Chapter Summaries

Li He discovered a forged letter implicating Wei Shou in a conspiracy with Shen Tang, while Chu Yao forced Wei Shou to choose between rebellion and certain ruin. Wei Shou agreed to cooperate with Shen Tang and open Chaoli Pass.

• Li He found a letter hidden in a military manual and decided to use it to earn Zheng Qiao's favor by accusing Wei Shou of conspiring with Shen Tang.
• Shen Tang and Gu Chi confirmed that Li He had taken the bait, while Chu Yao and Chu Jie confronted Wei Shou at Chaoli Pass.
• Wei Shou accused Chu Yao of stealing Rui Ji, and Chu Yao explained that she was his elder sister and had chosen to marry Wei Shou for protection.
• Chu Yao revealed that Li He would find the incriminating letter and that Wei Shou's children had already been moved to safety, leaving Wei Shou vulnerable to Zheng Qiao's accusations.
• Chu Yao offered Wei Shou the choice to join Shen Tang or Shen Youli, and Wei Shou agreed to cooperate.

Chu Yao secured Wei Shou’s agreement to help Shen Tang seize Chaoli Pass and arranged for Li He to be killed, while Luan Xin confessed that his Way of the Scholar let him copy others’ abilities. The chapter ended with Luan Xin identifying Li He as an enemy just as Shen Tang realized Wei Shou was about to take his head.

• Chu Yao persuaded Wei Shou to submit to Shen Tang and secretly instructed him to kill Li He.
• Shen Tang told Chu Yao that Gu Chi had confirmed Li He had taken the bait, then informed Huang Lie, Gu Ren, and Wu Xian that Wei Shou would join her.
• Qin Li’s questions prompted Luan Xin to confess to Shen Tang that his Way of the Scholar was [Learning by Analogy], which let him copy other Literary Scholars’ abilities.
• Luan Xin revealed that Gu Ren’s Way of the Scholar was [Like Fish in Water] and that he had long known Shen Tang’s secret.
• When Shen Tang mentioned Li He, Luan Xin called him an enemy, and Shen Tang realized Wei Shou was preparing to kill him.

Shen Tang learned how Li He had crippled Luan Xin and heard the story of how Luan Xin was adopted into the Luan family. The chapter ended with Luan Xin revealing that Li He’s attack had also been intended to punish his adoptive sister for bearing her husband’s illegitimate child.

• Shen Tang told Luan Xin that Wei Shou had killed Li He before Luan Xin could take revenge himself.
• Luan Xin recounted how a physician saved him as a beggar and brought him to the young woman who adopted him as her younger brother to protect the Luan family estate.
• Luan Xin explained that Li He sabotaged his civil-service selection by destroying his kneecap, while a noble watched and mocked him.
• The Luan woman rescued Luan Xin and urged him not to seek revenge, warning that Li He was the elder brother of her son.
• Luan Xin told Shen Tang that the noble had ordered the attack partly because his mother wanted to punish the Luan woman for bearing her husband’s illegitimate child.

Shen Tang took Luan Xin and Chu Yao to Chaoli Pass, where Luan Xin killed Li He to avenge his past. They left Wei Shou alive and returned to camp after Luan Xin finally felt the relief of revenge.

• Shen Tang told Luan Xin she wanted to kill his enemies, then decided to take Li He's head that night.
• Shen Tang took Luan Xin to Chu Yao, who agreed to go with them to Chaoli Pass.
• Li He tried to win Wei Shou over, but Wei Shou attacked him after realizing he was not truly drunk.
• Shen Tang, Chu Yao, and Luan Xin arrived and interrupted Wei Shou before he could kill Li He.
• Luan Xin confronted Li He and killed him with his sword, settling their score.
• Shen Tang, Chu Yao, and Luan Xin returned to camp, and Luan Xin finally felt the exhilaration of revenge.

After Luan Xin killed Li He, Wei Shou secretly committed his troops to the Dragon Slaying Bureau’s allied forces, who prepared a surprise siege of Chaoli Pass. The attack began before dawn, and the new commander rushed toward the fighting only to be met by a sudden sword strike.

