Chapter Summaries

Yuwen Yong questioned Verdant Green Maiden about her identity and offered to build her a temple, while she revealed that she held numerous divine titles. After she chose the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden for worship and departed, Yuwen Yong introduced Gao Changgong to the court as Great Zhou’s Duke of Qi.

• Verdant Green Maiden asked Yuwen Yong for beef, and he offered ten oxen along with other riches, which she declined.
• Yuwen Yong explained that he wanted to build her a temple for sending Gao Changgong to Great Zhou, then asked her to stay and help him rule; she refused.
• Verdant Green Maiden revealed that she was the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden and named several other divine identities, including the Yellow River Earl and Glazed Medicine Pure Light Bodhisattva.
• Verdant Green Maiden chose the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden as the divine title for her temple, and Yuwen Yong promised to build it and prepare her a residence.
• Verdant Green Maiden left the Central Temple, and Yuwen Yong introduced Gao Changgong to the ministers as Lanling King of Qi State and the new Duke of Qi of Great Zhou.

Verdant Green Maiden mourned the vanished places she had once called home, and Heaven carried her to Mount Tai, where Hong Luan stayed to care for her. After years of sleep, Verdant Green Maiden woke in Sui Kaihuang Year 9 and asked Hong Luan if she was tired from walking.

• Verdant Green Maiden visited the ruins of the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple and told Heaven she wanted to go home.
• Heaven carried the sleeping Verdant Green Maiden to Mount Tai, while Old Yellow Ox followed them up the mountain.
• Hong Luan arrived and insisted on staying beside Verdant Green Maiden to care for her.
• Hong Luan watched over Verdant Green Maiden as years passed, while Chunyu Tiying visited briefly and news came of upheaval across the world.
• Verdant Green Maiden woke on the first day of the first month of Sui Kaihuang Year 9 and asked Hong Luan if she was tired from walking.

Qing Niao woke after sixteen years on Mount Tai and traveled to Jiankang as the Sui conquered Southern Chen. After battling the Sui’s Golden Dragon of Auspicious Fortune, she returned to Taiji Hall as Han Qin Hu secured the fallen capital.

• Qing Niao woke on Mount Tai, ate with Hong Luan, and decided to go to Jiankang.
• The Sui Army crossed the Yangtze, defeated Chen’s defenses, and captured Jiankang under Han Qin Hu.
• Qing Niao watched Southern Chen fall and declared that the land needed to be broken and rebuilt rather than inherit the old Qin Han system.
• The Sui’s Golden Dragon of Auspicious Fortune attacked Qing Niao, who transformed into a Jiao Dragon and fought it in the sky.
• Han Qin Hu argued with a Chen official over which dynasty held legitimate rule, then ordered the palace sealed and sent for Prince Yang Guang.
• Qing Niao returned to Taiji Hall after the fight and remarked that she had not exercised in a long time.

Verdant Green Maiden confronted Chen Shubao in Jiankang Palace and took the Imperial Seal from him. When Han Qin Hu demanded it for Great Sui, she vanished with the seal and told him to send the Sui Emperor to meet her.

• Verdant Green Maiden went to Jiankang Palace to find Chen Shubao, who was hiding in a well with several favored concubines.
• Verdant Green Maiden pulled Chen Shubao and his concubines from the well, then kicked him for his conduct as an emperor.
• Verdant Green Maiden demanded the Imperial Seal, and Chen Shubao handed over the pouch after she threatened him.
• Han Qin Hu arrived and demanded that Verdant Green Maiden surrender the seal, while Chen Shubao accused her of stealing it.
• Verdant Green Maiden vanished with the Imperial Seal and told Han Qin Hu that only the Sui Emperor could judge her.

After Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan vanished with the Imperial Jade Seal, Yang Guang learned that Verdant Green Maiden wanted to meet the Emperor and decided to summon him from Da Xing. Meanwhile, Verdant Green Maiden began rebuilding Dragon Treasure Garden and feeding Jiankang’s refugees, drawing Yang Guang’s attention and prompting him to plan a visit despite Han Qin Hu’s objections.

