Chapter Summaries

Song Qingshu summoned a wind while the Golden Snake Camp faced a burning valley and Qing cavalry on the mountain. The breeze began as Sabsu ordered his army to charge.

• Song Qingshu told the Golden Snake Camp to watch for his signals, then climbed a watchtower and called for the wind.
• Huang Rong and the others doubted Song Qingshu’s ritual as the Qing troops mocked him.
• A breeze rose after Song Qingshu called again, lifting the Golden Snake Camp’s spirits.
• Situ Bolei and the others recognized Song Qingshu’s signal and began withdrawing their troops from the valley.
• Sabsu ordered the Qing army to charge despite the fire and the growing wind.

Song Qingshu used wind, lightning, thunder, and rain to throw Sabsu’s charging cavalry into chaos, then ordered the Golden Snake Camp to attack. As the battle turned against the Qing forces, Song Qingshu announced that he would try to reach Sabsu through the enemy ranks.

• Song Qingshu summoned a gale, disrupting the Manchu Cavalry’s downhill charge and scattering its formation.
• Song Qingshu called down lightning and thunder, frightening the Qing soldiers and their horses as Sabsu urged the surviving cavalry onward.
• Sabsu ordered his men to fire their Three-Eyed Muskets, but Song Qingshu summoned heavy rain that soaked their gunpowder and turned the ground to mud.
• The cavalry collapsed into disorder, and Song Qingshu commanded the Golden Snake Camp and its allies to charge.
• Sabsu killed guards who urged him to retreat and ordered his soldiers to hold their position.
• Song Qingshu declared that he would imitate King Xiao by taking Sabsu’s head amid the enemy troops.

Song Qingshu killed Sabsu, helped force the Qing armies to retreat, and consolidated his authority over the Golden Snake Camp. He ordered the camp to seize Shandong south of the Yellow River under strict laws, while Xiao Feng and Yelü Nanxian prepared to return to Liao Country.

• Song Qingshu cut through Sabsu's Northern Route Army, killed Sabsu, and accepted the surrender of nearly half its remaining troops.
• Yue Le ordered the Central Route Army to retreat, judging that the demoralized Qing forces could not safely continue fighting.
• The Golden Snake Camp's leaders and soldiers rallied behind Song Qingshu, while Sha Tongtian disavowed the absent Chu Hongliu and Meng Baifei.
• Song Qingshu ordered the Golden Snake Camp to seize every prefecture and county south of the Yellow River and forbade his troops from robbing or harming the people.
• Xiao Feng announced that he and Yelü Nanxian would return to Liao Country, and Yelü Nanxian demanded that Song Qingshu explain how he had summoned wind and rain.

Song Qingshu explained that he had used the terrain and fires at Fox Slope to create conditions for convective rain, rather than truly summoning the weather. After the allied forces departed, Huang Rong chose to stay with him for a few days.

• Song Qingshu explained that fires in Fox Slope's valley had heated rising air and produced strong winds and torrential rain, while the terrain made the effect possible.
• Song Qingshu said he had revealed the truth because the people in the hall had helped him, earning the friendship of Yang Miaozhen, Xiao Feng, and the other leaders.
• Xiao Feng and Yelü Nanxian took their leave, and Song Qingshu secretly lent Yelü Nanxian a sword manual to study.
• Yang Miaozhen invited Song Qingshu to visit the Red Tunic Army, while Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting urged him to return to Wudang.
• After the other groups departed, Huang Rong asked to stay with Song Qingshu for a few days, and he gladly welcomed her.

Song Qingshu discussed how to use his reputation for summoning wind and rain while his wives teased him about his many entanglements. As Zhou Zhiruo prepared to visit the White Lotus Society and the women urged him to accept Zeng Rou into his household, he went to meet Fang Yi, who was waiting in the side hall.

• Huang Rong warned Song Qingshu not to read too much into her stay, then left to study his methods of warfare for Xiangyang.
• Song Qingshu explained to Zhou Zhiruo, Ajiu, and Xia Qingqing that using supernatural claims to gather believers could damage his standing among the realm's influential people, and Ajiu offered to manage his public image.
• Zhou Zhiruo announced that she would leave for Jiangnan the next morning to visit the White Lotus Society, and Song Qingshu cautioned her to be careful.
• Zhou Zhiruo, Ajiu, and Xia Qingqing urged Song Qingshu to accept Zeng Rou rather than risk alienating her and the Wangwu Sect, though they agreed the matter could wait until the Golden Snake Camp controlled more territory.
• Xia Qingqing told Song Qingshu that Fang Yi from Prince Mu's Mansion was waiting to see him, and he hurried to the side hall.

