Chapter Summaries

Song Qingshu and Dongfang Muxue’s plan to exploit divisions among the Qing commanders advanced when Tu Hai led his army toward the Golden Snake Camp. As the tournament semifinals approached, Song Qingshu spoke with A Qing, who questioned why others thought he was a bad person.

• Huang Rong announced that the third round would begin in one shichen and that the finals would follow soon after.
• The chapter described the four Qing armies and their commanders, including the rivalry between Yue Le and Tu Hai.
• Tu Hai disobeyed Yue Le’s order to hold position and advanced toward the Golden Snake Camp to claim the main credit.
• Song Qingshu reflected that Tu Hai’s advance had been arranged with Dongfang Muxue to let the Golden Snake Camp defeat the Qing armies separately.
• A Qing thanked Song Qingshu and asked why Yuan Ziyi and the others called him a bad person.
• Song Qingshu tried to explain that good and bad depended on a person’s perspective, but A Qing became angry at the thought of someone taking her lost sheep.

Song Qingshu faced Yang Miaozhen in the third round after betting heavily on himself, and their match began with her launching a powerful spear attack. He stopped her flying stone slabs, but she followed with a spinning strike that forced him to dodge.

• Song Qingshu told Zeng Rou to bet all his banknotes on him, and Zhu Meichuo added her dowry and urged Zeng Rou to wager her savings too.
• Yang Miaozhen questioned Song Qingshu about his confidence and his absent companions, but he revealed little and teased her before she left.
• Huang Rong announced the third round, and Song Qingshu and Yang Miaozhen took their places for the first match.
• Yang Miaozhen swept her spear forward and sent stone slabs flying at Song Qingshu, who halted them in midair with an invisible force.
• Yang Miaozhen shattered the suspended slabs with her Pear Blossom Spear, then spun and attacked Song Qingshu, who narrowly evaded her thrust.
• Yang Miaozhen planted her spear in the arena floor and used its rebound to launch a spinning kick toward Song Qingshu's neck.

Song Qingshu and Yang Miaozhen fought in the arena, where Yang used her spear technique and keen sensing to withstand his astonishing speed. Yang proposed a close-quarters contest within a marked circle, forbidding both her spear and Song’s movement technique.

• Yang Miaozhen attacked Song Qingshu with her legs and Pear Blossom Spear, but he deflected her strikes and then launched a rapid assault of his own.
• Yang Miaozhen closed her eyes and used true-qi pear blossoms to sense Song’s attacks and anticipate his movements, holding her ground despite his speed.
• Guo Fu struggled to see Song Qingshu, while Huang Rong explained that he was moving too quickly; A Qing said filling the platform with sword qi could counter him.
• Song Qingshu acknowledged Yang Miaozhen’s defense, and Yang pointed out that maintaining it consumed substantial true qi.
• Yang Miaozhen marked a circle and proposed that they fight inside it using only fists and kicks, with neither of them allowed to use their usual advantage.

Song Qingshu and Yang Miaozhen sparred without weapons inside a small marked circle, and his unconventional counters left her trapped and humiliated. Yang Miaozhen admitted defeat and fled the stage, leaving Song Qingshu victorious before the watching heroes.

• Song Qingshu agreed to Yang Miaozhen's weaponless sparring rules, despite realizing they favored her Pear Blossom Spear techniques.
• Yang Miaozhen attacked Song Qingshu with her hands, but he seized her wrist and avoided her follow-up strikes without leaving the circle.
• Song Qingshu stopped Yang Miaozhen's finger strike by biting her fingers, provoking teasing remarks from the crowd and an angry kick from her.
• Song Qingshu evaded Yang Miaozhen's kick and trapped her legs beneath his arms while restraining her hands.
• Song Qingshu pointed out that both of Yang Miaozhen's feet had left the ground, and she admitted defeat before he set her down and she hurried off the stage.

A Qing and Yang Guo fought in the tournament, and their clash revealed that she had once encountered Dugu Qiubai and his Great Condor. The chapter left Song Qingshu realizing A Qing had plucked the bird’s flight feathers long ago.