• Chen Shubao claimed the Imperial Jade Seal belonged to the Great Nation, and Han Qin Hu scorned his cowardly explanation.
• Han Qin Hu told Yang Guang that Verdant Green Maiden had taken the seal and wanted the Emperor to meet her, so Yang Guang ordered a portrait made and planned to summon His Majesty from Da Xing.
• Verdant Green Maiden showed Hong Luan the ruins of Dragon Treasure Garden, and Hong Luan asked whether she wanted to rebuild it; Verdant Green Maiden agreed.
• Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan recruited workers to rebuild Dragon Treasure Garden, provided meals and wages, and gave refuge to people fleeing the disaster.
• Verdant Green Maiden beat and banished refugees who stole, while Yang Guang identified her from Han Qin Hu’s portrait and prepared to visit the garden.
• Han Qin Hu warned Yang Guang against going because the women’s identities were unknown, but Yang Guang insisted they seemed kindhearted.

Yang Guang visited Dragon Treasure Garden in disguise to investigate Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan, while they learned that a nervous worker, Liu Neng, descended from the Ji Han imperial clan. The chapter ended with Verdant Green Maiden asking Liu Neng to invite Yang Guang in for a meeting.

• Yang Guang changed out of his princely clothes and went to Dragon Treasure Garden with two guards, but their behavior frightened a worker who hurried inside.
• Liu Neng warned Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan that Yang Guang might be connected to the government and explained his fears for the Ji Han descendants.
• Verdant Green Maiden used a Turtle Shell divination to identify Liu Neng as a descendant of Anle Gong, and he recognized her as the Goddess.
• Liu Neng explained that the Golden Saber Prophecy had made the Liu Han imperial descendants fear for their lives, while Verdant Green Maiden said no one could harm him at Dragon Treasure Garden.
• Verdant Green Maiden sent Liu Neng to invite Yang Guang inside, then remarked that Liu Neng resembled Liu Bang more than Liu Bei.

Verdant Green Maiden summoned Prince Yang Guang to the Dragon Treasure Garden and charged him ten gold ingots after Hong Luan threw him out. She then gave Liu Neng a fortune and appointed him to oversee the garden, leaving him astonished.

• Liu Neng brought Yang Guang to meet Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan, and Verdant Green Maiden asked whether Yang Guang's father had arrived with the Imperial Jade Seal.
• Yang Guang offered to take Verdant Green Maiden back to Jiankang Palace, but Hong Luan slapped away his guards and dragged him outside.
• Verdant Green Maiden demanded ten gold ingots from Yang Guang, who ordered his guards to fetch the payment.
• Verdant Green Maiden insisted Yang Guang take the teapot as well, and he hurried away with it and his guards.
• Liu Neng worried that Yang Guang might retaliate, so Verdant Green Maiden promised to protect him, appointed him to oversee the Dragon Treasure Garden, and gave him a mountain of money.

Yang Jian traveled to Jiankang after learning about Verdant Green Maiden and the Imperial Jade Seal, then met her at Dragon Treasure Garden. After recognizing her as an Immortal Goddess, he asked what he must do to receive the seal.

• Verdant Green Maiden let Liu Neng keep the extra and sent him away safely.
• Yang Guang scolded his guards, and his men rode to Chang'an to report the Imperial Jade Seal and Verdant Green Maiden to Yang Jian.
• Yang Jian arrived in Jiankang, confronted Chen Shubao over Southern Chen's resistance, and had the ministers blamed by Chen Shubao beaten to death.
• Yang Jian made Chen Shubao Duke of Jinling and ordered him to prepare to accompany him to Chang'an.
• Yang Guang escorted Yang Jian to Dragon Treasure Garden, where Yang Jian said Gao Changgong had told him about Verdant Green Maiden.
• Verdant Green Maiden tossed the Imperial Jade Seal to Hong Luan instead of handing it to Yang Jian, who asked what he must do to obtain it.