• Shen Tang teased Luan Xin about being distracted after he killed Li He, then sent him and Chu Yao back to rest.
• Gu Wangchao provoked Luan Xin by asking which of his former and current lords’ kindnesses mattered more to him.
• When the new commander searched for Li He, Wei Shou pretended not to know where he was and secretly ordered his private troops to join the allied forces.
• The allies planned a rapid siege that would draw Chaoli Pass’s defenders to the walls while Wei Shou’s men attacked from within, and Shen Tang refused to coordinate with Tao Yan.
• The allied forces attacked Chaoli Pass before dawn, and the new commander hurried to the front as a sword flashed up at him.

The Alliance Army launched a full assault on Chaoli Pass, where summoned Heroic Spirits and cavalry met Shen Tang’s forces in battle. As the Alliance Army neared the pass with its siege equipment, Wei Shou suspected it still had a hidden trump card.

• The defending general summoned forty thousand Heroic Spirits, and their three cavalry formations charged the Alliance Army.
• Shen Tang rode Motorcycle into the enemy cavalry while Zhang He’s, Qian Yong’s, and her troops struggled to coordinate.
• Yang Ying caught the falling command banner, rallied her soldiers, and charged back into the fight.
• Wei Shou arrived late, argued with the defending general, and questioned why he kept the gates shut instead of sending troops to support the Heroic Spirits.
• The Alliance Army pushed toward Chaoli Pass with morale-made siege equipment as the defending general watched its tactics with growing confusion.
• Wei Shou asked whether the Alliance Army still had a trump card.

Shen Tang’s alliance stormed Chaoli Pass, where Wei Shou betrayed the defenders, killed their general, and helped turn the battle in the alliance’s favor. After Bai Su brought down the commander’s banner and the pass fell, Wei Shou prepared to reunite with Rui Ji while Shen Tang ate with Shao Chong.

• Shen Tang and Shao Chong fought through Chaoli Pass’s defenders under the suppression of its national might.
• Wei Shou stabbed the defending general and killed him, revealing his betrayal of the pass.
• Bai Su shot down the commander’s banner, weakening the defenders’ morale as alliance troops entered through the opened gates.
• Wei Shou called on the defenders to surrender, and the alliance captured Chaoli Pass after two hours of fighting.
• Chu Yao told Wei Shou that Rui Ji was on her way and asked him to meet their master first.
• Shen Tang ate flatbread with Shao Chong instead of joining the others to divide the spoils.

Shen Tang recruited Wei Shou by promising generous provisions for his troops, then let Gu Chi manage the division of the captured spoils. As Zheng Qiao reacted to Chaoli Pass’s fall, Shen Tang sparred with Ning Yan beneath the moon.

• Shao Chong visited Shen Tang for flatbread, and Wei Shou arrived to negotiate terms for his troops.
• Shen Tang offered Wei Shou’s soldiers monthly pay, ample supplies, seasonal clothing, and extra rewards; Wei Shou pledged his loyalty after sensing her martial fortune.
• Gu Chi argued for the Alliance Army’s share of prisoners and other spoils, then took charge of protecting Shen Tang’s interests in the negotiations.
• Zheng Qiao learned that Chaoli Pass had fallen, Wei Shou had defected, and Li He had been beheaded, while his attempt to seize Wei Shou’s family had failed.
• Shen Tang found Ning Yan practicing swordsmanship at night and sparred with her beneath the moon.

Shen Tang helped Ning Yan prepare to avenge Yan An by killing Zheng Qiao, while negotiating a claim on Zheng Qiao’s life with Jiang Sheng. After the Alliance Army divided its forces to seize Yanzhou, Shen Tang was assigned to a group with Tao Yan, Qian Yong, and Zhang He, and Yun Ce arrived to help her.

