Chapter Summaries

Verdant Green Maiden shared a final meal with Zhang Yi, then watched Qin rise under Ying Ji and reach a decisive clash with Zhao at Changping. As Zhao Kuo’s surrounded army ran low on provisions, Verdant Green Maiden remained untroubled and challenged him to understand who his enemy was.

• Zhang Yi left Verdant Green Maiden after their last meal, returned to his hometown, and died of old age.
• Verdant Green Maiden visited Zhang Yi’s grave with roasted meat and learned that Ying Dang had died, leaving Qin to bring Ying Ji back from Yan as king.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Hong Luan that Ying Ji would lay the foundation for unifying the land, while Qin’s power continued to grow.
• At Changping, Bai Qi surrounded Zhao’s army, and Ying Ji conscripted men from Henei and Hedong to reinforce Qin’s effort.
• Verdant Green Maiden joined Zhao Kuo’s surrounded forces, and on the army’s tenth day without supplies, Zhao Kuo asked who she was and warned that they could all die.

Zhao Kuo learned that Bai Qi commanded the Qin army and, after forty-five days of starvation, led the Zhao troops in a failed breakout that ended in his death and their surrender. Verdant Green Maiden took Zhao Kuo’s body away, and Bai Qi confronted her as she tried to leave.

• Verdant Green Maiden told Zhao Kuo that Bai Qi, not Wang He, was leading Qin, and refused to kill him or change the course of the battle.
• On the forty-fifth night, Verdant Green Maiden used Hong Luan to bring down a pheasant and shared some roasted meat with the starving Zhao Kuo.
• Zhao Kuo told Verdant Green Maiden he would lead a breakout the next day, despite knowing the Zhao army had little chance of success.
• Zhao Kuo led four waves of Zhao troops against Qin, died in the fighting, and left the surviving troops to surrender.
• Verdant Green Maiden dragged Zhao Kuo’s body away, crippled a Qin soldier who tried to stop her, and faced Bai Qi, who introduced himself and asked her name.

Qing Nü warned Bai Qi that killing surrendered soldiers brought ill fortune, but he still ordered the execution of four hundred thousand Zhao troops after Changping. As Zhao mourned and Bai Qi’s fate unfolded, Qing Nü turned her attention to Ying Yiren’s household, where Zhao Ji was about to give birth.

• Qing Nü persuaded Bai Qi to let her pass and warned him that killing those who surrendered brought ill fortune.
• Ying Ji questioned Bai Qi about the four hundred thousand Zhao prisoners and refused his request to march on Handan.
• Qing Nü learned that Bai Qi had ordered the Zhao prisoners executed, then arranged for Zhao Kuo to be buried outside Handan.
• The people of Zhao mourned the massacre and cursed Bai Qi, who was later stripped of his rank and sentenced to death.
• Qing Nü visited Ying Yiren and Zhao Ji as Zhao Ji was about to give birth.

Verdant Green Maiden befriended Ying Yiren and Zhao Ji, named their son Ying Zheng, and agreed to tutor him. When Ying Zheng was three, she left for Western Zhou State to obtain the heart's blood of its last king, King Zhou Ji Yan.

• Verdant Green Maiden brought gifts to Zhao Ji and Ying Yiren, named their unborn son Ying Zheng, and was thanked by both parents.
• Ying Zheng was born safely, and Verdant Green Maiden visited him and noticed he quieted whenever she held him.
• Ying Yiren asked Verdant Green Maiden to tutor Ying Zheng after Lu Buwei told him about her extraordinary background, and she agreed to become the boy's tutor.
• Verdant Green Maiden grew close to Ying Zheng as he grew into a noble-looking child.
• When Ying Zheng turned three, Verdant Green Maiden traveled to Western Zhou State to take King Zhou Ji Yan's heart's blood.

Verdant Green Maiden entered the Qin-occupied Royal Palace and met Ying Ji, who sought her blessing for Great Qin. She revealed that her aid came at the price of the last king of a dynasty, killed Ji Yan to collect her Heart's Blood, and warned that Great Qin was next.

