Chapter Summaries

Shen Tang exposed the Allied Army’s failed night raid and its disease plot, then learned that someone had killed Wuyou. She left the army to deal with the new crisis.

• Yang Ying shot the enemy general from the sky, and Kang’s soldiers captured him alive and brought him before Shen Tang.
• Shen Tang revealed that the Allied Army had layered schemes, including a hidden disease source and an attempt to use Xiang Zhao to poison her or Luan Xin.
• Chu Yao found and destroyed a pearlescent drop of disease, while Shen Tang explained that Kang’s forces had set an ambush and the Allied Army’s raiding detachments were burning.
• Shen Tang killed the captured general, then suddenly spat blood and told Chu Yao that someone had killed Wuyou.

Shen Tang recreated Wuyou after her incarnation was dispersed, then sent her to impersonate an enemy general while Wei Lou's forces wiped out the ambushers. Wuyou returned to the allied camp disguised as General Wang and accused the allied army of betrayal, leaving its leaders facing her and the deputy general's questions.

• Shen Tang explained that Wuyou had been dispersed after encountering trouble, recreated her, and ordered her to impersonate the captured enemy general while he remained alive under guard.
• Luo San and Wei Lou's troops burned out and killed the ambushers, following Shen Tang's order to leave no survivors; they discovered the attackers had taken blood oaths that made capturing them dangerous.
• Wuyou, disguised as General Wang, returned to the allied camp wounded and claimed the allied army had betrayed her.
• The deputy general confronted the allied leaders about General Wang's accusation, and Wuyou woke to face them while sensing a hidden presence nearby.

Wu You confronted Alliance Leader Zhao over the Allied Army’s betrayal, then attacked the camp after her disguise as General Wang was exposed. As Jimò Qiu helped her unleash Corpse Man Vines, Wu You arranged to broadcast the betrayal throughout the Allied Army’s camp.

• Wu You accused Alliance Leader Zhao and the other leaders of sabotaging her troops and setting her up during the night raid, while pretending to be an enraged General Wang.
• Wu You provoked Zhao by challenging his claimed noble ancestry, and Zhao ordered her killed.
• Wu You attacked Zhao, revealed her identity when her disguise was recognized, and summoned Corpse Man Vines to rampage through the tent.
• Jimò Qiu intercepted one of the hidden Martial Gall Warriors while Wu You fought the other attacker and General Wang’s deputy, who revealed that Wang was his father.
• Wu You and Jimò Qiu decided to expose the Allied Army’s betrayal to its soldiers, and mushrooms began broadcasting Wu You’s voice across the camp.

Wu You and Jimò Qiu used a swarm of trumpet mushrooms to expose the Central Allied Army’s betrayal and escape its pursuers. As Shen Tang shared Wu You’s memories and actions, she discovered that a dangerous, flirtatious good intention had taken control of the incarnation.

• Wu You’s trumpet mushrooms broadcast that Alliance Leader Zhao had betrayed the Central Allied Army’s allies and abandoned infected soldiers, alarming the army’s ranks.
• Wu You and Jimò Qiu fled their pursuers, and Wu You detonated the furry vine to scatter hundreds of thousands of sound-producing trumpet mushrooms over the camp.
• After the pursuers gave up, Wu You and Jimò Qiu discussed how the trumpet mushrooms came from her earlier life and how Jimò Qiu had altered them.
• Shen Tang experienced Wu You’s intimate exchange with Jimò Qiu and realized that the personality speaking through her might be her good intention rather than Wu You.
• The good intention threatened Jimò Qiu, then released him and comforted him, while Shen Tang watched helplessly and feared the personality’s violence.

The Good Thought and the original Shen Tang clashed over control, while Jimò Qiu recalled Shen Tang’s fierce past and the Heavenly Dao’s role in the ancient calamity. Shen Tang declared that she would kill the Good Thought when Kang Country unified the realm, and Wu You was left to deal with the aftermath of their struggle.