• Ning Yan told Shen Tang that she wanted to kill Zheng Qiao herself to avenge Yan An, and Shen Tang agreed that Ning Yan and Jiang Sheng would have to contend for his life.
• Ning Yan offered Jiang Sheng half of Zheng Qiao’s life, then asked Shen Tang to help sharpen her swordsmanship in a sparring session.
• Shao Chong misunderstood Shen Tang’s sore back and her talk of practicing on a mountain, while Gu Chi learned that she had strained herself sparring with Ning Yan.
• Huang Lie divided the Alliance Army into three groups to seize Yanzhou, assigning Shen Tang to work with Zhang He, Qian Yong, and Tao Yan despite Gu Ren’s warning about them.
• Yun Ce visited Shen Tang with a bundle and explained that Huang Lie had sent him to help her.

As the Dragon Slaying Bureau’s allied forces prepared to march, Zhao Feng privately visited his injured daughter, Zhao Wei, and learned she wanted a smooth-skinned male favorite. He left with an absurd plan to find her one, while Zhao Wei and her father parted with a heartfelt promise to stay alive.

• Shen Tang welcomed Yun Ce, then the allied forces began breaking camp and splitting into three routes.
• Zhao Feng privately asked Zhao Wei about her injury and learned she preferred a capable, smooth-skinned male favorite over marriage.
• Zhao Feng suggested Zhao Wei could have a child with one of Shen Tang’s unmarried men, but Zhao Wei dismissed the idea and told him to stay alive.
• Zhao Feng’s rival accused him of leaving camp without orders, and Zhao Feng mocked him by asking whether his son was still smooth-skinned.
• Wu Xian questioned Zhao Feng about the dispute, and Zhao Feng claimed he was seeking a smooth-skinned male favorite for Zhao Wei.

Zhao Feng’s quarrel with a rival sparked rumors, but a visiting scholar revealed he knew Zhao Wei’s secret and suggested Shen Tang might also be a woman. The scholar connected Shen Tang to the twin dragons seen over Xiaocheng and began urging Zhao Feng to reconsider his loyalty, leaving Zhao Feng alarmed about what the truth could mean for his daughter.

• Zhao Feng insulted his old rival over the man’s son, and Wu Xian stopped them before they fought.
• A scholar visited Zhao Feng and joked that the camp believed he wanted a male concubine, so Zhao Feng explained that Zhao Wei had wanted one.
• The scholar revealed that he had recognized Zhao Wei as a Martial Gall Warrior and had kept her secret, while voicing resentment over Wu Xian’s distrust of Qin Li’s faction.
• The scholar proposed that Shen Tang might be a woman, and Zhao Feng grew concerned that the revelation could endanger Zhao Wei.
• The scholar recalled the twin dragons over Xiaocheng and urged Zhao Feng to investigate Shen Tang’s identity, but Zhao Feng stopped him before he finished.

A scholar tried to persuade Zhao Feng to leave Wu Xian’s service, but Zhao Feng refused and worried over Wu Xian’s increasingly divided household. The eldest young master then begged Zhao Feng for help, and Zhao Feng’s investigation revealed that Wu Xian had ordered the murder of the boy’s attendant.

• The scholar told Zhao Feng he had long doubted Wu Xian and urged him to seek a new lord, but Zhao Feng refused to betray Wu Xian.
• The scholar warned Zhao Feng that Wu Xian’s sons were becoming rivals, then left the eldest young master to enter Zhao Feng’s tent.
• The eldest young master claimed his second brother planned to cripple or kill him and said his attendant had disappeared; Zhao Feng promised to investigate.
• Zhao Feng discovered that Wu Xian, not the second young master, had ordered the attendant’s murder.
• Zhao Feng asked Wu Xian not to blame the eldest young master, but Wu Xian criticized the boy for obeying his maternal uncles.

Wu Xian explained why he doubted his eldest son could inherit and why he favored the second, while Zhao Feng struggled with the danger of that choice. Meanwhile, Shen Tang’s alliance discovered that Yanzhou’s defenders had burned crops and emptied villages, leaving her to confront the threat of famine and the Alliance Army’s reluctance to help.

