Chapter Summaries

Chen Zhaojun appointed Du Hesheng to command the armies of three towns against the bandits, while Zhou Lan struggled to obey orders without the soldiers or provisions to spare. After learning Chen Zhaoxuan had died, Yang Chengye received An Yuxing’s warning that the Da Rong Dynasty might be in danger of losing the nation.

• Chen Zhaojun heard officials impeach Zhou Lan, then approved Wang Chonggu’s proposal to appoint Du Hesheng governor-general over Longyuan, Longxi, and Longnan.
• Chen Zhaojun transferred Lu Wenyuan to serve as Minister of War and appointed Lin Zhan to the Liaoyuan Provincial Administration Commission.
• Zhou Lan received rebukes and orders to advance south, but told Wang Yunqiao to demand provisions from the governor-general because her troops were resettling displaced people.
• Zhou Lan asked Wang Yunqiao to investigate Prince Dai’s fate while Yang Chengye learned that Chen Zhaoxuan had died in battle.
• An Chenhui brought Yang Chengye a letter from An Yuxing warning that the Da Rong Dynasty might lose the nation, and told him his family had taken refuge in Chongshan Town.

After Chen Zhaoxuan died in the chaos of Da Rong, the Yang brothers discussed how to protect their family and contacts across the realm. Meanwhile, Prince of Great Liang Zhang Bei chose to move his rebel army into Hanzhong Prefecture and build a defensible base.

• Yang Mingcheng told Wang that Chen Zhaoxuan had been killed by bandits, then summoned Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao to review letters describing Da Rong’s worsening unrest.
• Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao warned that the Yang family should avoid intervening openly, and the brothers arranged for trusted martial artists to safeguard relatives in the Capital, Tenglong Guard, and Chongshan Town.
• Yang Mingcheng decided to have Yang Chengye send Yang Qinsheng and Yang Ruohan to Star Moon Island for their protection.
• After Chen Zhaoxuan’s death boosted his reputation, Prince of Great Liang Zhang Bei saw his rebel army swell from two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand, worsening its food shortages.
• Song Chenxing and Niu Sude advised Zhang Bei to avoid Shanhe Province and instead occupy Hanzhong Prefecture, where better water supplies and defensible terrain could support the army.
• Zhang Bei agreed to withdraw to Hanzhong Prefecture, defend it, and develop his forces there for three years.

Zhou Lan drove Du Hesheng out of Yijun Prefecture after refusing to surrender Beiyuan Town’s military command, while Lu Wenyuan rejected a transfer to the capital. In Jiujiang Prefecture, Chen Hengchang pressed Lin Fu'an to act, and Lin Fu'an said they were waiting for one person who had arrived.

• Du Hesheng accused Zhou Lan of fearing the enemy and demanded control of Beiyuan Town’s forces, but Zhou Lan rebuked him and refused to march without money or grain.
• Du Hesheng invoked the Imperial Command Flag and Token and accused Zhou Lan’s generals of rebellion, but the generals stood by Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao led the Elite Guard Battalion’s Women's Army in driving him out.
• Zhou Lan sent a memorial to the Capital explaining the confrontation and said she would not abandon the two prefectures she had stabilized.
• Lu Wenyuan refused his appointment as Minister of War, chose to claim illness and request resignation, and told Lu Miaoshu to draft the memorial.
• Chen Hengchang asked Lin Fu'an when they would make their move, and Lin Fu'an said the timing was ripe because the person they were waiting for had arrived.

Chen Hengchang allied with Lü Hua and the Shenyang Sect to launch an uprising under his own banner, while Yang Mingzhao prepared Taiping County’s forces for expansion. The chapter left Chen Hengchang’s Righteous Army in control of Jiujiang Prefecture and Yang Mingzhao ready to begin a campaign after the autumn harvest.