Song Qingshu welcomed Fang Yi, learned that Su Quan had gone to Liao Country on an undisclosed mission, and approved Fang Yi's appointment to lead the Divine Dragon Sect. He strengthened her meridians and prepared her to return to Divine Dragon Island with Mu Jianping.

• Song Qingshu comforted Fang Yi and embraced her after she arrived with a message from Su Quan.
• Fang Yi told Song Qingshu that Su Quan had gone to Liao Country for an important matter and had left Fang Yi to manage the Divine Dragon Sect temporarily.
• Song Qingshu approved Fang Yi's leadership and opened her meridians, then promised to find her internal energy and sword manuals.
• Fang Yi declined to stay the night because the other women were on the mountain, but promised to welcome Song Qingshu when he visited Divine Dragon Island.
• Fang Yi told Song Qingshu that Mu Jianping would accompany her to Divine Dragon Island, leaving him worried about whether Mu could protect her.

Song Qingshu and the women teased one another before Zhou Zhiruo departed for the White Lotus Society. After the Golden Snake Camp conquered the lands between the Yellow River and Huai River, Song planned to travel to Yanjing and keep the disguised Kangxi Emperor and Dongfang Muxue under watch.

• Xia Qingqing reaffirmed that she would remain faithful in name to Yuan Chengzhi, and Ajiu joked that she could vet Song Qingshu’s lovers while Zhou Zhiruo vetted his wives.
• Song Qingshu and Zhou Zhiruo shared a private farewell before she left for the White Lotus Society.
• The Golden Snake Camp captured the territory south of the Yellow River and north of the Huai River, forcing the Qing army into a standoff along the Yellow River.
• Song Qingshu told Xia Qingqing and Ajiu that he intended to go to Yanjing and taught them to use disguises to maintain his authority at headquarters.
• Song Qingshu explained that he needed to monitor Dongfang Muxue and the fake Kangxi Emperor in the Forbidden City, while Ajiu teased him about winning Dongfang’s loyalty.

Song Qingshu agreed to marry Zeng Rou and planned to send Huang Rong away before he left for Yanjing. That night, he found Huang Rong alone at her window and said he had many things to tell her.

• Ajiu reminded Song Qingshu to address Zeng Rou and warned that Huang Rong might discover her and Xia Qingqing’s disguises.
• Song Qingshu promised to marry Zeng Rou, said he would treat her well, and agreed to deal with Huang Rong before departing for Yanjing.
• Song Qingshu taught Ajiu and Xia Qingqing the Disguise Art, and the two women teased each other.
• Huang Rong worried about Guo Fu, who she had sent to Peach Blossom Island, and regretted not letting her stay near Song Qingshu.
• Song Qingshu appeared in Huang Rong’s courtyard at night, teased her about her changing expression, and said he had many things to tell her.

Huang Rong grew wary when Song Qingshu visited her alone, but she agreed to massage his shoulders after he pressed her. She then struck his acupoints, leaving him unconscious and pleased with her escape from his advances.

• Song Qingshu entered Huang Rong's room after explaining that Ajiu and Zhou Zhiruo were away from the mountain.
• Song Qingshu flirted with Huang Rong and praised Guo Fu when Huang Rong asked what he thought of her daughter.
• Song Qingshu asked Huang Rong to massage his shoulders, and she agreed after making him promise to keep it secret.
• Huang Rong struck several of Song Qingshu's acupoints, rendered him unconscious, and celebrated having outwitted him.

Huang Rong escaped after tricking Song Qingshu, who had only pretended to be unconscious to make her leave. Jiao Wan'er then entered Huang Rong’s room and, after finding her gone, was stopped by Song Qingshu, who invited her to talk.

• Huang Rong drew a turtle on Song Qingshu’s face, left a teasing farewell, and slipped away with her belongings.
• Song Qingshu revealed that he had faked drunken sleep to frighten Huang Rong into leaving at A Jiu’s request.
• Song Qingshu washed his face and reflected on his interest in Guo Jing’s neglected wife, Huang Rong.
• Jiao Wan'er entered Huang Rong’s room and found Song Qingshu there, suspecting that he and Huang Rong had a relationship.
• Song Qingshu blocked Jiao Wan'er from leaving and asked her to sit and discuss Golden Snake Camp matters.