Yang Jian received the Imperial Jade Seal after answering Verdant Green Maiden’s questions about uniting north and south, then invited her to Chang'an to visit Wei Jue. As she traveled with Hong Luan, she discovered Yang Jian had ordered Jiankang burned and returned to confront Han Qin Hu and the Sui Army.

• Verdant Green Maiden questioned Yang Jian about pacifying north and south, and he proposed tax relief, returning surveyed fields to the people, and appointing officials from both regions.
• Verdant Green Maiden gave Yang Jian the Imperial Jade Seal and reminded him not to favor some subjects over others.
• Yang Jian invited Verdant Green Maiden to Chang'an to see Duke Qi and Wei Jue, and she agreed to go.
• After five days in Jiankang, Yang Jian sent a grand procession to escort Verdant Green Maiden, Hong Luan, and the Old Yellow Ox toward Chang'an.
• Verdant Green Maiden realized Yang Jian had ordered Jiankang’s residents expelled and the city burned, so she returned and ordered Han Qin Hu and his soldiers to leave.

Verdant Green Maiden stopped Han Qin Hu’s troops from destroying Jiankang, then confronted Yang Jian and persuaded him to spare the city and relocate Jiangnan’s Great Families. Back in Chang’an, she visited her former student Wei Jue, who was surprised to learn she had only recently awakened.

• Han Qin Hu and his soldiers knelt before Verdant Green Maiden, who ordered him to keep Jiankang safe and warned him that he would die if the city suffered damage.
• Yang Jian asked where Verdant Green Maiden had gone, and she returned from Jiankang and challenged his order to destroy it.
• Yang Jian explained that he wanted to prevent rebellion and give farmland to commoners, but Verdant Green Maiden insisted that Jiankang be spared and advised moving the Great Families to Chang’an.
• Yang Jian accepted Verdant Green Maiden’s advice, and she went to Wei Jue’s home instead of moving into a palace.
• Wei Jue welcomed Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan with tea cakes, and Verdant Green Maiden said she had slept on Mount Tai after sending Gao Changgong to Northern Zhou and had awakened only days earlier.

Verdant Green Maiden reunited with Wei Jue and Gao Changgong, learning how their lives had unfolded since they last met. Their meal ended with Gao Changgong recounting how Wei Jue had met his wife, while Verdant Green Maiden teased Wei Jue over the story.

• Wei Jue told Verdant Green Maiden how he had fought for Northern Qi, surrendered to Zhou, and later served Great Sui.
• Gao Changgong arrived and greeted Verdant Green Maiden, who introduced Hong Luan as her family.
• Hong Luan admitted she had been watching them, and Dragon Girl warned her that it invaded their privacy.
• Verdant Green Maiden teased Wei Jue for visiting without telling his wife, then warned him not to mistreat her.
• Gao Changgong recounted how Wei Jue had been captured by a farm girl after ruining her family's fields, and Verdant Green Maiden joked that he might have arranged it to marry her.

Verdant Green Maiden reunited with Wei Jue and Gao Changgong, gave wedding and family gifts, and caught up with her old disciples. After declining Wei Jue’s offer of lodging, she discovered the house Yang Jian had promised was unfinished and decided to stay at the Central Temple.

• Hua Wan confronted Wei Jue, then greeted Verdant Green Maiden and sat beside her.
• Verdant Green Maiden gave Hua Wan a Mermaid’s Tear Pearl as a belated wedding gift.
• Gao Changgong declined a gift for himself, so Verdant Green Maiden gave him a blessed Jade Token to protect his descendants from the Gao Family’s inherited illness.
• Verdant Green Maiden listened as Wei Jue and Gao Changgong recounted their lives, then declined Wei Jue’s offer to stay at his courtyard.
• Hong Luan told Verdant Green Maiden that Yang Jian’s promised house was not finished, so Verdant Green Maiden decided they would sleep at the Central Temple.