• Ji Feiyu introduced Lü Hua to Chen Hengchang, and Lü Hua agreed to help establish the Blood-Clad Guard from the remnants of the Secret Martial Guard.
• Lin Fu'an urged Chen Hengchang to raise troops in his own name while the Shenyang Sect supported him from behind the scenes.
• Chen Hengchang raised eight thousand men in Jiujiang Prefecture, then captured the prefecture and its counties within a month as his force grew into the Righteous Army.
• Yang Mingzhao and Chen Buyu observed Taiping County’s prosperous harvest and prepared to send out troops once the autumn grain was collected.
• Yang Mingzhao gathered his officials and military officers to review the campaign plan, relying on Taiping County’s trained soldiers and growing cadre of clerks.

Yang Mingzhao launched an expansion campaign to seize Baoning Prefecture, and his forces quickly occupied most of the region with little resistance. His central army stalled outside the heavily fortified prefecture city, where Li Dagui raised the name of Shangwu Division Commander Li Baoshan.

• Yang Mingzhao announced plans to take Baoning Prefecture and organized three routes with three thousand camp soldiers and five thousand farmer-soldiers.
• The Taiping Army set out, and Deng Xing's river route occupied Tongjiang County, Baoping County, Bazhou, and Nanjiang County before finding Micang County abandoned.
• Han Lin's west route took Jianzhou after infiltrators opened its gates, then occupied the remaining western targets with little resistance.
• Yang Mingzhao's central route reached Baoning Prefecture City but camped outside its high walls and moat, unable to risk an assault with only three thousand troops.
• Li Dagui proposed a possible solution and told Yang Mingzhao that the prefecture's Shangwu Division commander was Li Baoshan.

Yang Mingzhao sent Li Dagui into Baoning Prefecture City to approach Li Baoshan, a former disciple of Yang Zhengshan, and seek his help opening the gates. As Baoning’s officials prepared to defend the city and train recruits, Li Dagui found Li Baoshan in the Shangwu Division yamen and confronted him in his bedroom.

• Li Dagui told Yang Mingzhao that Li Baoshan had studied under Yang Zhengshan and came from an ordinary martial family, so Yang Mingzhao sent him with a sealed letter to ask Li Baoshan to open the city gates or kill him if he refused.
• Prefect Li Wenchun, Assistant Prefect Xu Fusheng, Sun Derong, and Li Baoshan discussed defending Baoning, requesting reinforcements, training young men, and raising funds from wealthy households.
• Li Baoshan explained that Yang Zhao’s forces had organized Taiping County and improved conditions for its commoners, though the officials still had to defend Baoning against them.
• Li Dagui entered Baoning at night, found the marks left by Zhang Mo and Li Cheng, and learned that Li Baoshan was staying at the Shangwu Division yamen.
• Li Dagui entered Li Baoshan’s room and sat beside his bed, while Li Baoshan pretended to sleep with his hand on his blade.

Li Baoshan weighed Yang Mingzhao’s offer and agreed to help the Taiping Army take Baoning Prefecture, while preparing to surrender the Li Family’s land and debts. He arranged to open the north city gate the next morning and asked that the city remain peaceful and that the prefect, Li Wenchun, be spared.

• Li Dagui delivered Yang Mingzhao’s letter, which offered the Li Family favorable terms for seeking refuge with the Taiping Army.
• Li Baoshan questioned whether Yang Mingzhao could represent the Yang Family, then studied the army outside Baoning Prefecture and judged its camp orderly and well trained.
• Li Baoshan reviewed the Li Family’s land deeds and promissory notes, including its thirty thousand mu of farmland and thousands of IOUs, and set the records aside for the coming handover.
• Li Baoshan agreed to serve Yang Mingzhao on the condition that his troops not mistreat the city’s people, and he urged them to spare and persuade prefect Li Wenchun.
• Li Dagui promised that the Taiping Army would not harm Li Wenchun or his family, and Li Baoshan arranged to open the north city gate the following morning.

Li Baoshan surrendered Baoning Prefecture to Yang Mingzhao, who won Li Wenchun’s support and took control of the city. Meanwhile, Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi continued researching the Spirit Attachment Pill and developing the Spirit Spring Space’s ecosystem.