• The Good Thought mocked the original Shen Tang and warned that she would soon have a chance to deal with her.
• Jimò Qiu remembered being chosen as High Priest and learning that Shen Tang’s past self had fought fiercely to survive the ancient calamity.
• The Good Thought cursed the Heavenly Dao for using and discarding its heirs, then dared it to strike her with tribulation lightning.
• At a victory banquet, Shen Tang asked Luo San how to kill the Good Thought and considered using outside help to restrain her.
• Shen Tang told the Good Thought to submit and vowed to kill her when Kang Country unified the realm.
• The Good Thought stopped responding, Wu You was kicked out, and he advised Jimò Qiu to stay out of the conflict.

Shen Tang let the Central Allied Army suffer the Trumpet Mushrooms’ relentless noise rather than risk attacking too soon, while deserters gradually drained the enemy camp. When Kang Country finally struck, it discovered that the allied army had secretly moved its elites through tunnels, leaving Shen Tang to wonder how many had escaped and whether the defenders knew.

• At the victory banquet, Shen Tang asked Gu Chi whether using [Three Hearts, Two Minds] harmed his mental state, and he told her that Literary Scholars were already prone to extremes and relied on their ruler as a kite string.
• The Trumpet Mushrooms Wuyou and Jimò Qiu had left behind tormented the Central Allied Army, whose leaders sealed the hearing of selected troops while ordinary soldiers and laborers continued to suffer.
• Shen Tang refused to attack while the mushrooms disrupted orders on both sides, and she waited as deserters began leaving the allied camp over the following days.
• After the Trumpet Mushrooms withered, Shen Tang split her forces and led an assault on the allied camp, breaking through several defensive lines in fifteen minutes.
• Lu Ji reported that Kang Country had found more than a dozen tunnels beneath the tents, revealing that the allied army had secretly transferred its elites, including some disguised among the deserters.
• Shen Tang angrily asked how many enemy troops had escaped, while the captured generals’ expressions suggested they might not have known about the tunnel operation.

Shen Tang learned that the Central Allied Army was retreating through tunnels and used divination to locate enemy troops still underground, while her forces set the tunnels ablaze. As the trapped soldiers panicked, Yang Ying struck from above, and a beam of light poured into the tunnel.

• Gu Chi tortured a captured Central Allied Army general for information, and Shen Tang ordered Lu Ji to kill him.
• Gu Chi reported that the Central Allied Army had used deception and tunnels to abandon troops while its elite forces escaped.
• Luan Xin explained that Chu Wu Hui’s Way of the Scholar had given Shen Tang the ability to divine, and Shen Tang sensed that Allied troops remained underground.
• Gongyang Yongye set fire to the tunnel entrances, and Shen Tang ordered temperature-sensitive troops to pursue the enemy from aboveground.
• Lin Su realized that Kang’s troops were closing in and welcomed the chaos caused by the smoke, while the trapped Allied soldiers fought to escape.
• Yang Ying swept her blade over the tunnel, sending martial qi crashing underground as a Ray of Sky Light poured through the crack in the earth.

Yang Ying and Kang Shi pursued the retreating Central Allied Army through illusion traps until Kang Shi’s Qi Yun revealed enemies hiding underground. Yang Ying stayed behind to fight them while Kang Shi led the five thousand troops onward, and Lin Su realized they were heading toward a much larger Allied force.

• Yang Ying and Kang Shi followed repeated scout marks and dismantled illusion arrays that the Central Allied Army had laid along its retreat route.
• Kang Shi used his Qi Yun to pinpoint enemies about seven hundred and thirty paces away, and Yang Ying struck into their underground tunnels.
• Several enemy generals emerged and attacked Yang Ying while the other pursuers continued toward the tunnel exit.
• Yang Ying told Kang Shi to take all five thousand soldiers onward, then used her archery and Two Birds with One Arrow to defeat the enemies holding the rear.
• Lin Su survived the tunnel collapse with a crushed leg and watched Kang Shi’s troops leave, warning that they were likely to run into twenty-two thousand Allied reinforcements.

Shen Tang discovered that the Heavenly Dao had deducted more than eighty billion merit from her over the years, alongside money and Qi Yun, and the revelation enraged her. After Heaven answered her curses with auspicious signs and she collapsed, she began to suspect that someone had let her see the accounts on purpose.