Verdant Green Maiden returned to Chang'an, received Wei Jue’s final letter, and mourned the changes time had brought to her relationship with Hong Luan. After Gao Changgong died and Yang Jian arranged an elaborate funeral, Yang Jian visited Verdant Green Maiden with an important matter to discuss.

• Verdant Green Maiden approved of the grand Goddess Garden Yang Jian had built and reminded him and Yang Guang to treat the common people considerately.
• Hua Wan gave Verdant Green Maiden Wei Jue’s letter, in which he asked whether he had brought shame upon his ancestors and said he had still been impressive.
• Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan discussed how their relationship had changed over the centuries, but Hong Luan eventually called her “Stupid Snake” again.
• Yang Jian bestowed the posthumous title Duke Zhao of Qi on Gao Changgong and built him a grand mausoleum.
• Yang Jian visited Verdant Green Maiden at the Dragon Treasure Garden to discuss an important matter, and Verdant Green Maiden insisted Hong Luan remain for the conversation.

Yang Jian sought Verdant Green Maiden’s advice about replacing Crown Prince Yang Yong, but she refused to take on the karma. After Heaven revealed that Li Shimin was Zhongtian Ziwei Beiji Taihuang Great Emperor descended to the mortal world and asked Verdant Green Maiden to protect him, Verdant Green Maiden set off to find him in Wugong County.

• Yang Jian asked Verdant Green Maiden who would be a more suitable heir than Yang Yong, but she refused to advise him and sent him away.
• Heaven appeared after Yang Jian left and asked Verdant Green Maiden to protect Li Shimin.
• Heaven revealed that Li Shimin was Zhongtian Ziwei Beiji Taihuang Great Emperor descended to the mortal world.
• Heaven explained to Hong Luan that the Gods and Buddhas were seeking to build goodwill with Verdant Green Maiden by placing their bets around Li Shimin.
• Verdant Green Maiden packed her things, and she and Hong Luan departed Dragon Treasure Garden for Wugong County in Qizhou to see Li Shimin.

Li Yuan met Verdant Green Maiden, who claimed Heaven had destined his unborn child for greatness and offered to tutor him. After witnessing her supernatural abilities and Hong Luan’s transformation, Li Yuan invited them to see his pregnant wife, Dou Shi.

• Li Yuan dismissed Verdant Green Maiden’s claim to be a True Person when she approached him with a prophecy in Qizhou.
• Verdant Green Maiden caught up to Li Yuan on foot and stopped his horse with a cough, making him treat her with caution.
• Verdant Green Maiden predicted Dou Shi would give birth to a boy destined by Heaven and offered to become his tutor.
• Li Yuan invited Verdant Green Maiden to stay at his residence until Dou Shi gave birth.
• Li Yuan asked Verdant Green Maiden to leave Hong Luan behind before visiting Dou Shi, and Hong Luan transformed from a bird into a woman.
• Li Yuan, impressed by the transformation, respectfully led Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan toward Dou Shi.

Verdant Green Maiden met Dou Shi and agreed to tutor the unborn Li Shimin, but refused Li Yuan’s request to take Li Jiancheng as her disciple. She settled at the Li Family Villa, where a little girl chased Hong Luan and then collided with her.

• Verdant Green Maiden met the pregnant Dou Shi and confirmed that her unborn child was a boy whom she wished to teach.
• Li Yuan asked Verdant Green Maiden to take Li Jiancheng as a disciple too, but she refused, saying he was not fated to be with her.
• Li Jiancheng accepted the refusal and left, while Dou Shi reassured Li Yuan that she would comfort him.
• Verdant Green Maiden settled into the Li Family Villa with Hong Luan.
• A little girl chased Hong Luan around the courtyard, then lunged into Verdant Green Maiden when she came outside.