• Li Baoshan ordered the city gates opened and surrendered Baoning Prefecture to Li Dagui’s Taiping Army.
• Yang Mingzhao entered the city, accepted Li Baoshan’s allegiance, and revealed his ambition to try becoming emperor.
• Li Wenchun recognized Yang Mingzhao as the son of Yang Zhengshan, agreed to support him, and helped him take over the government office.
• Li Wenchun helped Yang Mingzhao organize Baoning Prefecture’s officials, local affairs, and land-division policies.
• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi spent over a year in the Spirit Spring Space researching the Spirit Attachment Pill and cultivating plants and animals.

Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi surveyed the thriving Spirit Spring Space, where his spirit fruits, herbs, and animals had flourished. After discussing his Spirit Attachment Pill research and playing with Silly Big Guy and Red Cloud, they decided to return home by ship from the Peacock Dynasty.

• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi admired the Spirit Spring Space and agreed to let its less-developed northern ridges grow naturally.
• Yang Zhengshan explained how Spirit Attachment Pills granted elemental abilities and aided Dao Intent comprehension, while Silly Big Guy demonstrated its limited ice-and-snow powers.
• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi rode Silly Big Guy and Red Cloud, whose speed and strength far surpassed the reindeer's.
• Yang Zhengshan described how the space's tiger population had grown, forcing him to hunt the tigers and introduce other animals to balance the ecosystem.
• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi discussed returning home and their grandchildren, then decided to leave the next day by ship from a port in the Peacock Dynasty.

Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi traveled to Tunwu City, joined a Yang Family Trading Firm fleet, and returned to Star Moon Island. He learned that the island’s martial artists were rapidly advancing, while its growing population threatened to overwhelm its resources.

• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi reached Tunwu City and met Xie Yan, Zhen Yuncheng, and Zhang Dahu aboard a Yang Family Trading Firm fleet.
• Yang Zhengshan learned that Zhang Dahu had reached the Half-Step Innate Realm and that many people on Star Moon Island had broken through to the Innate Realm.
• Yang Zhengshan guided the fleet’s guards in cultivation while the ships carried goods northeast along the coast toward Da Rong.
• Yang Zhengshan arrived at Zhaowu Guard, then transferred to the First Fleet and continued to Star Moon Island.
• Yang Zhengshan learned that Star Moon Island’s population and far-flung trading network had grown rapidly, creating a looming population problem for the island.

Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi returned to Star Moon Island after more than three years away and reunited with their sprawling family and old associates. The chapter ended with Yang Zhengshan learning that Yang Mingzhao had been spending much of his time in Da Rong and ordering his family to bring him back.

• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi arrived at the bustling Star Moon Island port and walked home without announcing their return in advance.
• Yang Mingcheng rushed to greet his parents, and Yang Zhengshan began meeting the many descendants of the Yang Family.
• Yang Zhengshan held Yang Qinyuan’s young son, Yang Jijue, and caught up with the children and families of his branches.
• Yang Zhengshan learned that Yang Mingzhao had been traveling in Da Rong and told Yang Mingcheng to contact him and have him return.
• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi finished greeting their family and received Luo Shang, Zhen Yang Shi, Xie Yuan, and Han Cheng the following day.

Yang Zhengshan learned that his disciple Chen Zhaoxuan had died fighting the Prince of Great Liang and weighed how to avenge him without exposing the Yang family's strength or violating the unspoken rules governing Innate Martial Artists. He postponed a decision until after the New Year and ordered the merchant company to find news of Chen Zhaoxuan's surviving daughter.

• Han Cheng told Yang Zhengshan that Zhang Yuanwu would arrive at Star Moon Island the next month and that Wu Mingyang had been appointed Commander.
• Xie Yuan told Yang Zhengshan that Chen Zhaoxuan had died in battle half a year earlier, killed by the Prince of Great Liang, and Yang Zhengshan summoned his three sons to learn more.
• Yang Mingcheng, Yang Mingzhi, and Yang Minghao described the unrest spreading through Da Rong and explained that the Prince of Great Liang controlled Hanzhong Prefecture with a large force.
• Yang Zhengshan considered sending Innate Martial Artists or going himself to kill the Prince of Great Liang, but worried about the consequences and the rules against using such power in ordinary warfare.
• Yang Zhengshan decided to wait until after the New Year to see whether the Imperial Court would avenge Chen Zhaoxuan and ordered Li Chang to ask the merchant company for news of Chen Zhaoxuan's daughter.

