Chapter Summaries

Chu Yao returned to the butcher shop and reassured the butcher that Tu Rong could continue studying with him. While catching up with the butcher, Chu Yao discreetly gathered information about several households to learn when the tax silver escort would depart.

• Tu Rong greeted Chu Yao at the butcher shop, while the butcher scolded his son for ruining his new clothes and showing Chu Yao too much deference.
• Chu Yao told the butcher he had moved to a new place with his employer, and the butcher noticed he looked healthier and more at ease.
• Chu Yao agreed to keep teaching Tu Rong alongside his new female student and urged Tu Rong to work hard.
• Chu Yao steered the butcher’s gossip toward a local family to find out whether the younger son, who worked at Xiaocheng’s silver vault, was preparing to travel with the tax silver escort.
• Chu Yao planned to ask about more households because he was not yet sure the younger son would be on the escort team.

Chu Yao gathered gossip about a family suddenly spending freely, then took ARong with him to meet Shen Tang. After Shen Tang reported Gu Chi’s warning, Chu Yao suspected the Northern Desert had allied with the Ten Crows and explained its history of conflict with Chu State.

• Chu Yao learned from the butcher and nearby customers that a local family had recently come into money through the younger son’s new job and had been buying meat every day.
• Chu Yao bought meat and asked the butcher to let ARong accompany him for a few days, then used a roundabout approach to investigate the silver storehouse’s overlooked side entrances.
• Chu Yao waited with ARong for Shen Tang, and the three left the city with their supplies.
• Shen Tang told Chu Yao about her conversation with Gu Chi, and Chu Yao agreed that the Northern Desert might have joined forces with the Ten Crows.
• Chu Yao explained that the Three Heroes of Chu State had earned their renown fighting the Northern Desert, which had repeatedly invaded before being defeated and sending hostages to sue for peace.

Chu Yao explained to Shen Tang why the Northern Desert and Ten Crows had been kept in check by the Vassal Lords despite their cavalry and large populations. Shen Tang realized Zheng Qiao had endangered Xin Country by cooperating with the Ten Crows, while Chu Yao warned Tu Rong not to underestimate them.

• Shen Tang asked Chu Yao why the Northern Desert was considered weak despite its horse ranches and nomadic cavalry.
• Chu Yao explained that the Calamity Star's fragments had gone to central Vassal Lords and that Literary Hearts and Martial Spirits had made horses and cavalry less scarce.
• Chu Yao described how rival Vassal Lords would unite against foreign invasions, then resume fighting once the threat was gone.
• Shen Tang connected Chu Yao's explanation to Zheng Qiao's alliance with the Ten Crows during his conquest of Xin Country.
• Chu Yao said Zheng Qiao had misjudged the Ten Crows and the weakening National Border Barrier, while Tu Rong asked whether the Ten Crows and Northern Desert were weak.
• Chu Yao pinched Tu Rong's cheek and warned him not to underestimate the foreign peoples.

Shen Tang and Chu Yao discussed how the Northern Desert’s foreign peoples had rebuilt their strength, leaving Chu Yao worried about the northwestern states. They returned to the stronghold with the Tax Silver convoy operation tentatively scheduled for five days later.

• Chu Yao explained that the foreign peoples had learned Word Spirits through hostages, marriage alliances, and secret purchases of books, and had nearly caught up with the states.
• Chu Yao worried that the Ten Crows might attack while the northwestern states were weakened by their own wars, though Shen Tang tried to dispel his ominous prediction.
• Shen Tang spotted the stronghold ahead and reminded Chu Yao to watch the rough mountain road as they rode home.
• Qi Shan met Shen Tang and Chu Yao at the gate, learned the operation was set for five days later, and asked Shen Tang how much she could drink.

Shen Tang and her companions tested her drinking tolerance and discovered she passed out after barely tasting wine. As the operation to seize the tax silver approached, they sent the children away and prepared the stockade for trouble, leaving Lili behind to guard the men they had trained.

• Shen Tang passed out after sucking wine from chopstick tips, then ranted drunkenly about people trying to steal her treasure from Banbu before waking a short while later.
• Chu Yao warned Shen Tang not to drink, while Qi Shan suggested her drunken behavior might help with the operation to seize the tax silver.
• Chu Yao sent Lin Feng and the chubby boy to Xiaocheng in case the operation failed, and Shen Tang reassured Lin Feng that she would return for her.
• Gongshu Wu left the trained men in Lili's care and told him to kill any who rebelled, while Shen Tang suggested using nux vomica seeds if they all turned against him.
• Lili questioned why Shen Tang trusted him, and Shen Tang said he had pledged loyalty and warned him not to throw his life away.
• Gongshu Wu and Shen Tang refused to take the men along, judging them too weak to face the elite garrison troops of Sibao Prefecture.

