Chapter Summaries

Qin Yao brought Qin Dashan and Qin Lan into Nine Suns Commandery City and headed to the Foreign Repelling Camp registration site. He left his family waiting in the carriage and joined a registration line.

• Qin Yao joined the queue at the Martial Gate and heard martial artists discuss the Golden Frost raiders and earning military merit.
• Qin Yao showed his identity plaque and travel permit to a soldier, who let him and his family enter the city.
• Qin Lan marveled at Nine Suns Commandery City's busy streets and blamed Qin Yuwei for her family's past hardships.
• Qin Yao drove to the Foreign Repelling Camp registration site near the Commandery Governor's Residence and told Qin Dashan and Qin Lan to wait in the carriage.
• Qin Yao straightened his robes and joined a registration line.

Qin Yao registered with the Foreign Repelling Camp despite the officer’s concern for his safety, then prepared to leave his grandfather and Qin Lan at the military dependents’ camp. Mao Yuchong and his seven companions offered to escort them there, apparently hoping to protect Qin Yao’s family while he was away.

• The registration officer warned Qin Yao that the battlefield was dangerous but registered him as A-886 after Qin Yao confirmed his family supported his enlistment.
• Qin Yao reassured Old Master Qin and Qin Lan that he would be careful, while worrying about how they would fare at the military dependents’ camp.
• Mao Yuchong and the seven men from Double Hump Ridge met Qin Yao after registering, and Niu Qingren nearly started an argument with a passerby who mocked them as country bumpkins.
• Qin Yao told Mao Yuchong that he was taking his family to the military dependents’ camp, and Mao offered for the group to accompany him.

Qin Yao accepted Mao Yuchong and his men’s support as he brought Qin Dashan and Qin Lan to the Foreign Repelling Camp’s military dependents quarters. After securing a spacious courtyard, he arranged for the men to keep their distance so he could draw out anyone who might prey on his family, and the neighbors’ arrogant looks suggested trouble could follow.

• Qin Yao realized Mao Yuchong had repeatedly helped him out of concern and accepted his offer of support, setting off with Mao Yuchong and the other seven men toward the camp.
• Qin Yao, Qin Dashan, and Qin Lan arrived at the camp, where an officer assigned them a spacious courtyard after Qin Yao gave him three hundred taels.
• Qin Yao told Mao Yuchong he wanted to expose anyone who bullied the weak, so Mao Yuchong had the others hang back while Qin Yao drove ahead with his family.
• Qin Yao reached the northeastern courtyard, and the neighbors watched Qin Dashan and Qin Lan with growing arrogance when they saw the pair appeared unarmed and ordinary.

Qin Yao moved his family into the military dependents' camp and let his squad's strength discourage the neighbors who had mocked him. After settling Hu Xueyou's stone statue, he fixed a menacing stare on the three neighbors who had insulted his family.

• The neighbors saw Qin Yao's Fifth Layer cultivation and mocked him, his grandfather, and his little sister as easy targets for chores.
• Qin Yao pretended to be timid, hoping the neighbors would attack first, but they only traded taunts and did not start a fight.
• Mao Yuchong and the others arrived and helped Qin Yao's family settle in, revealing their mid- and high-level cultivation to the onlookers.
• Qin Yao carefully carried Hu Xueyou's stone statue into the house and placed it in a sheltered corner.
• Qin Yao returned outside and fixed a chilling, openly hostile stare on the three neighbors who had mocked him.

Qin Yao punished three neighbors who had bullied his family, then had Mao Yuchong’s squad finish preparing their new home. The squad rode back to camp, leaving the watching neighbors afraid to trouble Qin Dashan and Qin Lan again.

• Qin Yao intimidated the sharp-faced woman until she slapped herself and apologized for calling his family soft persimmons.
• Qin Yao made the short, squat woman promise to fetch water for his family and accepted her offer to do so.
• Qin Yao got the potbellied man to agree to wash the family’s clothes, paying him a small silver piece in advance.
• Mao Yuchong led his eight-man squad in cleaning the courtyard, then warned the neighbors to leave Qin Dashan and Qin Lan alone.
• Mao Yuchong and the other men rode back to camp, while the neighbors resolved not to provoke Qin Dashan and Qin Lan.

Qin Yao arranged for his grandfather and younger sister to keep most of the family's silver while he prepared to leave for the military camp. Just as Wang Binghe, a flag officer, arrived at the gate, Qin Dashan and Qin Lan hid the banknotes beneath the bed.