Song Qingshu confronted Jiao Wan'er over her and Luo Liru’s past actions against the Golden Snake Camp, then demanded that she prove her loyalty. The chapter ended with him ordering her to undress.

• Song Qingshu questioned Jiao Wan'er and noticed that she was afraid to drink the tea he had poured for her.
• Song Qingshu praised Luo Liru’s military successes, then accused Jiao Wan'er and her husband of opposing his rise and endangering his forces.
• Jiao Wan'er defended their choices and claimed they had helped delay the Qing army, but Song Qingshu intimidated her into kneeling.
• Song Qingshu demanded that Jiao Wan'er and Luo Liru obey any order he gave, and she agreed under pressure.
• Song Qingshu ordered Jiao Wan'er to undress, leaving her shocked and furious.

Song Qingshu tested Jiao Wan'er's loyalty by demanding she undress, then stopped her escape and warned her that he could overpower her. After offering her a chance to leave, he began naming the important men in her life as leverage, and the chapter ended as he moved on from her husband to another man.

• Song Qingshu demanded that Jiao Wan'er undress as proof of her loyalty, threatening her husband Luo Liru's safety and prospects when she refused.
• Jiao Wan'er threatened to expose Song Qingshu, then tried to flee through a window, but he seized her with his martial arts and dragged her back.
• Jiao Wan'er refused to undress willingly and considered taking her own life, but Song Qingshu warned that he would prevent her from dying.
• Song Qingshu said he would not force her and offered to let her leave, then told her to hear the rest of his plan before deciding.
• Song Qingshu named Luo Liru as one of the three men important to Jiao Wan'er, and she insisted her husband would never trade her for advancement or safety.
• Song Qingshu dismissed Luo Liru as unimportant and began to name another man, leaving Jiao Wan'er wondering whom he would use against her.

Song Qingshu coerced Jiao Wan'er by threatening her brother, her family’s reputation, and her marriage to Luo Liru. Jiao Wan'er gave in, but Song Qingshu withdrew his promises of glory for the Jiao and Luo families and offered only to keep Luo from learning what happened.

• Song Qingshu invoked Jiao Wan'er's filial duty and offered to make her younger brother famous to pressure her into submitting to him.
• Song Qingshu argued that he could manipulate public opinion so Jiao Wan'er would be branded an adulteress even if she resisted him.
• Jiao Wan'er said Luo Liru would trust her, but Song Qingshu threatened to disguise himself as the deceased Yuan Chengzhi and make Luo believe they were having an affair.
• Jiao Wan'er asked whether she could refuse both choices, and Song Qingshu said she could not.
• Jiao Wan'er agreed to undress, but Song Qingshu said it was too late to fulfill his promises and vowed only that Luo would not find out.

Song Qingshu realized that the Joyful Meditation Art’s Inner Demon had driven him to brutalize Jiao Wan'er, and he feared the truth could destroy his power. He threatened her into silence as she left, while the author’s postscript announced that future flirtatious scenes would be glossed over.

• Song Qingshu pressured Jiao Wan'er into submitting, claiming her compliance would secure opportunities and safety for her family.
• Song Qingshu awoke beside Jiao Wan'er and realized the Inner Demon might have taken control of him the night before.
• Jiao Wan'er rejected Song Qingshu’s apology and tried to leave, but he caught her when she stumbled.
• Song Qingshu considered silencing Jiao Wan'er, then decided to threaten her into keeping the assault secret.
• Jiao Wan'er agreed to remain silent and left Song Qingshu’s room.
• The author stated in a postscript that future flirtatious scenes would be skipped over.

After Song Qingshu violated Jiao Wan'er, she returned to her husband Luo Liru and tried to conceal what had happened. When she asked how he would react if the Great Leader assaulted her, Luo Liru’s answer devastated her, leaving their quarrel unresolved.

• Jiao Wan'er returned to her residence, saw Luo Liru asleep, and wept as she recalled the previous night.
• Jiao Wan'er scrubbed herself in a bath, and Luo Liru came to speak with her without realizing she had been violated.
• Luo Liru praised Huang Rong and Song Qingshu, while Jiao Wan'er grew distressed and criticized the Great Leader.
• Jiao Wan'er asked Luo Liru what he would do if Song Qingshu violated her, and Luo Liru said he would be delighted to become the Great Leader’s brother-in-law.
• Jiao Wan'er burst into tears and berated Luo Liru, who was left embarrassed by her anger.