• Huang Rong noticed Yang Miaozhen leave the stage flushed, then announced the match between A Qing and Yang Guo.
• A Qing asked Yang Guo about his missing arm and offered to fight with one hand, but Yang Guo refused her advantage and challenged her to fight seriously.
• A Qing and Yang Guo exchanged techniques, and Yang Guo used the Mysterious Iron Sword to disperse her Innate Sword Qi.
• A Qing recognized the Mysterious Iron Sword and recalled meeting a man followed by a Great Condor, whom Yang Guo suspected was Dugu Qiubai.
• A Qing explained that the Great Condor had eaten one of her sheep, so she plucked out several of its feathers and left it unable to fly, astonishing Song Qingshu.

Yang Guo awakened the Melancholy Palms during his duel with A Qing, then fought on despite realizing he was outmatched. A Qing’s giant sword fell toward him, and both fighters feared it was too late to stop the blow.

• A Qing explained that she had once been slightly better than Dugu Qiubai, until the Divine Condor helped him surpass her, and attacked Yang Guo after he laughed.
• Yang Guo blocked A Qing’s endless sword qi with the Mysterious Iron Sword, which began to tremble under the assault.
• Thinking of his grievances and Xiaolongnü, Yang Guo unleashed a devastating palm strike that shattered A Qing’s Green Bamboo Stick and knocked her toward the arena’s edge.
• Yang Guo named the technique Melancholy Palms, then struggled to hold back A Qing’s giant sword as she strengthened it with more sword qi.
• Yang Guo was overwhelmed and spat blood, leaving A Qing’s descending giant sword aimed at him; A Qing realized too late that he could not continue and closed her eyes.

Song Qingshu rescued Yang Guo from A Qing’s devastating sword strike, and Yang Guo thanked him before the two fighters made peace. After Yuan Ziyi took A Qing away and Yang Guo departed, Huang Rong asked Song Qingshu about his chances in the upcoming match.

• A Qing’s sword strike split the arena, but Song Qingshu rescued Yang Guo before he was killed.
• Yang Guo thanked Song Qingshu and promised to repay his life-saving kindness, while Song Qingshu reflected on his decision to intervene.
• A Qing apologized to Yang Guo and offered him a sheep, but Song Qingshu explained that Yang Guo had gained insight into a new palm technique during their fight.
• Yang Guo praised A Qing’s swordsmanship and accepted his defeat, while A Qing agreed to face him again someday.
• Yuan Ziyi pulled A Qing away, and Yang Guo left after bidding farewell to Song Qingshu.
• Huang Rong asked Song Qingshu whether he expected to win the upcoming match, and he replied that it depended on whether she wanted him to win or lose.

Song Qingshu learned that several Golden Snake Camp leaders and major sects would support him if he took first place, while other factions remained uncertain or hostile. He proposed assigning Emei’s female disciples as battlefield nurses, leaving Zhou Zhiruo anxious about how they would be used.

• Huang Rong brushed off Song Qingshu’s flirtation and returned to the others, where Zhou Zhiruo teased Zhu Meichuo about him flirting with Madam Guo.
• Zhu Meichuo reported that Master Cheng and Shui Jian, along with several other Golden Snake Camp leaders, would submit if Song Qingshu won first place; she also teased him about Miss Shui.
• Zhu Meichuo explained that she would accept Song Qingshu making marriage alliances to gain political support, while Zhou Zhiruo struggled with her own feelings about sharing him.
• Zhu Meichuo listed four leaders who remained undecided and four factions aligned with Song Qingshu’s enemies; Song Qingshu decided to wait for them to reveal their plans.
• Zhou Zhiruo reported that the Wudang Sect, the Heaven and Earth Society, and Prince Mu’s Mansion would help, and Song Qingshu said Emei’s disciples could serve as battlefield nurses.