• Qin Yao gave Qin Dashan eight hundred thousand taels in banknotes and explained that he was keeping nearly thirty thousand taels for his expenses at the Foreign Repelling Camp.
• Qin Dashan worried about guarding the fortune, so Qin Yao planned hiding places and left him and Qin Lan ten thousand taels in smaller notes for easy access.
• Qin Dashan accepted Qin Yao's arrangement and urged him to take care while fighting the enemy.
• Qin Lan hugged Qin Yao and promised to care for Sister Hu's stone statue while waiting for him to return.
• Wang Binghe, a flag officer of the camp, knocked at the gate, and Qin Dashan and Qin Lan quickly hid the bundle of banknotes beneath the bed.

Qin Yao secured Wang Binghe’s promise to protect his family in the Foreign Repelling Camp, then received an urgent summons to assemble against the Golden Frost Barbarians. He left his grandfather and sister behind and rode toward the main camp to join the campaign.

• Wang Binghe visited Qin Yao and examined his stone carvings while trying to learn about his background and connections.
• Qin Yao gave Wang Binghe five hundred taels to ensure his grandfather and sister would be looked after in Family Camp.
• Wang Binghe accepted the money and promised that no one would trouble Qin Yao’s family.
• After Qin Yao hid the silver, a military bugle announced that the Golden Frost Barbarians had attacked seven villages and thirteen towns, summoning registered warriors to assemble.
• Qin Yao said farewell to his grandfather and sister, mounted his gray-maned horse, and rode with the other warriors toward the main camp.

Qin Yao joined the Foreign Repelling Camp as it prepared to reinforce towns attacked by Golden Frost Barbarian riders. After Zhao Lie announced the battle’s rules and rewards, Qin Yao considered how to earn enough military merit for a direct examination at Imperial Capital Academy.

• Qin Yao arrived at the camp and rejoined Mao Yuchong and his sworn brothers, who discussed the danger posed by the raiders and battlefield tactics.
• Mao Yuchong advised Qin Yao to stay with the group and hold formation against the barbarians’ mounted archers.
• Commander Zhao Lie announced that nearly a thousand Golden Frost Barbarian riders had attacked towns and villages, and ordered the camp to depart for reinforcements.
• Zhao Lie declared that merit would be awarded for enemy kills, with each point exchangeable for silver and a thousand points granting eligible soldiers under twenty the qualification for Imperial Capital Academy’s direct examination.
• Qin Yao weighed the merit rewards and considered targeting a barbarian squad leader, while Zhao Lie warned that anyone who fled or disobeyed orders would be beheaded.

General Zhao Lie assigned the new martial artists to squads according to their cultivation and records, placing Mao Yuchong and his comrades in the unusually powerful Sharp Blade squad. He explained that the squad faced the most dangerous missions, then threatened a man who had complained about the unequal assignments.

• Zhao Lie warned the martial artists that violations of military discipline would bring severe punishment and began assigning squads.
• Mao Yuchong and seven comrades received posts in the Sharp Blade squad, with Mao named centurion’s deputy commander.
• Martial artists in other squads complained that the Sharp Blade squad had been given a disproportionate share of powerful fighters.
• A Fire Wolf martial artist challenged Zhao Lie over the assignments, and Zhao Lie explained that the Sharp Blade squad would take the hardest, most dangerous missions.
• Zhao Lie’s genial expression turned cold as he told the complaining man he could understand the reason when he went to the underworld.

General Zhao Lie enforced military discipline by executing a recruit who challenged his orders, and Qin Yao was assigned to the dangerous Sharp Blade company as a squad leader. The company’s young female commander appeared and scrutinized Qin Yao alongside the other leaders.

• Zhao Lie declared that questioning military strategy was punishable by death and ordered a guard to execute the protesting recruit.
• The martial artists fell silent and obeyed as Zhao Lie continued assigning squads.
• Qin Yao reflected that the Foreign Repelling Camp’s risks kept stronger martial artists away, then accepted his assignment to the Sharp Blade battle squad as a squad leader.
• Mao Yuchong, Zhang Fangyou, and the others were pleased to have Qin Yao assigned to their unit.
• A young female general arrived to command the Sharp Blade company and appraised its assembled warriors, including Qin Yao.

Yu Xiaoqian took command of the Sharp Blade squad, determined to earn military merit and fame like the famed Foreign Repelling Sharp Blade. Zhao Lie assigned her unit to the dangerous Kele Town, where she eagerly anticipated the chance to claim great merit.