Shen Tang discovered that Chu Yao had restored his Literary Heart and regained his youth by pledging his life to her as a Sovereign with the National Seal. With Chu Yao joining Shen Tang, Gongshu Wu, and Qi Shan, the group set out to intercept the Tax Silver as a surprisingly powerful four-person crew.

• A gray-haired young man emerged from the woods and revealed himself to be Chu Yao, surprising Shen Tang and Gongshu Wu.
• Chu Yao explained that he had restored his Dantian and condensed a Literary Heart by pledging his life to Shen Tang, though it would take years to fully recover.
• Qi Shan explained that Chu Yao's life was now bound to Shen Tang's and that his rapid recovery showed how valuable he was.
• Shen Tang asked why Chu Yao had not sought her permission before making the sacrifice, leaving Gongshu Wu impressed by her reaction.
• Shen Tang and Gongshu Wu noted that their group of four, including three Literary Scholars, was extravagantly strong for intercepting the Tax Silver.

As Shen Tang and Chu Yao traveled with Gongshu Wu and Qi Shan, Chu Yao revealed that he had regained his Second Rank Upper-Middle Literary Heart, while Gongshu Wu recalled his rise and fall from youthful fame. The two strategists reflected on how they had gambled on Shen Tang and felt guilty for drawing her into turmoil, as the group continued toward its next task.

• Shen Tang told Chu Yao she hoped he had regained his Second Rank Upper-Middle Literary Heart so he would have one less regret, and Chu Yao confirmed that he had.
• Gongshu Wu recalled seeing Chu Yao celebrated as one of the Three Luminaries during the Northern Desert campaign, then reflected on how far Chu Yao had fallen before they reunited in Xiaocheng.
• Gongshu Wu tried to recruit Qi Shan, who explained that he and Chu Yao had initially stayed with Shen Tang to take a gamble.
• Qi Shan and Chu Yao privately felt guilty for pushing the sincere Shen Tang toward turmoil, while Shen Tang remained unaware of their concerns.

Two days after the governor assigned the Zhai brothers to escort the Tax Silver, their convoy reached a road blocked by a landslide. The governor’s elaborate plan had sent thousands of soldiers away from Xiaocheng, and the chapter left the Captain facing a delay or a dangerous detour.

• At a banquet, the governor introduced the Zhai brothers to a Captain and hinted that Zhai Le should command the escort, but Zhai Le refused and the Captain resented the brothers.
• The governor arranged five Tax Silver convoys, four false and one real, and sent a thousand soldiers with each convoy on staggered routes.
• As Zhai Le and Zhai Huan rode with their convoy, Zhai Le worried that Xiaocheng’s defenses would be weakened and Zhai Huan agreed that a bandit attack was possible.
• The convoy passed safely through a gorge and reached the main road, where a scout reported that a landslide would take at least half a day to clear.
• The Captain learned that forcing a path through might trigger another landslide, leaving the governor and Captain to consider taking a detour.

Zhai Huan suspected that the convoy’s supposedly fake tax silver was real after Captain Yang chose a risky detour to avoid delay. The soldiers struggled along the muddy mountain trail, while Zhai Le joked that the scene resembled a plot from Water Margin.

• A landslide blocked the convoy’s route, and a scout estimated that clearing it would take at least half a day.
• Zhai Huan warned Zhai Le to stay alert after guessing that Captain Yang’s urgency meant the tax silver might be real.
• Captain Yang chose a remote detour, and the exhausted soldiers struggled to push the heavy carts along the muddy trail.
• Captain Yang drove the soldiers onward, and Zhai Le laughed that the scene resembled the Liangshan Heroes’ plan to seize the birthday tribute.

Captain Yang’s convoy struggled through a muddy mountain detour, where Zhai Huan discovered the cargo was genuine tax silver. As the rain worsened, the group encountered an old man and a Shepherd Boy on the road, leaving their identities uncertain.

• Captain Yang whipped the exhausted soldiers until Zhai Huan persuaded him to let them rest for a quarter of an hour.
• Zhai Le searched for a date peddler and wine seller while the soldiers recovered, but the rain soon forced the convoy back onto the muddy road.
• A soldier fell while pushing a cart, spilling silver ingots from two chests and confirming Zhai Huan’s suspicion that the convoy carried real Tax Silver.
• Zhai Le heard a flute, and the soldiers encountered an old man and a Shepherd Boy riding an ox through the rain.
• The old man explained that he had come to bring his grandson a rain cape and Bamboo Hat, but a subordinate ordered them to leave the road.