Yang Zhengshan celebrated the New Year with his family while worrying about Yang Mingzhao’s absence. That night, news arrived that Shenmu Island had attacked the Yang Family Trading Firm’s fleet, bringing the long-running dispute between the islands to the brink of war.

• Yang Zhengshan welcomed Song Shi and Song Yuanzhao during New Year’s greetings and gave the child an Ice Heart Fruit.
• Yu Qingyi worried that Yang Mingzhao had not come home, and Yang Zhengshan said Wu Zheng and guards were with him.
• A fast ship arrived with word that Shenmu Island had attacked the 22nd Fleet near Huya Island, capturing five large ships while one escaped.
• Luo Shang and Luo Zhen learned of the attack, and Luo Shang identified it as Shenmu Island’s declaration of war.
• Luo Shang sent Luo Zhen to ask Second Master whether the Yang Family could rescue the captured crew, while reflecting on Shenmu Island’s escalating passage fees and opposition to the trading firm’s expansion.

Yang Zhengshan learned that Shenmu Island had attacked the Yang Family Trading Firm’s fleet with help from Taluo Dynasty Blue-Robed Warriors, possibly at Jiuxing Island’s urging. He agreed to retaliate against Shenmu Island and asked his gathered allies whether they should destroy it, leaving the decision open.

• Yang Mingzhi and Luo Zhen discussed Shenmu Island’s attack and suspected it had outside backing.
• Yang Zhengshan heard the fleet had been attacked and summoned the island’s leaders to explain what happened.
• Yang Mingzhi identified the attackers as Shenmu Island forces accompanied by Blue-Robed Warriors from the Taluo Dynasty.
• Luo Jinsong and Yang Mingzhi suspected Jiuxing Island had helped Shenmu Island because of its conflict with Dihuo Island.
• Yang Zhengshan concluded the Yang Family had been drawn into the Zhu Family’s conflict and decided to strike Shenmu Island.
• Yang Zhengshan asked whether they should wipe out Shenmu Island, and Yang Mingcheng deferred to his father.

Yang Zhengshan decided to destroy the Shenmu Sect and claim the Shenmu Seven Islands, both to relieve Star Moon Island’s population pressures and to obtain the Divine Trees and their resources. As he prepared to request Tenglong Guard reinforcements, the chapter revealed that the Shenmu Sect had allied with the Taluo Dynasty to force the Yang family to submit.

• Luo Jinsong argued that Star Moon Island needed more land and described the wealth and strategic value of the Shenmu Seven Islands.
• Yang Zhengshan decided to destroy the Shenmu Sect, citing the need for new territory, his interest in the Dazhao Celestial Empire, and the military value of the Divine Trees.
• Yang Zhengshan ordered Yang Minghao to prepare provisions and investigate Shenmu Island, and he wrote to Yu Tonghai to request troops from the Tenglong Guard.
• The chapter described the Shenmu Sect’s religious hierarchy and its use of Shenlin Island as a center for dealings with outsiders.
• Hou Fangjin and Wen Qing discussed their alliance: the Shenmu Sect and the Taluo Dynasty intended to make the Yang family submit and seize a share of Da Rong’s maritime trade.

The Taluo Dynasty and Shenmu Sect prepared to confront Yang Zhengshan, while Star Moon Island blockaded the eastern shipping route, disrupting trade and overwhelming North Ring Island’s harbor. Sato Ken sought help from Star Moon Island, as Yang Jide struggled to manage the merchants affected by the blockade.

• Hou Fangjin urged Wen Qing to demonstrate force against Star Moon Island, and Wen Qing said he would send twenty thousand naval troops north while revealing that Xiang Anxu was already aboard his ship.
• After the New Year, the Yang Family Trading Firm redirected its eastern fleets south for supplies, and Star Moon Island sent four naval fleets to blockade the waters east of the island.
• The blockade stopped ships from reaching Shenmu Island, cutting off its toll and port revenue and forcing merchants to crowd into North Ring Island’s harbor.
• Sato Ken, a maritime merchant and agent for Shimazu Qishan, went to North Ring Island’s official office to seek answers about the sealed route.
• Yang Jide put Sato Ken on hold while he met representatives of the Xue and Zhu families, whose fleets and business were also affected by the blockade.