• Verdant Green Maiden slipped into the Royal Palace, where Ying Ji’s soldiers trapped her and Ying Ji asked to speak with her.
• Ying Ji explained that Zhang Yi and scattered Zhou records had led him to identify Verdant Green Maiden as the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden, then asked her to bless Great Qin.
• Verdant Green Maiden warned that deals with her carried a consequence and had Ying Ji take her to the dying Ji Yan.
• Verdant Green Maiden took a Qin commander’s sword and stabbed Ji Yan through the heart, collecting her Heart's Blood in her gourd.
• Verdant Green Maiden said the gourd held the Heart's Blood of Xia Jie, Shang Zhou, and Ji Yan, then warned Ying Ji that Great Qin was next.

Qing Xiao Jade Maiden threatened Ying Ji after claiming Great Qin's fortune and heart's blood, prompting him to seek the Yin Yang School's protection. She returned to Handan, reunited with Zhao Ji and Little Ying Zheng, and rescued them and Afang from Zhao soldiers.

• Qing Xiao Jade Maiden told Ying Ji she would take Great Qin's Last Monarch's heart's blood, then left after knocking down Qin soldiers who tried to stop her.
• Ying Ji ordered his army back to Xianyang, delayed the Nine Cauldrons' transport, and sought the Yin Yang School to protect Great Qin's fortune.
• Qing Xiao Jade Maiden returned to Handan and learned from Hong Luan that Lu Buwei had fled with Ying Yiren while Zhao Ji and Little Ying Zheng remained behind.
• Qing Xiao Jade Maiden found Zhao Ji, Little Ying Zheng, and Afang hiding in a dilapidated house, and Little Ying Zheng greeted her as the Frost Snow Goddess.
• Qing Xiao Jade Maiden kicked the Zhao soldiers through the wall when they came to capture Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng, then led the family and Afang away.

Verdant Green Maiden protected Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng in Zhao while Ying Zheng trained and awaited news from Qin. After Zhao Sheng arrived to escort them home, Lady Huayang’s orders kept them outside Xianyang until Verdant Green Maiden smashed open the city gate.

• Verdant Green Maiden trained Ying Zheng as he grew into a skilled swordsman, while Zhao Ji worried that Ying Yiren had forgotten her and their son.
• Lord Pingyuan Zhao Sheng told Verdant Green Maiden that Ying Zheng and Zhao Ji would be escorted back to Qin after Ying Ji’s death and Ying Zhu’s rise to power.
• Ying Zheng promised Verdant Green Maiden that he would one day protect her, then traveled with Zhao Ji and their escort toward Xianyang.
• Lady Huayang’s orders stopped the party outside Xianyang, but Ying Zheng asserted his royal identity and approached the gate.
• Verdant Green Maiden knocked down the guard and shattered the city gate, then invited Ying Zheng to enter.

Verdant Green Maiden brought Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng to the Qin palace, where Ying Zheng met Ying Zhu and Ying Zichu. Ying Zhu then revealed the Yin Yang School’s ambush and explained that he no longer believed Verdant Green Maiden meant harm to Qin.

• Ying Zichu recognized Verdant Green Maiden as Immortal Shao Dian, and Zhao Ji reunited with him while Afang restrained her.
• Ying Zichu introduced Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng to Ying Zhu, who welcomed his grandson and praised Verdant Green Maiden for teaching him.
• Ying Zhu rewarded Verdant Green Maiden and arranged for Ying Zheng and Zhao Ji, then asked her to walk with him in the Imperial Garden.
• Ying Zhu revealed that members of the Yin Yang School were waiting in ambush and said the Former King had summoned them to capture Verdant Green Maiden.
• Verdant Green Maiden dismissed the Yin Yang School’s threats, and Ying Zhu told her he believed she would not take the heart’s blood of Qin’s last king because she cared for Ying Zheng.