• Wu Xian told Zhao Feng that the attendant had changed his story under Word Spirit interrogation and had unknowingly helped the second young master expose the eldest’s foolishness.
• Wu Xian admitted that the eldest was unfit to lead in the coming conflicts, though Zhao Feng warned that passing him over could provoke Wu Xian’s other sons and factions.
• Zhao Feng sought advice from a scholar, who urged him to stay out of the succession dispute, then saved their mushroom-and-meat soup from Zhao Feng’s mace.
• Shen Tang’s scouts reported that Yanzhou’s target commanderies had charred fields and deserted villages, and Shen Tang recognized the defenders’ scorched-earth strategy.
• Shen Tang confronted Zhang He about the famine risk, but Tao Yan mocked her concern for Yanzhou’s people, prompting her to attack him before the others restrained her.
• Zhang He saw that the Alliance Army had ignored the looming famine and wondered who would provide food to the people.

Shen Tang clashed with Tao Yan over the starving people of Yanzhou, then struggled with the Alliance Army’s inability to feed them. Ning Yan proposed using Zheng Qiao’s National Seal to alter the weather and speed crop growth, while Shen Tang ordered grain gathered as a backup; the easy capture of their first objective left her expecting trouble ahead.

• Tao Yan insulted Shen Tang’s concern for Yanzhou’s starving commoners, and Shen Tang broke free and attacked him before the others separated them.
• Zhang He argued that the Alliance Army had to defeat Zheng Qiao quickly before it could gather supplies, and Shen Tang pretended to accept his reasoning.
• Back with her own people, Shen Tang admitted she had no clear way to feed or resettle the refugees, while Wei Shou saw how freely her allies tolerated her temper.
• Ning Yan suggested that Shen Tang might use Zheng Qiao’s National Seal to control the weather and accelerate crops, and Shen Tang approved the plan.
• Shen Tang ordered Chu Yao to ask Yuan Liang to send available grain and arrange purchases of future surplus, then warned that their easy victory at the first objective likely concealed trouble.

Shen Tang entered a burned city and found its people starving after the local officials evacuated the able-bodied and took the food, so she ordered relief despite her army’s dwindling supplies. As the army advanced to another emptied city, Tao Yan spread rumors to undermine her forces, and Shen Tang ordered the soldiers responsible executed while vowing to deal with Tao Yan.

• Shen Tang found an old woman and other starving residents in the ruined city, gave them food, and learned from Xu Quan that the local official had taken the able-bodied people and supplies before setting fires.
• Shen Tang ordered shelters and porridge for the survivors, while Qian Yong offered men to help and praised her; Gu Chi later explained that Qian Yong was trying to secure her as a potential backer.
• Shen Tang’s army reached another city where only the old and weak remained, and Zhang He recognized the enemy’s tactic as a way to drain their provisions.
• Tao Yan mocked Shen Tang’s relief efforts and arranged for two soldiers to spread rumors that she had diverted army provisions, but Gu Chi caught them and Bai Su brought them before Shen Tang.
• Shen Tang condemned the soldiers for undermining morale and ordered them executed, then told Gu Chi she would eventually wipe out Tao Yan’s family.

The Dragon Slaying Bureau's armies captured the remaining half of Yanzhou and confronted the prospect of fighting Zheng Qiao's forces and the Sixteenth Rank Grand Shang Zao. After hearing how utterly ruthless their enemy was, Shen Tang rallied the Alliance Army to continue the fight, leaving them resolved to push onward toward Zheng Qiao.

• Gu Ren learned that Shao Chong was troubled after witnessing starving and dead civilians, and told Chao Lian to let his Thirteenth Brother work through his feelings himself.
• The three Dragon Slaying Bureau armies joined up after taking the rest of Yanzhou, where they found devastation and almost no surviving civilians.
• Gu Ren warned Shen Tang to be wary of Huang Lie's reasons for sending Yun Ce to assist her, and Shen Tang said she would be careful.
• Wei Shou described how the Sixteenth Rank Grand Shang Zao had killed his own relatives without remorse, convincing the Alliance Army that they could only defeat him by force.
• When Huang Lie questioned whether Shen Tang could face the Grand Shang Zao, Gu Ren urged the armies to attack together, and Shen Tang rebuked the Alliance Army for losing heart and called for them to march on Zheng Qiao.