Zhou Zhiruo reported that most sects would not support the Golden Snake Camp, while she and Zhu Meichuo urged Song Qingshu to seek Huang Rong’s help. The final contest for the Golden Snake King then began, with Song Qingshu facing the injured A Qing and opening with a stance that looked full of flaws; Huang Rong challenged Guo Fu to explain how to break it.

• Zhou Zhiruo told Song Qingshu that the Red Flower Society, Sun Moon Holy Cult, Mount Song Sect, Shaolin Temple, Quanzhen Sect, and Jiangnan Beggar's Clan had offered little or no support.
• Zhou Zhiruo proposed asking Huang Rong and the Xiangyang Beggar's Clan for help, and Zhu Meichuo said Song Qingshu could persuade Huang Rong.
• Huang Rong announced the final contest for the Golden Snake King, and Song Qingshu and A Qing took their places on the arena.
• Song Qingshu and A Qing exchanged warnings and began the match with Song Qingshu wielding a wooden sword and A Qing holding a Green Bamboo Stick.
• A Qing praised Song Qingshu's apparently flaw-riddled swordsmanship, and Huang Rong asked Guo Fu how many ways she could find to break it.

Song Qingshu and A Qing fought an astonishing sword duel, each displaying techniques so seamless that the spectators struggled to understand them. As the match continued, Linghu Chong realized they had both reached a realm beyond technique, while Ren Yingying remained troubled by Song Qingshu’s conduct.

• Huang Rong explained that Song Qingshu’s apparent flaws could leave an opponent overwhelmed by choices, while A Qing perceived lethal intent in every motion.
• A Qing and Song Qingshu exchanged more than twenty attacks without their weapons touching, and they competed solely in sword technique rather than internal energy.
• Huang Rong urged Guo Fu and Da Xiaowu to study the duel, while Zhu Meichuo worried about Song Qingshu and Zhou Zhiruo trusted his confidence.
• The spectators struggled to follow the fighters’ seamless changes, and Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting were astonished by Song Qingshu’s progress.
• Linghu Chong concluded that Song Qingshu and A Qing had both reached the realm of no techniques, and Ren Yingying wondered why Song Qingshu’s character did not match his swordsmanship.

Song Qingshu and A Qing fought to a standstill, but A Qing used her Innate Sword Qi to break his movement-based advantage and appeared poised to win. Song Qingshu then claimed he could use her sky-filling sword-qi move too, leaving the spectators and A Qing astonished.

• Yang Miaozhen and Xuan Cheng realized that Song Qingshu’s martial arts were far stronger than they had believed.
• Yu Wanting and Wen Tailai discussed their plans for revenge depending on whether A Qing won or lost.
• Song Qingshu used his movement technique to attack A Qing from several directions, and Zhou Zhiruo recognized that he was falling behind in swordsmanship.
• A Qing spun and unleashed a ring of azure sword qi, forcing Song Qingshu to retreat and freeing herself from his confinement.
• A Qing warned Song Qingshu that he would lose unless he had another move, and Song Qingshu claimed he could use her sky-filling sword qi too.

Song Qingshu revealed his ability to command thousands of swords and fought A Qing in a spectacular clash of swords and sword qi. The battle continued with neither fighter defeated, while the spectators watched in awe.

• Song Qingshu raised his hands, causing the swords held by nearly a thousand martial artists to fly into the air around him.
• A Qing unleashed countless strands of azure sword qi, and Song Qingshu sent his swords charging against them.
• Song Qingshu rushed toward A Qing with Treading Sand Without Trace, while she spun in place and released sword qi in every direction.
• Song Qingshu formed a moving armor of swords and pressed A Qing with a tightening encirclement as she countered with sword qi.
• Huang Rong, Linghu Chong, Ren Yingying, Xiao Feng, Yelü Nanxian, Zeng Rou, and Zhou Zhiruo watched the battle and reacted to Song Qingshu's strength.

Song Qingshu faced A Qing in the Golden Snake Assembly and appeared to be losing until he unexpectedly struck her first under her immobilizing domain. A Qing conceded defeat, leaving the crowd baffled about how Song Qingshu had moved when even the greatest masters could not.