• Shen Tang explained how she planned to use Kang Shi as bait to draw out the enemy’s main force while Wei Lou and Gu Chi followed behind.
• Earthquakes repeatedly buried Shen Tang and injured Qi Shan, while Kang Shi’s misfortune left her unable to protect herself with martial or literary qi.
• Shen Tang calculated the debts and discovered that more than eighty billion merit had been deducted, with additional money and Qi Yun charged at usurious rates.
• Shen Tang cursed Heaven, which responded with flowers from the sky and golden lotuses before she collapsed from rage and injury.
• Jimò Qiu told Shen Tang that Heaven’s will governed the accounts, and Shen Tang wondered why she had been allowed to see them and whether Wuhui’s Way of the Scholar had caused it.

Shen Tang learned that Kang Jishou’s battle had drained millions of merit points, but she refused to cancel his card because she had promised to save him. As she worried about her dwindling balance and the corrupt accounting behind it, an urgent messenger arrived with news of the battle, leaving its outcome just about to be announced.

• Shen Tang panicked over the millions of merit points Kang Jishou had spent, then decided she would not cancel his card because she had promised Hanzhang to save him.
• Jimò Qiu recalled that Shen Tang had once earned immense merit, while Shen Tang discovered that corrupt officials had embezzled the merit she had earned.
• Qi Shan arrived on a stretcher and accused Shen Tang and Kang Jishou of trying to kill him; Shen Tang vowed to purge corrupt officials, and Qi Shan offered to sharpen her blade.
• While Shen Tang and Qi Shan recovered, Shen Tang confidently guessed that Kang Jishou had won against overwhelming allied forces, and Chu Yao revealed that he had sent someone to follow the mission.
• A messenger arrived with an urgent report, and Shen Tang ordered him to speak as Jimò Qiu worried over the consequences of her vow to Heaven.

Shen Tang learned that Kang Shi’s ambush had routed a much larger Allied Army at heavy cost, then visited the badly wounded Kang Shi in the infirmary. Kang Shi survived and recovered enough to worry about his lord, while Jimò Qiu concealed Shen Tang’s visit and reassured him that he would live.

• A messenger reported that Kang Shi’s five thousand troops had defeated twenty-two thousand enemy soldiers, while more than half of Kang Shi’s forces became casualties.
• Shen Tang questioned the late arrival of Qian Yong, learned that he had been delayed by twelve illusion traps, and ordered thirteen squads of physicians to treat the wounded.
• Three days later, Shen Tang found Kang Shi and Qian Yong recovering together in the infirmary, where Kang Shi was healing from severe wounds and damage to his Literary Palace and Literary Heart.
• Kang Shi asked whether Shen Tang had inquired about him, and Fang Yan explained that central command had already sent three orders urging his return.
• Shen Tang signaled Jimò Qiu to bring Kang Shi medicinal brew, and Jimò Qiu assured him that he would survive because a safety charm protected him.

Shen Tang discovered that Kang Shi had tried to hide his injuries, forced him to take his Gu medicine, and ordered him to continue treatment under supervision. After visiting the wounded and grieving over the battle’s losses, she talked with Gu Chi and found renewed confidence in dealing with her ministers.

• Jimò Qiu offered Kang Shi Gu medicine as either a decoction or a meal-sized dose of pills, and Kang Shi chose the decoction.
• Shen Tang appeared and forced Kang Shi to swallow the medicine when he recoiled from its taste.
• Fang Yan handed Shen Tang Kang Shi’s detailed medical record, revealing that Kang Shi had tried to conceal his condition from her.
• Shen Tang scolded Kang Shi and ordered Jimò Qiu to give him the strongest-smelling Gu medicine and ensure he took every dose.
• Qian Yong complained that Shen Tang treated Kang Shi differently, while Shen Tang later visited the wounded and arranged care and compensation for the soldiers.
• Gu Chi helped lift Shen Tang’s spirits, and she concluded that managing her ministers might be less exhausting than she had imagined.