Ying Zhu persuaded Verdant Green Maiden to protect Ying Zheng and Great Qin, then died shortly after becoming King. With the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple tying her to Qin’s auspicious fortune, Verdant Green Maiden came to feel bound to protect the state.

• Ying Zhu offered the Yin Yang School members to Verdant Green Maiden and asked her to help Ying Zheng become King of Qin; she agreed and ordered the school members killed.
• The Qin Army hunted down the Yin Yang School, driving its surviving members out of Qin, while Ying Zhu named Ying Zheng the King's Grandson and arranged for him to become Crown Prince after Ying Zichu's succession.
• Ying Zhu built the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple in Xianyang and provided its sacrificial offerings to Verdant Green Maiden; stories portraying her as a Frost Snow Goddess began circulating.
• On the seventh day of First Snow, Ying Zhu fell critically ill and asked Verdant Green Maiden to protect Great Qin before urging Ying Zichu to remember the eastward advance.
• Ying Zhu died three days after ascending the throne, and Verdant Green Maiden realized that the temple had bound her to Qin's auspicious fortune.

After Ying Zichu died, young Ying Zheng became King of Qin under three regents and promised Verdant Green Maiden he would become Emperor of all under Heaven. The chapter ended with Ying Zheng joining her hunt and offering to catch her two cows.

• On his deathbed, Ying Zichu asked Verdant Green Maiden to protect Ying Zheng, and Ying Zheng promised not to disappoint him or his Master.
• After Ying Zichu died, Ying Zheng ascended the throne, with Verdant Green Maiden, Dowager Empress Huayang, and Empress Dowager Zhao appointed regents.
• At the accession ceremony, Ying Zheng noticed Verdant Green Maiden was absent and was reminded to address himself as “the lonely one.”
• Verdant Green Maiden hunted in the countryside with Hong Luan, and Ying Zheng rode out to find her after the ceremony.
• Verdant Green Maiden said she would attend Ying Zheng’s coronation when he became Emperor of all under Heaven, and Ying Zheng vowed to make it happen.
• Ying Zheng joined Verdant Green Maiden’s hunt and promised to catch her two cows.

Ying Zheng faced pressure from Dowager Empress Huayang and Zhao Ji to choose a queen, so he arranged for Verdant Green Maiden to accompany him to the palace banquet. The chapter ended as Afang announced Ying Zheng and Verdant Green Maiden as the Great King and Queen.

• Dowager Empress Huayang and Zhao Ji sought a queen for Ying Zheng, while Verdant Green Maiden suggested he marry Afang or the princesses of the Six States.
• After Princess Mi Hua and the Zhao and Qi princesses were sent to meet Ying Zheng, he fell ill, and Afang asked Verdant Green Maiden to help him.
• Ying Zheng told Verdant Green Maiden that the empress dowagers wanted him to choose a queen at the evening banquet and asked her to support him.
• Ying Zheng had Afang dress Verdant Green Maiden in an imposing black-and-red robe for the banquet.
• Ying Zheng escorted Verdant Green Maiden into the banquet hall, where Afang announced them as the Great King and the Queen.

Verdant Green Maiden fled Qin after Ying Zheng declared her the Queen he had chosen, leaving him to search for her. She settled in Qi, but more than a year later she learned that Ying Zheng had formed the Black Ice Platform and feared he was using it to find her.

• Ying Zheng announced that Verdant Green Maiden was the Queen he had chosen, and she punched him before fleeing the palace.
• Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan escaped Xianyang, while Ying Zheng searched for them and lamented that his Master had left him.
• Verdant Green Maiden traveled through Hangu Pass and the lands of the Six States, then settled in disguise on an island off Qi and left a fish at Jiang Ziya's neglected shrine.
• More than a year later, Verdant Green Maiden heard that Ying Zheng had married a Chu Princess without making her Queen and had established the Black Ice Platform to monitor the realm and gather intelligence.
• Verdant Green Maiden concluded that Ying Zheng was searching for her and said she would rather become snake soup than his Queen.