• Xu Zhu predicted that A Qing would outlast Song Qingshu because her Innate Sword Qi could replenish while his swords broke.
• Zhou Zhiruo doubted Song Qingshu would win, but Zhu Meichuo trusted him because he had said he would.
• Song Qingshu used Myriad Swords Returning to Origin, but A Qing remained unharmed as most of his swords broke.
• A Qing unleashed a powerful domain that immobilized the assembly and attacked Song Qingshu with her Green Bamboo Stick.
• Song Qingshu moved freely and pressed his wooden sword to A Qing’s neck, prompting her to concede defeat.
• Xuan Cheng suffered internal injuries after witnessing Song Qingshu’s movement, while Huang Rong wondered how he had overcome A Qing’s domain.

Song Qingshu established his authority as the new Golden Snake King while confronting Master Shili, whom he accused of spying for the Qing court and betraying the Golden Snake Camp. After presenting documents he said proved the monk’s allegiance, Song Qingshu attacked him.

• Xia Qingqing and several Golden Snake Camp leaders knelt before Song Qingshu and presented the Golden Snake Sword, prompting the other neutral leaders to follow.
• Master Shili announced that he was leaving the Golden Snake Camp, while Chu Hongliu waited to see how Song Qingshu would respond.
• Song Qingshu accused Master Shili of conspiring with the Qing court and causing the former Golden Snake King Yuan’s death, stirring suspicion among the crowd.
• Song Qingshu revealed an imperial edict and a letter that he said proved Master Shili’s ties to the Qing court.
• Song Qingshu declared that he would purge Master Shili as a traitor and charged at him.

Song Qingshu killed Master Shili during a lightning-fast attack and wounded Xu Zhu when his attempt to absorb Song Qingshu’s inner strength failed. He returned to the platform while the assembled martial artists and several women reacted to his frightening display.

• Xuan Cheng stepped in to protect Master Shili, but Song Qingshu used the force of Xuan Cheng’s staff strike to drift past him.
• Xu Zhu attacked Song Qingshu with Parting in Two with One Clap as Song Qingshu killed Master Shili with sword qi.
• Song Qingshu feigned a palm strike to thwart Xu Zhu’s North Darkness Divine Skill, then sent sword qi into Xu Zhu’s meridians and injured his arm.
• Song Qingshu flashed back onto the platform, leaving the assembly stunned by how quickly he had killed Master Shili and overcome Xuan Cheng and Xu Zhu.
• Huang Rong and Yelü Nanxian recalled Li Bai’s poem, while Yuan Ziyi, Guo Fu, Mu Jianping, and Fang Yi reacted to Song Qingshu’s prowess.

Song Qingshu faced accusations that he was a Qing spy and tried to prove his innocence before the martial arts assembly. He ended by loudly claiming intimate relations with Kangxi’s mother and wife, leaving the crowd stunned and A Qing confused.

• Xuan Cheng accused Song Qingshu of slaughtering innocents, and Song defended his execution of Master Shili by citing evidence of his collusion with the Qing court.
• Xuan Cheng and Yu Wanting persuaded the assembly to suspect that Song’s failed attempt to assassinate Kangxi and his sudden fame were part of a scheme to infiltrate the anti-Qing forces.
• Several Golden Snake Camp leaders joined the accusations, but Song silenced the gathering and declared that he could prove his innocence easily.
• Song shouted that he had been intimate with Kangxi’s mother and wife, shocking the assembly and drawing varied reactions from Huang Rong, Guo Fu, Zhou Zhiruo, and others.
• A Qing asked Yuan Ziyi what Song’s censored words meant, and Yuan Ziyi could not answer her.

Song Qingshu drove the Shaolin monks and Red Flower Society from the gathering, secured the Golden Snake King title, and watched the martial arts factions choose whether to support him against the Qing army. As the coronation ended, most factions departed or stayed only cautiously, until Xiao offered to help.