Yang Jide arranged for Star Moon Island to buy stranded merchants’ goods, while Yu Tonghai prepared a large force and settlers to support Yang Zhengshan’s campaign against Shenmu Island. At sea, an unidentified handsome old man received a message delivered by a Flying Slave Eagle.

• Yang Jide offered to buy Zhu Zhen’s cargo at a twenty-percent markup and gave other merchants less generous compensation for the blockade.
• Yu Tonghai told Xue Ping that Yang Zhengshan had requested ten thousand naval troops to support the attack on Shenmu Island.
• Yu Tonghai ordered Xue Ping to take twenty-five thousand men to Star Moon Island and discuss relocating some Tenglong Guard households there.
• An old man aboard a ship southeast of Star Moon Island received a message from a Flying Slave Eagle.

Zhang Juhai learned that the Taluo Dynasty’s Giant Whale Naval Force was heading toward Star Moon Island and decided to go there to complicate matters for his rival. As the Taluo fleet neared Shenmu Island, Yang Zhengshan prepared Star Moon Island’s people for battle while waiting for the Tenglong Guard’s naval force.

• Zhang Juhai and Yuan Ke guessed the Taluo Dynasty was targeting Star Moon Island, so Zhang Juhai set out to make an alliance against their shared enemy.
• Zhu Yanshan showed Zhu Changxing the heavy spear he had forged, accidentally smashing the Cyan White Jade floor; Zhu Changxing then ordered him to send the weapon to Yang Zhengshan.
• Yang Mingzhi told Yang Zhengshan that the Taluo Dynasty backed Shenmu Island and that its Giant Whale Naval Force had reached the island’s outer waters.
• Yang Zhengshan told Yang Mingzhi to train Star Moon Island’s people and ready them to fight if the Taluo Dynasty’s forces arrived before the Tenglong Guard.

Yang Zhengshan ordered Star Moon Island to mobilize for a possible invasion by the Taluo Dynasty, hoping the danger would break the islanders’ complacency. The villages prepared their able-bodied residents for battle, while Gao Qinghai and his family readied themselves at home.

• Yang Zhengshan told Yang Mingzhi to recruit martial artists, prepare for battle, and exaggerate the Taluo Dynasty’s strength to make the islanders fear the threat.
• The official office sent officers and soldiers across Star Moon Island to summon young and able-bodied residents, most of whom were martial artists.
• Gao Qinghai heard North River South Village’s urgent bell and hurried to the school square, where the martial dao instructor announced that foreign enemies might invade and placed the village under military control.
• Gao Qinghai received a rattan shield, a waist saber, and four javelins, then refreshed his squad’s Mandarin Duck Formation training.
• Gao Qinghai returned home and gave his wife two long sabers for defense, while she said she still practiced martial skills.

Yang Zhengshan welcomed Zhang Juhai, who offered aid against the Taluo Dynasty, trade between their powers, and sea-eagle training materials. After Yang Zhengshan revealed his Dao Intent insights, Zhang Juhai stayed on Star Moon Island to exchange cultivation knowledge with him.

• Red Cloud told Yang Zhengshan that Zhang Juhai had arrived, and Yang Zhengshan welcomed the famed Eagle of the Cloud Sea at the official office.
• Zhang Juhai said he had come to make trouble for the Taluo Dynasty and offered to escort Yang Family Trading Firm ships to Zhang Dynasty ports.
• Yang Zhengshan proposed trade and possible cooperation against the Taluo Dynasty, while Zhang Juhai agreed to trade but said destroying the dynasty required more consideration.
• Zhang Juhai gave Yang Zhengshan four sea-eagle fledglings and a booklet detailing how to tame Flying Slave Eagles and understand their calls.
• Yang Zhengshan offered Zhang Juhai his notes on Dao Intent, revealed that he had entered the Dao, and invited him to stay on Star Moon Island.
• Yang Zhengshan and Zhang Juhai exchanged Martial Dao insights, and Zhang Juhai spent several days with him in the Library Building.