Zhai Le questioned an old man and his stuttering grandson about dates and wine, while Zhai Huan grew suspicious of their appearance near the Tax Silver convoy. After divining a dangerous omen, Zhai Huan arranged for a scout to follow them, leaving the convoy wary of what lay ahead.

• Captain Yang ordered the old man and Shepherd Boy to move aside so the Tax Silver convoy could pass.
• Zhai Le asked whether the old man’s family sold dates or brewed wine, but learned they had neither.
• Zhai Huan watched the grandfather and grandson leave, then borrowed a scout from Captain Yang to follow them.
• Zhai Huan told Zhai Le that his Eight-Day Divination had produced the Water-Thunder Dun hexagram, a sign of difficulty and danger.

The Shepherd Boy and the old man carried out their plan to delay the tax silver procession, while Zhai Huan grew suspicious of them and worried over an ominous hexagram. The procession was forced to stop in the rain, leaving its exhausted soldiers asleep beneath the carts.

• The old man and the Shepherd Boy discussed Xiao Fang and Zhai Huan, then returned to their hideout in an abandoned village.
• A scout followed the old man and the Shepherd Boy, and the Shepherd Boy concluded that Zhai Huan had sent him because he was suspicious.
• The Shepherd Boy explained how the rain and landslide would slow the procession and leave its soldiers vulnerable on the narrow road.
• Captain Yang ordered his soldiers to clear the landslide instead of taking a detour, then halted the procession to rest in the cold rain.
• The exhausted soldiers sheltered beneath the carts and fell asleep, while Zhai Huan's unease deepened over the inauspicious Tun Hexagram.

Zhai Huan and Zhai Le waited for an expected attack while Captain Yang’s lax camp settled in for the night. Chu Yao and Gongshu Wu watched the soldiers and waited for Shen Tang’s group to strike before joining the assault.

• Zhai Huan told Zhai Le they had done all they could and prepared to face a possible attack in the latter half of the night.
• Captain Yang let his favored subordinate handle the patrols, while the subordinate scolded shirking soldiers and accepted their bribes.
• Two exhausted soldiers complained during their patrol, unaware that Chu Yao and Gongshu Wu were watching them.
• Gongshu Wu asked whether they should attack, but Chu Yao chose to wait for Wu Lang and the others so both teams could strike together.

Shen Tang and Qi Bu Shan planned to ambush Captain Yang, while the Zhai brothers discovered an attack on their camp and raised the alarm. Gongshu Wu prepared for battle after hearing the signal, but Chu Yao gave him an unexpectedly destructive Literary Heart Word Spirit.

• Shen Tang rejected Qi Bu Shan’s suggestion to kill the Zhai brothers and decided to leave Xiao Fang to Banbu while she dealt with Captain Yang.
• Qi Bu Shan got Shen Tang drunk and persuaded her to attack the thieves by targeting their leader, Captain Yang.
• The Zhai brothers sensed an approaching enemy, raised a Literary Qi barrier, and fired a Signal Arrow that alerted both camps.
• Captain Yang woke as the attackers struck the camp, and Zhai Huan’s barrier cracked in the first clash.
• Gongshu Wu armed himself and awaited Chu Yao’s aid, but Chu Yao announced a fiercely destructive attack.

Chu Yao and Gongshu Wu’s ambush against the Tax Silver convoy began, as Chu Yao’s Word Spirits sowed panic among the soldiers and the enemy discovered their position. Zhai Le used the Martial Gall Tiger Tally to arm nearby soldiers as the battle escalated.

• Chu Yao unleashed two dragons of Literary Qi, but Zhai Le destroyed them with an arrow and Zhai Huan raised a dome over the camp.
• Chu Yao’s falling Literary Qi seeped into the soldiers and filled them with terror, throwing the camp into chaos.
• Gongshu Wu shot down incoming arrows while Chu Yao declared their position exposed and granted Gongshu Wu glorious Martial Fortune.
• Captain Yang killed a retreating soldier and threatened the rest, but the exhausted troops remained unstable.
• Zhai Le used the Martial Gall Tiger Tally to blast open a path through the falling Literary Qi and equip 350 soldiers with crude armor and weapons.