• Song Qingshu challenged Xuan Cheng to swear that Shaolin had not colluded with the court, and Xuan Cheng led the monks away.
• Song Qingshu threatened to expose the Red Flower Society’s misdeeds, prompting Yu Wanting to leave with Yuan Ziyi and A Qing; A Qing asked Song Qingshu to visit her in the Western Regions, and he promised he would.
• Chu Hongliu, Sha Tongtian, and Meng Baifei knelt and acknowledged Song Qingshu as the Golden Snake King, and the leaders publicly pledged loyalty.
• Wudang, Emei, Prince Mu's Mansion, and the Heaven and Earth Society agreed to remain and help Song Qingshu resist the Qing army, while Ren Yingying, the Beggar's Clan, Mount Song Sect, and the Quanzhen Sect departed.
• Most wandering martial artists left or stayed only in small numbers, until Xiao announced that he was willing to remain and help Song Qingshu.

Song Qingshu gathered Xiao Feng, Yang Miaozhen, and Huang Rong as allies against the Manchu Qing, then called the Golden Snake Camp leaders together to discuss how to answer the coming encirclement. The council began with Meng Baifei advocating the old strategy of splitting up and hiding in the mountains, leaving Song Qingshu to decide how to respond to a challenge to his authority.

• Xiao Feng agreed to fight alongside Song Qingshu in his personal capacity, hoping to deal the Manchu Qing a crushing defeat.
• Yang Miaozhen agreed to bring her three hundred elite Red Tunic Army warriors in exchange for Song Qingshu owing her a future favor.
• Huang Rong overcame her misgivings about rumors and agreed to stay and help Song Qingshu.
• Song Qingshu invited his allies and the Golden Snake Camp stronghold leaders to the council hall to plan against the Manchu Qing encirclement.
• Meng Baifei proposed breaking the troops into smaller groups and hiding in the mountains until the Manchu Qing army ran short of supplies, while Huang Rong worried that his defiance could provoke Song Qingshu and destabilize his leadership.

Song Qingshu let the Golden Snake Camp leaders argue over whether to fight or retreat before asking Huang Rong to endorse his position. Xiao Feng then argued that the Qing’s Eight Banners troops had grown weak, leaving the Golden Snake Camp a chance to resist.

• Situ Bolei and Shui Jian challenged Meng Baifei and Chu Hongliu’s calls for caution, while Cheng Qingzhu blamed Sha Tongtian for the camp’s past infighting.
• Song Qingshu stayed silent as the leaders argued, then asked Huang Rong for her view; she deferred to Xiao Feng.
• Xiao Feng warned that the Qing force consisted of elite Eight Banners soldiers, prompting Chu Hongliu to urge retreat.
• Xiao Feng argued that the Eight Banners had declined since entering the Central Plains and that the Golden Snake Camp might defeat them.
• Song Qingshu privately recalled that he and Dongfang Muxue had devised the plan to send the weakened Eight Banners army against the camp.

Song Qingshu and Huang Rong persuaded the Golden Snake Camp leaders that they should retreat but first win a battle to restore the camp’s morale. The factions agreed to fight the Manchus, and Song Qingshu pointed out that Tu Hai’s isolated Eastern Route Army offered them an opportunity.

• Meng Baifei questioned whether Xiao Feng was urging the Golden Snake Camp to fight the imperial army, and Xiao Feng said the choice was theirs.
• Huang Rong advised retreating as the main strategy but argued that the Golden Snake Camp needed a decisive victory to prevent its collapse.
• Jiao Wan'er, Rong Cai, Nie Tianfeng, and Zheng Qiyun supported Huang Rong, while Yang Miaozhen condemned those afraid to fight.
• Song Qingshu gathered support from Wudang, Emei, the Heaven and Earth Society, and Prince Mu's Mansion, then declared they would fight the Eight Banners.
• Song Qingshu explained that Tu Hai’s Eastern Route Army had advanced alone, giving the Golden Snake Camp an opportunity to strike.