Verdant Green Maiden agreed to attend Ying Zheng’s Capping Ceremony in Yong City after receiving his apology, while she and Hong Luan reconciled on the journey. Ying Zheng prepared for the ceremony and finally encountered Verdant Green Maiden at the palace.

• Verdant Green Maiden beat the Black Ice Platform agents who found her, then accepted Ying Zheng’s invitation to his Capping Ceremony in Yong City.
• Verdant Green Maiden traveled toward Yong City with Hong Luan, and the two made peace after Hong Luan admitted she felt useless because she could not become human.
• Ying Zheng paid his respects at Qin’s Ancestral Temple and asked Afang whether there was news of Verdant Green Maiden.
• Ying Zheng confirmed that preparations for the ceremony were complete, then found Verdant Green Maiden sitting by a palace wall and greeting him.

Ying Zheng reunited with Verdant Green Maiden at his Capping Ceremony and confided that his mother supported Lao Ai’s rebellion. After meeting Mi Hua and Little Fusu, Verdant Green Maiden agreed to teach and protect Ying Zheng’s son.

• Ying Zheng welcomed Verdant Green Maiden and told her that his mother supported Lao Ai’s planned rebellion, leaving him torn between rage and filial duty.
• Verdant Green Maiden comforted Ying Zheng, who said she was the only person he could rely on.
• Ying Zheng introduced Verdant Green Maiden to Mi Hua and Little Fusu at Yongcheng Palace.
• Ying Zheng admitted that he had brought Fusu to the ceremony so Verdant Green Maiden would meet him and asked her to teach the boy as she had taught him.
• Verdant Green Maiden agreed to teach Fusu and promised to keep him safe, healthy, and happy.

Verdant Green Maiden returned to Xianyang and witnessed Ying Zheng establish himself as king by ordering Lao Ai’s children killed despite her urging him to spare them. After Zhao Ji departed for Yong City, Ying Zheng emerged from seclusion and vowed to unify the realm.

• Verdant Green Maiden chose to return to Xianyang and try teaching Fusu, while Hong Luan agreed to accompany her.
• After Lao Ai’s rebellion, Ying Zheng sent Zhao Ji to Yong City and ordered the two children killed, rejecting Verdant Green Maiden’s suggestion to spare or banish them.
• Verdant Green Maiden praised Ying Zheng’s resolve as a step toward becoming a king, then returned to the Jade Maiden Shrine, where Afang delivered her preserved blue dress.
• A month later, Zhao Ji left for Yong City, and Ying Zheng shut himself in his bedchamber for three days.
• Verdant Green Maiden and the palace attendants went to check on Ying Zheng, who came out and vowed to unify the Six Directions and Eight Desolations.

As Qin conquered Han and Zhao, Crown Prince Ji Dan of Yan recruited Jing Ke to assassinate the King of Qin, and Jing Ke traveled to Xianyang with Qin Wu Yang. Qing Xiao Jade Maiden sensed something was amiss and learned that Jing Ke was due to meet the King of Qin, while Fusu began wondering whether immortality could save his father.

• Qin destroyed Han and Zhao, leaving Yan threatened by Qin’s armies.
• Ji Dan recruited Jing Ke, who agreed to assassinate the King of Qin in exchange for Fan Yu Qi’s head and a map of Du Kang.
• Ji Dan sent Jing Ke and Qin Wu Yang toward Xianyang, bidding them farewell by the Yi River.
• In Xianyang, Jing Ke learned that residents were worshiping Qing Xiao Jade Maiden and went with Qin Wu Yang to the temple.
• Qing Xiao Jade Maiden learned from Fusu that Jing Ke was expected to meet the King of Qin with a map, and she recognized his name.
• Fusu asked Qing Xiao Jade Maiden whether the Art of Longevity could help his father, but she dismissed the idea as nonsense.