• Yu Xiaoqian introduced herself as commander and warned her squad to obey her orders under military law.
• Yu Xiaoqian recalled how a young fighter had earned the title Foreign Repelling Sharp Blade and resolved to win fame through battlefield merit.
• Yu Xiaoqian assessed Qin Yao and the other squad members, deciding to use them as blades to gain military merit.
• Zhao Lie summoned the twenty unit commanders to the command tent and privately assigned each unit its mission.
• Zhao Lie sent Yu Xiaoqian and the Sharp Blade squad to Kele Town, where nearly a hundred barbarian cavalrymen and at least three leader-level experts had attacked.
• Yu Xiaoqian recognized the mission's high potential for military merit and responded with eager anticipation.

Yu Xiaoqian prepared the Sharp Blade unit to reinforce Kele Town and led it out into the night toward the barbarian cavalry. As the force drew near its destination, Qin Yao remained focused on conserving his strength and finding a safe chance to take the Water Moon False Meridian Pill.

• Zhao Lie praised Yu Xiaoqian’s Sharp Blade Army and warned her that the battle against the barbarians would be no training-ground sparring.
• Yu Xiaoqian returned to the assembled unit, ordered the soldiers to inspect their equipment, and warned them to maintain formation and obey orders.
• Qin Yao checked his weapons, supplies, and horse, then considered when he could safely take the Water Moon False Meridian Pill before its deadline.
• After a horn sounded, Zhao Lie ordered the troops to move out, and Yu Xiaoqian led the Sharp Blade unit toward Kele Town.
• During the night ride, Qin Yao conserved his strength and watched the terrain as the unit approached Kele Town and detected a faint smell of burning and blood.

Yu Xiaoqian led her cavalry through a village devastated by the Golden Frost Barbarians and reached Kele Town, where garrison troops were still fighting the raiders. Seeing an opportunity to earn military merit, she ordered a charge, but Mao Yuchong and Qin Yao both stopped her before she could finish.

• Yu Xiaoqian approved Mao Yuchong’s plan to send scouts ahead and investigate the burned village.
• The cavalry entered the village and found the dead and wreckage left by the Golden Frost Barbarians.
• Mao Yuchong judged that the raiders had moved on toward Kele Town, and Yu Xiaoqian ordered the column to hurry there.
• The troop reached Kele Town and saw garrison soldiers battling dozens of barbarian riders outside the eastern gate.
• Yu Xiaoqian began ordering a charge against the distracted barbarians, but Mao Yuchong and Qin Yao interrupted her.

Qin Yao proposed a flank assault that Yu Xiaoqian approved, and Mao Yuchong led fifty riders in a surprise attack on the Golden Frost Barbarians. Qin Yao joined the charge as the battle began, deciding to wait before taking his medicine.

• Yu Xiaoqian threatened to send Qin Yao into the vanguard unless his unsolicited advice proved worthwhile.
• Qin Yao explained that a wedge-shaped flank assault would break the enemy formation and reduce casualties.
• Mao Yuchong praised Qin Yao's plan and urged Yu Xiaoqian to attack before the Golden Frost Barbarians noticed them.
• Yu Xiaoqian approved the strategy, and Mao Yuchong led fifty riders in a night charge against the barbarians.
• The Golden Frost Barbarians spotted the cavalry too late as Qin Yao and the other riders struck their flank.
• Qin Yao charged with his spear and decided to wait until the battle settled before taking his medicine.

Mao Yuchong led Yan cavalry in a surprise charge against the Golden Frost Barbarians, and Qin Yao killed several riders while protecting Cao Hang. Qin Yao gained the Mounted Combat skill and made rapid progress with it, leaving the battle still raging.

• Mao Yuchong led fifty riders into the Golden Frost cavalry’s flank, and Zhang Fangyou, Qi Shilan, and the other squad leaders widened the breach.
• Qin Yao killed a Golden Frost rider who was about to shoot Cao Hang, gaining Cloud-Soaring Spear Art proficiency and the Mounted Combat skill.
• Cao Hang tried to ride a captured Frosthoof Horse, but it refused him, and a Golden Frost rider knocked him off.
• Two Golden Frost riders attacked Qin Yao, who evaded their strikes, disarmed one with his spear, and killed him.
• Qin Yao gained thirty-nine Mounted Combat proficiency and reflected that his elders had been right about skills opening the way to other skills.

Qin Yao and the Foreign Repelling Camp fought the Golden Frost Barbarian Cavalry, killing several warriors and earning battle merit. Yu Xiaoqian killed the enemy commander, breaking the barbarians’ rally and sending the survivors fleeing.