Shen Tang confronted the alliance’s fearful leaders, then turned her attention to famine relief as a night raid struck Huang Lie’s camp. The attacker’s rank-16 display began to shatter the army’s morale, and Shen Tang prepared to face him.

• Shen Tang threatened and berated an officer who grumbled about the coming battle, while Huang Lie restored order and Wu Xian later criticized him to Qin Li.
• Shen Tang vented her anger at her allies until Chu Yao distracted her with news of famine relief supplies and she ordered them protected.
• Qi Shan and Liao Jia worked late in Sibao Prefecture, and Qi Shan felt a brief burning sensation that he linked to fighting at the front.
• A lone attacker launched a huge halberd at Huang Lie’s tent, but the Black-clothed Martial Artist and nearby generals failed to stop it.
• The attacker arrived standing on a flying saber, and Wei Shou recognized him as a Sixteenth Rank Grand Shang Zao as soldiers began to panic.
• Shen Tang saw the flying warrior and reacted with disbelief at his arrogance.

A Sixteenth Rank Grand Shang Zao attacked the Dragon Slaying Bureau’s Alliance Army and demanded its leader and the rebels who had destroyed his avatar. Wei Shou fought him while Huang Lie held back his forces, but Shen Tang entered the battle, and the chapter ended as the newcomer unleashed a thunderous counterattack.

• Shen Tang used her Word Spirit to rise thirty meters, while the Alliance Army regrouped under military orders and morale-boosting Word Spirits.
• The newcomer demanded that Huang Lie and the rebels appear, then kicked a Martial Gall Warrior out of the air when he challenged him.
• Huang Lie confronted the newcomer, and Wei Shou mocked him before charging into battle with his giant axe.
• Huang Lie told the Black-clothed Martial Artist to wait, while Chu Yao strengthened Wei Shou and Rui Ji watched from the camp.
• Shen Tang charged into the fight and fired a rain of arrows at the newcomer, who answered with a booming attack that shattered the incoming blows.

Shen Tang and Wei Shou fought off Zheng Qiao’s general before Zheng Qiao’s arrival forced the Dragon Slaying Bureau’s Alliance Army to reconsider its strategy. Zheng Qiao suspected Shen Tang possessed a National Seal and looked forward to the rival leaders turning against one another.

• Shen Tang and Wei Shou fought the enemy general, with Shen Tang’s powerful arrow breaking through his attack and forcing him to defend with several shields.
• A dragon’s shadow announced Zheng Qiao’s arrival, and the enemy general fled with the Alliance Army’s commander’s banner.
• Chu Jie explained that Zheng Qiao had come to lead his army in person, while Shen Tang’s allies secretly worried that her National Seal had been detected.
• Chu Yao urged Shen Tang to conserve her strength and let the other alliance leaders reveal their capabilities before she exposed herself further.
• Zheng Qiao questioned the returning general about Shen Tang, suspected he possessed a National Seal, and dismissed the idea of spreading rumors to turn the alliance against him.

Shen Tang devised a plan to mislead Zheng Qiao by leaving Kang Shi with the National Seal while she led troops across the Miao River. After the meeting, she watched Yang Ying and Lu Ji spar and saw Lu Ji win.

• Chu Yao proposed that Shen Tang's troops cross the Miao River elsewhere and flank Zheng Qiao, while Ning Yan warned that Zheng Qiao could track Shen Tang through the National Seal.
• Shen Tang proposed entrusting the National Seal to a minister so Zheng Qiao would mistake its location, then crossing the river herself to maneuver around his forces.
• Shen Tang held a drawing of lots, and Kang Shi drew the marked lot and accepted responsibility for holding the National Seal.
• Shen Tang and her subordinates spent hours planning the river crossing and preparing for possible interference from Huang Lie.
• Shen Tang watched Yang Ying and Lu Ji spar with a spear and heavy hammer, and Lu Ji won when Yang Ying lost her grip on the spear.