Shen Tang learned that the Central Allied Army had seeded locust eggs across the occupied territory and summoned Lin Feng to help destroy them. Lin Feng arrived near the front with her party, but after stopping to rest, she found herself alone in a bamboo grove and drew her sword at the unseen presence.

• Shen Tang learned that the allied nations had left locust eggs in the fields and spread sexual rumors about her among the common folk.
• Shen Tang rejected Gu Chi’s suggestion to punish rumor-spreaders and focused on preventing the eggs from hatching into a plague.
• Shen Tang told her officers that Lin Feng was already on her way to deal with the locust eggs.
• Lin Feng and her exhausted party traveled through enemy territory and reached a rest stop near Shen Tang’s forces five days later.
• Lin Feng discovered that her companions had vanished and drew her sword, demanding that the hidden figure reveal itself.

Lin Feng met Lin Su in a dream, where he gave her intelligence about the Central Allied Army’s plan to unleash an unprecedented locust plague on the State of Kang. After waking, she reunited with Chu Yao, who hinted that her future would extend beyond an ordinary lifespan and that he would be enshrined alongside her.

• Lin Feng waited in the woods and greeted Lin Su as her brother when he emerged, while a young Daoist joined them from the treetops.
• The young Daoist assured Lin Feng that her subordinates were safe and explained that Lin Su had come to pass along intelligence for Lord Shen.
• Lin Su gave Lin Feng a map showing areas contaminated by locust eggs planted by the Central Allied Army and warned that the eggs hatched quickly, endured hunger, and were unusually hardy.
• Lin Feng memorized the map and promised to eliminate the eggs, while Lin Su refused any reward from Shen Youli.
• Lin Feng woke from the dream and learned that Chu Yao had come to retrieve her with her liege’s permission.
• Chu Yao told Lin Feng that he had seen incense in her future and would be enshrined alongside her.

Chu Yao revealed several possible futures for Lin Feng, including one in which Shen Youli tried to make her heir and another in which the ruler produced a questionable but capable daughter who eventually succeeded her. Lin Feng committed herself to pursuing the future where she became revered, while Lin Su’s attempt to steer events toward a succession crisis was thwarted.

• Lin Feng eagerly asked Chu Yao about her possible futures, and he described paths where she entered the martial world, retired, lost a political struggle, or became entangled in inner-residence conflict.
• Chu Yao revealed that Shen Youli might choose Lin Feng as heir, setting her against Chu Yao in a succession dispute; Lin Feng rejected the idea and asked about Shen Youli’s ability to have children.
• Chu Yao described another future in which Shen Youli presented a large, apparently newborn daughter whose origins the officials doubted, but who later proved capable and became heir.
• Lin Feng decided to strive for the future in which she was honored by temples, and Chu Yao burned away an invisible influence before they returned to camp.
• Lin Su and a phantom discussed Shen Youli’s possible succession plans, but Chu Yao’s intervention had cut off Lin Su’s chance to exploit them.
• Lin Feng reported the map’s origins to Shen Tang, who said she trusted Lin Anzhi and would use it.

Lin Feng discovered that the Central Allied Army’s poisonous locust eggs had contaminated farmland across Kang, leaving its officials searching for a way to save the fields. Shen Tang proposed using the Bureau of Astronomy to carry antidote in rain clouds, while Yun Ce suggested that the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures build a flying sprayer.

• Lin Feng inspected Jimò Qiu’s locust eggs and learned that they had poisoned his Gu Worms and killed test livestock, ruling out livestock as a way to control the plague.
• Shen Tang told Lin Feng that the fields might be contaminated and could not be used safely, while Lin Feng realized the damage threatened both her Perfection Ritual and Kang’s land and people.
• Shen Tang and her ministers rejected relocating the population and struggled to find a practical response to the poisoned farmland.
• Gu Chi proposed exterminating the insects and neutralizing the poison, prompting Kang Shi to suggest that Young Tutor Qin use the Bureau of Astronomy to mix antidote into clouds.
• Yun Ce proposed that the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures build a flying object fitted with a watering-can shape to spray the antidote precisely, and he insisted it could be done.