Zhai Huan and Chu Yao rallied Captain Yang’s troops against the enemy’s Martial Qi soldiers, but a scar-faced swordsman suddenly attacked Captain Yang and knocked him from his horse. The chapter ended as the stranger charged at him again.

• Zhai Huan urged Captain Yang to manifest his troops and form ranks, while Zhai Le also summoned Martial Qi soldiers.
• Chu Yao used all Five Virtues of the General to strengthen Gongshu Wu and his Martial Qi soldiers, and the opposing formations clashed.
• Captain Yang handed over control of his soldiers and prepared to draw out the hidden enemy leader.
• A scar-faced burly man attacked Captain Yang, kicked him off his horse, and snapped the horse’s neck.
• The stranger used the fallen horse to propel himself toward Captain Yang as the subordinate officers remained trapped by literary Qi.

Shen Tang and her allies fought a surprise attack on their temporary camp as Zhai Le recognized the disguised Gongshu Wu. The literary qi dome fell, leaving ordinary soldiers exposed, and the chapter ended with Captain Yang striking Shen Tang with a powerful saber attack.

• Captain Yang recovered from a powerful kick and resumed fighting, while Zhai Le recognized his opponent as Gongshu Wu and suspected Shen Tang and Qi Yuanliang were among the attackers.
• Gongshu Wu’s superior rank and strength forced Zhai Le to fight defensively as Zhai Huan used Three Hearts, Two Minds to support him, Captain Yang, and the soldiers.
• Arrows from the forest struck the camp’s literary qi dome in repeated volleys until it cracked and shattered.
• The arrows killed unprotected ordinary soldiers, and the fighting intensified as both sides suffered casualties.
• Captain Yang attacked Shen Tang with a blazing, killing-intent-filled saber strike and knocked her back several yards.

Shen Tang met Captain Yang’s full-force saber strike with her sword and then continued fighting him despite severe injuries and depleted Literary Qi. As the battle remained deadlocked, Gongshu Wu shattered Zhai Le’s weapon and struck his shoulder armor.

• Shen Tang used the Word Spirit “Three cups, and promises poured forth; the Five Sacred Mountains weigh no more” to repel Captain Yang’s attack, though the clash injured her and drained her Literary Qi.
• Qi Shan and Chu Yao used Word Spirits to restore Shen Tang, who then charged Captain Yang and resumed their fierce, deadlocked fight.
• The shock waves from Shen Tang and Captain Yang’s duel devastated the camp, while Zhai Le recognized that Shen Tang was a Literary Scholar without martial armor.
• Gongshu Wu broke Zhai Le’s weapon and struck his shoulder guard, sending him flying and leaving his arm badly hurt.

Shen Tang and her allies fought Captain Yang's force over the Tax Silver until beacon fires signaled an emergency in Xiaocheng and forced the enemy to withdraw. The Tax Silver remained with Shen Tang's side, while the cause of the Wolf Smoke was still unknown.

• Zhai Le and Gongshu Wu fought fiercely as both sides' soldiers dwindled, while Shen Tang wounded Captain Yang during their duel.
• A series of Wolf Smoke signals rose across the horizon, prompting Captain Yang to abandon the Tax Silver and return to Xiaocheng to reinforce it.
• Shen Tang agreed to let Captain Yang's surviving men leave but kept the Tax Silver, and Gongshu Wu allowed Zhai Le to ride away with his cousin.
• After Qi Shan and the others arrived, Shen Tang asked why the enemy had retreated, and Chu Yao and Gongshu Wu identified the Wolf Smoke as a call for reinforcements but did not know what had happened in Xiaocheng.

After defeating Captain Yang’s men, Shen Tang fell asleep while Chu Yao, Qi Shan, and Gongshu Wu decided to hide the Tax Silver nearby. Captain Yang’s exhausted remnants stopped to rest on their way to Xiaocheng, where a wolf-smoke signal had warned of an overwhelming enemy force.

• Chu Yao stopped Qi Shan from lending Shen Tang his bloodstained outer robe, then gave her his own.
• Shen Tang circled Gongshu Wu to check that her treasure was safe, then fell asleep standing up.
• Chu Yao and Qi Shan told Gongshu Wu they would hide the Tax Silver nearby until the danger passed.
• Captain Yang led his exhausted remnants toward Xiaocheng and stopped beside a stream to rest.
• Zhai Huan asked Captain Yang about the wolf smoke, and Captain Yang revealed it had summoned troops back to Sibao Prefecture’s capital.
• Zhai Huan and Zhai Le realized Xiaocheng faced an enemy force large enough to overwhelm its garrison.