthy household's downfall, and Kang Shi worried about the effect on Shen Tang's reputation.
• Shen Tang reached Ruyáo and reunited with a thinner Qi Shan, then introduced him to Xun Zhen, who had helped secure victory at Yonggu Pass.
• Qi Shan recognized Xun Zhen and learned that Shen Tang had brought another of his enemies back with her.
• Xun Zhen agreed to discuss their old grievances in private and explained that years earlier Qi Shan had disguised himself as a young woman in distress, and Xun Zhen's son had rescued him.

Shen Tang learned how Qi Shan had manipulated Xun Zhen’s son to keep Xun Zhen from aiding a military stronghold, and discovered that the son was still alive. The chapter left Shen Tang and Qi Shan considering sending him a letter to ease Xun Zhen’s worries and strengthen his loyalty.

• Shen Tang questioned Xun Zhen about Qi Shan’s role in his son’s flight, and Xun Zhen recounted how Qi Shan had posed as a damsel in distress to befriend the boy.
• Qi Shan admitted that he had encouraged Xun Zhen’s son to run away, faked his own death to deepen the rift between them, and helped distract Xun Zhen while a stronghold was attacked.
• Xun Zhen drew his sword in anger, but Qi Shan revealed that he had seen Xun Zhen’s son alive at a remote post station over two years earlier.
• Qi Shan told Xun Zhen that his son had grown up, and Xun Zhen decided not to seek him out, though he imagined lecturing him if their territories ever met.
• Shen Tang privately asked Qi Shan if the son was truly alive, then suggested sending him a letter to help secure Xun Zhen’s loyalty.

Gongxi Chou learned that bandits in Minfeng had captured Gongxi Lai and her escort, so he stormed their stronghold and challenged their leader, the self-appointed governor of Minfeng Commandery. After a hard-fought duel, Gongxi Chou defeated the young man surnamed Xun and demanded that he apologize to Gongxi Lai.

• At a teahouse, Gongxi Chou defended the stories about Lord Shen before his guards arrived, battered and reported that bandits had captured Gongxi Lai and taken her goods.
• Gongxi Chou rode with the guards to the bandit stronghold and called for Gongxi Lai to be returned.
• The young man surnamed Xun, who had seized the Minfeng Commandery Government and appointed himself governor, questioned Gongxi Lai about her wealth.
• Gongxi Chou arrived, reunited with Gongxi Lai, and challenged the young governor to a fight away from the bystanders.
• Gongxi Chou recognized the Will of the Martial Artist in his opponent and defeated him despite his own unhealed injuries.
• Gongxi Chou spared the young man surnamed Xun but demanded that he apologize to Gongxi Lai, threatening to break his legs if he refused.

Gongxi Chou returned to the desolate Clan Land with Gongxi Lai, learned that his elder brother had once been there, and confirmed that the man was still alive. Meanwhile, Shen Tang received Qi Shan’s extensive list of enemies, and Qi Shan decided to recruit some of his friends instead.

• Gongxi Chou defeated the young man surnamed Xun, took the recovered supplies, and had him escort the group back to the Clan Land.
• On the journey, the young man surnamed Xun told Gongxi Chou that a grandfather and grandson had visited the Clan Land about two years earlier but had since left.
• Gongxi Chou checked the clan’s Life Lamps, found only three still burning, and confirmed that Jimo Can and his elder brother were alive.
• Gongxi Chou buried his father’s ashes and made lavish offerings while Gongxi Lai briefly wore mourning clothes according to the clan’s customs.
• Qi Shan showed Shen Tang his detailed list of enemies, and she declined to recruit them because she could not afford them.
• Qi Shan agreed that Shen Tang should approach his friends and resolved to recruit some despite their difficult personalities.

Shen Tang began tackling Longwu Commandery’s corrupt household registers and tax evasion while facing a shortage of farm supplies. Zhao Feng prepared to leave after two years of unpaid service, and Chu Yao ended the chapter with a serious matter involving the National Seal and General Zhao.

• Gu Chi told Shen Tang that Qi Shan had written to his friends and enemies, and Shen Tang worried about the people Qi Shan might attract to her service.
• Shen Tang uncovered suspiciously low household records in Longwu Commandery and suspected powerful families of hiding living people to evade taxes.
• Qi Shan reported that he had gathered evidence against several families, and Shen Tang ordered a surprise inspection of every field while warning him to monitor the local officials.
• Shen Tang agreed to Zhao Feng’s plan to depart in ten days and promised him a farewell banquet.
• Chu Yao told Shen Tang that he had remembered something important concerning the National Seal and General Zhao.

Chu Yao examined Shen Tang’s National Seal and discovered that its roster granted Literary and Martial Fortune to officials, including Zhao Feng and his farming soldiers. The revelation showed that Zhao Feng’s troops could keep cultivating while rebuilding Longwu Commandery, leaving Shen Tang free to recover and strengthen her forces.

• Chu Yao told Shen Tang that a new National Border Barrier at Yonggu Pass had displayed the character “Kang,” which Shen Tang denied choosing as a Dynasty Name.
• Chu Yao asked to inspect Shen Tang’s National Seal, and it transformed into a roster recording officials’ positions and their Literary or Martial Fortune.
• Chu Yao found a surplus of National Fortune and discovered that Zhao Feng and many of his soldiers appeared on the roster despite serving under another Sovereign.
• Chu Yao explained that Zhao Feng’s farming efforts earned his troops a steady share of Martial Fortune, allowing them to cultivate while helping rebuild Longwu Commandery.
• Chu Yao concluded that the roster resolved his concerns about Zhao Feng resigning and leaving Longwu Commandery’s reconstruction in difficulty.

Qi Shan and Gu Chi disguised themselves as two women to investigate Longwu Commandery’s household registrations, uncovering villages whose real populations far exceeded the records. As they prepared to strike, a boy arrived in Fugu City to visit Xu Xie.

• Qi Shan borrowed Gu Chi from Shen Tang and persuaded him to disguise himself as a woman for the investigation.
• Qi Shan and Gu Chi posed as hardship-stricken travelers at Cheng Family Village, where the villagers refused to take them in or give them food.
• After leaving the village, Gu Chi reported that its actual population far exceeded its household registration, and Qi Shan recorded the findings.
• Qi Shan and Gu Chi continued investigating villages and planned a surprise nighttime strike that would set Longwu Commandery into turmoil.
• A boy driving a battered donkey cart arrived in Fugu City to visit the Heyin Commandery Governor, Xu Xie.

After Shen Tang’s reassignment, Xu Xie took over Heyin Commandery and kept daily life stable, though people missed the benefits she had provided. Xu Xie then reunited with Senior Sister Ning, who had fled with her daughter after Yan An’s death, and recalled how she once helped him enter Master Yan’s academy.

• Xu Xie reassured the officials and commoners that he would continue Shen Tang’s policies, and life in Heyin Commandery remained steady despite the loss of several conveniences.
• Xu Xie received a visitor who identified herself as an old classmate and friend, then went to meet her in the side hall.
• Xu Xie recognized Senior Sister Ning and learned that Yan An had died and that she had fled with her daughter to find a place to raise her in peace.
• Xu Xie remembered how Senior Sister Ning had introduced him to Master Yan, helping him overcome prejudice against his merchant background and study at the academy.