Shen Tang approved Yun Ce’s proposal for agricultural flying machines and funded the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures to build them. Bei Jiu discussed protecting the Mohists from jealousy and preserving competition among officials, while Shen Tang and Gu Chi teased Qin Li about his workload.

• Shen Tang rejected Yun Ce’s proposal at first, then praised its potential to help farmers in mountainous regions and assigned the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures to build the flying machines.
• Bei Jiu worried that the Directorate’s growing wealth and influence would provoke resentment, and she privately considered splitting off some of its authority into a new department.
• Yun Ce reassured Bei Jiu that the Mohists had earned their wealth honestly and that powerful families possessed far greater fortunes, then joked that he would shield her if trouble came.
• Bei Jiu temporarily set aside her plan to step back from success but maintained that the Directorate should eventually face rivals to keep its members from growing complacent.
• Shen Tang and Gu Chi discussed the competitive spirit among Kang’s officials, and Gu Chi provoked Qin Li by claiming he had the easiest job catching clouds.

Shen Tang’s officials prepared farmland against the locust plague while Lin Feng used force to clear private troops guarding a local family’s mountain. Shen Tang defended Lin Feng’s actions and saw the abandoned, locust-threatened land as an opportunity to redistribute farmland to the people.

• Gu Chi teased Qin Li until Qin Li chased him with a sword, while Shen Tang kept the two from gaining the upper hand.
• Gu Chi sent Qi Shan news of his success in provoking Qin Li, and Qi Shan warned him not to push Qin Li too far.
• Lin Feng used literary energy to heat the fields and help prepare them against pests as Qin Li monitored the clouds and awaited her report.
• Lin Feng discovered private troops blocking Kang Country soldiers from a mountain, ordered them killed after they made lewd remarks, and instructed her squad to deal with similar guards without delay.
• Shen Tang told a minister that Lin Feng had not been wrong to use force against the local power structures, then explained that Kang Country could claim and redistribute farmland abandoned during the locust crisis.

The Central Allied Army silenced leaders who discovered its poisoned locust eggs, while Lin Su encountered the blind Gongxi Chou and was forced to guide him toward Kang Country’s camp. After Gongxi Chou unexpectedly returned to Shen Tang’s army, she grew worried about Qu State and prepared to investigate.

• Alliance Leader Zhao had three men killed after they learned the locust eggs had been poisoned, then ordered his subordinates to keep searching for Lin Su.
• Lin Su woke in the mountains beside Gongxi Chou, who had mistaken him for Lin Feng and was going blind while shedding his skin.
• Gongxi Chou threatened Lin Su into guiding him toward Kang Country’s camp.
• Shen Tang pursued the Central Allied Army to a river, where it abandoned tens of thousands of refugees and escaped by ship.
• Jimò Qiu recognized Gongxi Chou’s return, and Shen Tang learned that Zixu had lost contact with Qu State and decided to investigate.

Lin Feng and Shen Tang learned that the cracking Four Pillars threatened to sink the continent, and Zhai Le sent Shen Tang a National Seal to help avert the disaster. Shen Tang realized Yun Da may have misled her about needing every National Seal, leaving her furious as the crisis remained unresolved.

• Lin Su summoned Lin Feng to meet Gongxi Chou, who let Lin Su escape before Shen Tang arrived and asked whether Qu had fallen.
• Gongxi Chou gave Shen Tang a National Seal from Zhai Le and explained that Yu Hai had learned the Four Pillars were cracking and the world faced destruction.
• Yu Hai recounted how a woman in the Mountain Sea Sacred Land explained that human fortune and the Hundred Schools Sacred Hall helped support the Four Pillars, while war, toxic remnants, and a threat to the pillars had weakened them.
• Shen Tang objected that Yun Da had started the crisis before the promised twelve years had passed and questioned why she needed every National Seal if Yun Da had reached the Four Pillars without them.
• Shen Tang realized Yun Da may have deceived her about the seals being necessary and erupted in anger, while Gu Chi warned Yun Ce to avoid her.