Verdant Green Maiden befriended Li Xiu Ning and waited at the Li Family Villa as Dou Shi went into labor and Li Shimin’s birth approached. The Ziwei Emperor Star’s light shone toward Chang’an, but simultaneous fires broke out across Fengxiang City, and Verdant Green Maiden suspected something strange was happening.

• Li Xiu Ning met Verdant Green Maiden, learned she was the True Person her father had praised, and began visiting her regularly.
• After about half a month at the Li Family Villa, Verdant Green Maiden learned Dou Shi had gone into labor and Li Shimin was about to be born.
• Yang Jian heard the Grand Astrologer report that the Ziwei Emperor Star shone brilliantly toward Chang’an and took it as an auspice for making Yang Guang Crown Prince.
• Verdant Green Maiden saw purple qi descend from the Emperor Star toward the room where Li Shimin was to be born.
• When fires broke out across Fengxiang City, Verdant Green Maiden told Li Yuan to remain with Dou Shi and went to investigate from the roof.
• Verdant Green Maiden noticed that many fires had started independently on the same night and told Hong Luan that they seemed strange.

Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan stopped a formation meant to suppress the Emperor Star and threaten Li Shimin before his birth. After defeating the Taoists behind it, Verdant Green Maiden recognized their lineage and revealed she had repeatedly killed their ancestors.

• Hong Luan spotted that the fires across Fengxiang City formed a formation suppressing the Emperor Star, and Verdant Green Maiden shielded Li Family Villa with a Mist Barrier.
• Verdant Green Maiden summoned heavy snow across Qizhou to extinguish the fires, then flew with Hong Luan to pursue those responsible.
• Verdant Green Maiden confronted the Taoists outside Fengxiang City and accused them of using an Auspicious Fortune Seizing Formation; Hong Luan broke the fleeing Taoists' legs.
• Verdant Green Maiden interrogated their leader, who admitted they had devised the formation to gain strength and avenge their Ancestor Master, Daoist Zuo Ci.
• Verdant Green Maiden revealed herself as Shao Dian Qing Nü and told the terrified man that she had killed his Ancestor Master and generations of his predecessors.

Verdant Green Maiden dealt with the men who had tried to seize the Li Family’s fortune, then helped welcome Li Shimin and named him Shi Min, with the childhood name Jia Lan. A month later, she agreed to teach a bored Li Xiu Ning martial arts.

• Verdant Green Maiden carried the men who had tried to seize the fortune to Xiao Mountain and threw them there.
• After Li Shimin was born safely, Verdant Green Maiden praised his future and named him Shi Min at Li Yuan and Dou Shi’s request.
• Li Yuan chose Jia Lan as Li Shimin’s childhood name, and Verdant Green Maiden approved it as the name of a guardian deity.
• Li Xiu Ning told Verdant Green Maiden she was bored while waiting for her baby brother to grow up.
• Verdant Green Maiden offered to teach Li Xiu Ning martial arts, and Li Xiu Ning eagerly asked to begin at once.

Li Yuan brought his family to Chang'an at Yang Jian’s command, while Verdant Green Maiden visited Fusu’s tomb and reunited with her forgotten Old Yellow Ox. After arriving, Li Yuan met Yang Jian, who announced that he intended to change the Crown Prince.

• Yang Jian sent gifts to celebrate Li Shimin’s first month and ordered Li Yuan to bring his family to Chang'an.
• On the journey, Verdant Green Maiden recognized Yong Mausoleum as Fusu’s tomb and went there with Hong Luan to offer wine, food, and an apology.
• Verdant Green Maiden returned to find her Old Yellow Ox, who charged toward her after she had left him behind.
• Li Yuan and his family reached Chang'an the following evening, and Li Xiu Ning rode the Old Yellow Ox.
• Yang Jian summoned Li Yuan to the palace and told him he was going to change the Crown Prince, startling Li Yuan.