• Qin Yao killed three Golden Frost Ironfrost Warriors with his spear and earned fifteen points of battle merit.
• The Foreign Repelling Camp learned that iron-inlaid wolf fangs marked Ironfrost Warriors, then charged the remaining barbarians.
• The Lü brothers cut down barbarian soldiers with coordinated attacks, while Niu Qingren cleaved through riders with his battle-axes.
• A wolfskin-capped commander rallied the Golden Frost cavalry and charged Qi Shilan after dodging his arrow.
• Yu Xiaoqian arrived with fifty riders, defeated the commander, and killed him with a sword thrust to the throat.
• The remaining Golden Frost cavalry lost their will to fight and fled in a rout.

Qin Yao and the Sharp Blade Squad celebrated a decisive victory over the Golden Frost Barbarians, with few casualties and praise for Qin Yao’s tactics. As the troops gathered battle merits and captured Frosthoof Horses, Yu Xiaoqian learned the preliminary tally and complained that thirty-seven enemy kills were too few.

• The Sharp Blade Squad celebrated after defeating the Golden Frost Barbarians, and Mao Yuchong noted their low casualties and Qin Yao’s calm performance.
• Cao Hang thanked Qin Yao for saving his life and credited his tactics with helping the unit win.
• Cao Hang ordered the soldiers to collect battle-merit pendants, recover arrows, and treat the wounded.
• Qin Yao examined a slain barbarian and considered whether beast-taming skills could let him ride a Frosthoof Horse.
• Mao Yuchong reported thirty-seven enemies killed, sixteen Frosthoof Horses captured, and six lightly wounded soldiers to Yu Xiaoqian.
• Yu Xiaoqian complained that thirty-seven kills were far too few.

Yu Xiaoqian ordered her exhausted troops to pursue the retreating Golden Frost Barbarians for military merit, despite Mao Yuchong and Qin Yao warning that the enemy might be leading them into an ambush. When the squad leaders backed Qin Yao and challenged her reprimand, Yu Xiaoqian concluded that they were targeting her because she was a woman.

• Yu Xiaoqian ordered the Foreign Repelling Camp troops to chase the escaped barbarians, insisting that the potential military merit was worth the risk.
• Mao Yuchong warned Yu Xiaoqian that the troops and horses were exhausted and that the barbarians might be difficult to catch, but she refused to reconsider.
• Qin Yao pointed out that the barbarians had retreated together and taunted their pursuers, suggesting their defeat was a ruse to lure the troops into an ambush.
• Yu Xiaoqian dismissed Qin Yao's warning, berated him and Mao Yuchong, and threatened to charge Qin Yao with disrupting army morale.
• Zhang Fangyou, Qi Shilan, Cao Hang, and other squad leaders defended Qin Yao's right to speak, leaving Yu Xiaoqian furious and convinced that the troops were targeting her because she was a woman.

Yu Xiaoqian forced the battered Foreign Repelling Camp to pursue the fleeing Golden Frost Barbarians despite warnings that they could be walking into an ambush. Qin Yao and Mao Yuchong rode out with the others, leaving the chapter with the unit charging into the dawn and an uncertain danger ahead.

• Yu Xiaoqian ordered the soldiers to pursue the routed barbarians and threatened to behead anyone who disobeyed.
• Mao Yuchong urged Yu Xiaoqian to send scouts first, but she rejected his advice and ordered Kele Town to provide its battle-ready horses.
• Yu Xiaoqian threatened the garrison officer and Mao Yuchong when they questioned her orders, forcing the soldiers to comply.
• Qin Yao warned that the hundred-man unit could suffer heavy casualties without a plan, but Yu Xiaoqian dismissed his concerns.
• Mao Yuchong told Qin Yao to stay close to him, and the riders followed Yu Xiaoqian toward the barbarians' escape route at dawn.

Qin Yao recognized that the Golden Frost cavalry were luring the Sharp Blade Squad into an ambush, but Yu Xiaoqian led the troops into the trap anyway. Surrounded and under arrow fire, the soldiers began forming a defensive circle despite Yu Xiaoqian's orders to gather around her.

• Yu Xiaoqian dismissed Mao Yuchong's warnings and led the Sharp Blade Squad into the woods after the hoofprints.
• Qin Yao noticed the tracks seemed deliberately obvious and warned Mao Yuchong, who spread out the formation.
• Yu Xiaoqian pursued a group of Golden Frost cavalry into a clearing, while Qin Yao suspected their escape was too orderly.
• Golden Frost cavalry emerged from around the clearing and surrounded the Sharp Blade Squad with overwhelming numbers.
• The Golden Frost cavalry fired volleys of arrows, killing and wounding soldiers as Mao Yuchong called for a circular formation.
• Yu Xiaoqian ordered the soldiers to gather around her, but veterans followed Qin Yao and Mao Yuchong's defensive plan instead.