Verdant Green Maiden stopped Jing Ke’s assassination of Ying Zheng and realized she was the historical Xia Wuqie. Qin conquered Yan, but Changping Jun’s rebellion forced Ying Zheng to recall Wang Jian and entrust him with Qin’s entire battle-ready army to campaign against Chu.

• Fusu accepted Verdant Green Maiden’s explanation of cultivation, while she watched Jing Ke arrive at Qin’s court.
• Jing Ke attacked Ying Zheng with a poisoned dagger, but Verdant Green Maiden disarmed him and Ying Zheng wounded him; she then realized she was Xia Wuqie.
• Jing Ke accused Verdant Green Maiden of helping Qin oppress the world, and Ying Zheng ordered Wang Jian to destroy Yan.
• Ying Zheng, Mi Hua, and Fusu wondered about the name Xia Wuqie, while Verdant Green Maiden left after realizing she had become part of history.
• Qin captured Yan’s capital and Chenying in Chu, but Changping Jun rebelled and became King of Chu.
• Ying Zheng recalled Wang Jian and gave him six hundred thousand Qin troops to lead the campaign against Chu.

After Mi Qi betrayed Qin, Verdant Green Maiden protected Mi Hua and Fusu from court suspicion and reassured Ying Zheng that Fusu should remain heir. She later recognized Zhao Gao, summoned him to the Jade Maiden Shrine, and killed him, leaving the consequences of her intervention unknown.

• Ying Zheng condemned Mi Qi’s betrayal and worried that it had undermined his plans, while Verdant Green Maiden insisted Mi Hua and Fusu were not to blame.
• Ying Zheng told Verdant Green Maiden he would not strip Fusu of his position, and she urged him to confirm Fusu’s succession before others challenged it.
• Verdant Green Maiden reassured Mi Hua and Fusu, then asked Afang to protect and care for them.
• Ying Zheng sent Verdant Green Maiden the straw doll he had made as a child, and she told Zhao Gao to visit her at the Jade Maiden Shrine.
• Verdant Green Maiden sharpened a sword and stabbed Zhao Gao through the chest, then called for Bird Sister to clean up his body.

After Verdant Green Maiden killed Zhao Gao, Ying Zheng appointed Li Si Prime Minister and named Fusu Crown Prince, while she fell into a five-month sleep. She woke without knowing why she had slept so long and wondered whether killing Zhao Gao had changed history, as Ying Zheng and Fusu promised to handle future affairs themselves.

• Verdant Green Maiden told Hong Luan that she had killed Zhao Gao, then went to rest; Ying Zheng accepted her actions without questioning her reasons.
• At court, Ying Zheng promoted Li Si to Prime Minister and declared Fusu Crown Prince, rejecting ministers’ objections to appointing a son of a woman from Chu.
• Hong Luan told Ying Zheng that Verdant Green Maiden had not awakened since killing Zhao Gao, and she slept for five months while Afang cared for her.
• Verdant Green Maiden woke and wondered whether her long sleep was punishment for changing history by killing Zhao Gao.
• Ying Zheng and Fusu hurried to see Verdant Green Maiden, praised her for resting, and offered to handle future matters on her behalf.

Verdant Green Maiden learned that Ying Zheng had summoned fangshi to seek medicine for her, but she urged him to dismiss them and instead celebrated his decision to take the title of Emperor. As Ying Zheng’s coronation began, she watched him ascend the palace steps with Fusu.

• Hong Luan revealed that Ying Zheng had brought fangshi to the palace to make medicine for Verdant Green Maiden.
• Verdant Green Maiden met the fangshi Xu Fu, called his claims about Immortal Medicine false, and urged Ying Zheng to send the fangshi away.
• Ying Zheng told Verdant Green Maiden that he would take the title of Emperor after unifying Under Heaven, and she approved.
• Verdant Green Maiden celebrated the coming coronation with Hong Luan as auspicious fortune gathered above Xianyang.
• At the ceremony, Verdant Green Maiden stood with Fusu and watched Ying Zheng ascend the steps in imperial robes.