Jiao Wan'er drove Luo Liru away after he tried to smell her clothes, while Song Qingshu reflected on his Inner Demon and found a new way to understand the Joyful Zen Method. He continued managing the Golden Snake Camp as usual, and as his wedding to Miss Zeng approached, Jiao Wan'er secretly sought out Xia Qingqing.

• Luo Liru dismissed Jiao Wan'er's warning and reached for her clothes, so she snatched them away and angrily ordered him out.
• Song Qingshu considered how the Joyful Zen Method awakened desires and nearly gave in to the temptation to let desire rule him.
• Song Qingshu concluded that Inner Demons were a natural part of cultivation and should not be treated as enemies to destroy.
• Song Qingshu carried on with his duties and treated Jiao Wan'er like an ordinary subordinate, leaving her uncertain about his feelings.
• As the wedding between Song Qingshu and Miss Zeng approached, Jiao Wan'er took the opportunity to invite Xia Qingqing to a secluded house.

Jiao Wan'er asked Xia Qingqing to help the Golden Dragon Gang return to Jinling, but their argument over Xia's relationship with Song Qingshu ended with Xia stopping her from exposing it. Xia left Jiao Wan'er immobilized and considered another way to silence her.

• Jiao Wan'er asked Xia Qingqing to raise the Golden Dragon Gang's return to Jinling at the council meeting.
• Xia Qingqing hesitated because the Golden Dragon Gang's departure could weaken the Golden Snake Camp.
• Jiao Wan'er accused Xia Qingqing of betraying Yuan Chengzhi and having an illicit relationship with Song Qingshu.
• Xia Qingqing tried to explain that she and Song Qingshu loved each other and that he had avenged Yuan Chengzhi.
• Jiao Wan'er threatened to expose Xia and Song Qingshu at the wedding, so Xia sealed Jiao Wan'er's acupoints.
• Xia Qingqing refused to kill Jiao Wan'er and looked toward the bridal chamber while considering another way to keep her quiet.

Xia Qingqing arranged to substitute Jiao Wan'er for the unconscious Zeng Rou in the bridal chamber to protect Song Qingshu's reputation. She dressed Jiao Wan'er as the bride, leaving the deception ready to unfold.

• Xia Qingqing persuaded the Wangwu Sect guards to let her enter Zeng Rou's bridal chamber.
• Xia Qingqing asked Zeng Rou whether she would help protect Song Qingshu from a threat to his reputation, then struck her Sleep Acupoint.
• Xia Qingqing subdued the guards outside and brought Jiao Wan'er into the bridal chamber.
• Xia Qingqing dressed Jiao Wan'er in the wedding dress and praised her as a beautiful bride.

Xia Qingqing arranged for Jiao Wan'er to take Zeng Rou’s place beneath the bridal veil, hoping to keep her from exposing Xia’s affair with Song Qingshu. Song Qingshu entered the bridal chamber with the guests believing the veiled bride was Zeng Rou, leaving Jiao Wan'er trapped and unable to reveal herself.

• Xia Qingqing tied up Jiao Wan'er and explained that she intended to make her share the secret by having Song Qingshu spend the wedding night with her.
• Xia Qingqing sealed Jiao Wan'er's Acupoint of Silence before she could reveal that Song Qingshu had already been with her.
• Xia Qingqing hid the guards, covered Jiao Wan'er with Zeng Rou's bridal veil, and welcomed the drunken Song Qingshu and wedding guests.
• Situ Bolei and the other guests escorted Song Qingshu into the bridal chamber, where Jiao Wan'er recognized her husband Luo Liru among them.
• The guests left after teasing Song Qingshu about the wedding night, and he boasted that he would make the bride kneel and beg for mercy.

At Zeng Rou’s wedding, Jiao Wan’er found herself mistaken for the bride by a drunken Song Qingshu, who confessed that he felt guilty about what he had done to Madam Luo. Jiao Wan’er nearly killed him while he slept, but she hesitated because of the danger it would bring Zeng Rou and decided to seek revenge another time.

• After the wedding guests left, Song Qingshu tried to comfort the veiled bride and brought her wine.
• Song Qingshu lifted Jiao Wan’er’s veil but, drunk, mistook her for Zeng Rou and admitted he felt guilty about Madam Luo.
• Song Qingshu noticed Jiao Wan’er’s sealed acupoints, blamed Xia Qingqing, and released her.
• Jiao Wan’er rushed for the door, then returned with a dagger when Song Qingshu appeared to fall asleep.
• Jiao Wan’er hesitated to stab Song Qingshu because Zeng Rou would be left a widow and might become the prime suspect, so she spared him for the moment.