Chapter Summaries

Mao Yuchong reported that Yu Xiaoqian had abandoned the Sharp Blade Squad during an ambush, while Qin Yao had saved the survivors and killed the enemy commander. Zhao Lie doubted Mao Yuchong’s account and mistook Qin Yao for a boastful young man seeking fame.

• Zhao Lie questioned Mao Yuchong about the Sharp Blade Squad’s losses, and Mao reported that sixty-two men had died, thirty-eight were wounded, and one had deserted.
• Zhao Lie repeated Yu Xiaoqian’s claim that the squad had disobeyed orders and been wiped out, prompting the survivors to react angrily.
• Mao Yuchong recounted how Yu Xiaoqian had pursued the enemy against orders and fled the ambush after using a subordinate as a shield.
• Mao credited Qin Yao with saving the squad, killing Hu Kecha, and shooting down the fleeing barbarian cavalry.
• Zhao Lie privately dismissed Qin Yao’s feats as fabricated boasting and formed a poor impression of him.

Qin Yao proved his claims to General Zhao Lie with the wolf-fang trophies and explained his sudden cultivation increase and victory over Hu Kecha. Zhao Lie remained skeptical but demanded to see Qin Yao’s archery for himself.

• Zhao Lie challenged Mao Yuchong’s account of Qin Yao’s cultivation and battlefield feats as unbelievable.
• Qin Yao laid out more than three hundred Golden Frost wolf-fang pendants, including Hu Kecha’s silver-trimmed fang, as proof of the kills.
• Mao Yuchong explained that Qin Yao had killed additional barbarian cavalry during the squad’s journey back to Nine Suns Commandery.
• Zhao Lie questioned Qin Yao’s cultivation, and Qin Yao revealed his Third Layer of the Blood Aperture Realm and cited the Nine Turns Life-and-Death Art.
• Qin Yao explained that his archery had worn down Hu Kecha before he killed the Fifth Layer barbarian general in close combat.
• Zhao Lie called on Qin Yao to demonstrate the archery he claimed had reached the realm of the divine.

Qin Yao demonstrated extraordinary archery to Zhao Lie by repeatedly striking a goblet high in the air, convincing the general that he could kill a stronger barbarian general. After inviting Qin Yao into his tent, Zhao Lie questioned his background and grew less friendly when he learned Qin Yao had no famous teacher or aristocratic lineage.

• Zhao Lie challenged Qin Yao to keep a tossed bronze goblet from touching the ground for five breaths by shooting it with a bow.
• Qin Yao struck the goblet three times in succession, sending it higher while keeping it on a straight path.
• Qin Yao's stiff bow snapped as he prepared a fourth shot, and Zhao Lie declared that he had proven his skill.
• Zhao Lie praised Qin Yao's archery and agreed that it could let him wear down a Fifth Layer of the Blood Aperture Realm barbarian general.
• Zhao Lie invited Qin Yao into the command tent and probed his background, then became less warm after learning Qin Yao had no famous teacher or aristocratic family.

After Qin Yao showed Zhao Lie evidence that Yu Xiaoqian had fled, Zhao Lie promised to investigate but discovered she had vanished from camp. He questioned Mao Yuchong about Qin Yao’s extraordinary feats, then granted the Sharp Blade Squad a day of leave.

• Qin Yao showed Zhao Lie burned Cloud-Treading Talisman fragments as evidence that Yu Xiaoqian had fled the battle, and Zhao Lie said he needed time to pursue the matter.
• Qin Yao left the command tent and told Mao Yuchong and Niu Qingren that Zhao Lie had asked them to rest and exchange their military merits.
• Zhao Lie ordered a guard to fetch Yu Xiaoqian, but learned that she was missing from camp and had left no word.
• Zhao Lie summoned Mao Yuchong and asked about Qin Yao’s background, and Mao Yuchong vouched for the feats he had witnessed.
• Zhao Lie granted the Sharp Blade Squad leave until before noon the next day, and Mao Yuchong looked forward to returning home to his family.

After Yu Xiaoqian disappeared from camp, Qin Yao told the Sharp Blade Squad to exchange their merits and sell their spoils before her family could interfere. His own record of killing three hundred barbarians earned him 2,856 battle merits, which he kept to qualify for a direct examination at the Imperial Capital Academy.

• Mao Yuchong reported that General Zhao had summoned Yu Xiaoqian, but she was missing, and gave the squad passes for a day off.
• Qin Yao ordered the squad to exchange merits and sell their spoils, and vowed Yu Xiaoqian would eventually pay for the blood she owed.
• The thirty-seven members of the Sharp Blade Squad exchanged their battle merits, then Qin Yao poured more than three hundred wolf fangs before the accounts officer.
• A fellow soldier asked Qin Yao to inscribe “Certain Hit” on his bow, and the accounts officer recognized Qin Yao’s third-level Blood Aperture Realm inner force.
• The accounts officer calculated Qin Yao’s total as 2,856 battle merits, and Qin Yao kept them instead of converting them to silver so he could pursue a direct examination at the Imperial Capital Academy.

Qin Yao sold the Sharp Blade Squad’s spoils for 184,189 taels, astonishing the camp with the haul. Back at the barracks, he insisted on sharing the money with his squadmates according to their battle merits and training work.

• Niu Qingren cleared a path so Qin Yao could use the general’s priority settlement warrant at the quartermaster’s office.
• Cao Hang brought more than two hundred Frosthoof Horses and piles of weapons and armor for the clerks to count.
• The quartermaster valued the spoils at 184,189 taels, and Qin Yao chose banknotes.
• Qin Yao returned to the Sharp Blade Squad’s barracks and offered the squadmates a share of the proceeds and their training pay.
• Qin Yao recited each squadmate’s battle record and ordered Mao Yuchong to distribute the money.

After returning from battle, Qin Yao shared money with his surviving men and visited his grandfather and sister, where he explained his breakthrough and handed over part of his remaining fortune. Their reunion was interrupted by banner officer Wang Binghe, who arrived with congratulations and a watchful, crafty manner.

• Qin Yao gave Mao Yuchong money for the fallen men's funerals and extra compensation, then sent his men off to enjoy their time off.
• General Zhao learned Qin Yao had sold the Frosthoof Horses for 180,000 taels and resented that Qin Yao had not offered him a share.
• Qin Yao reunited with Qin Lan and Qin Dashan, told them about his battle and breakthrough, and claimed an immortal master had taught him the Nine Turns Life-and-Death Art in a dream.
• Qin Yao gave Qin Dashan half of the more than 168,000 taels he had kept, then hid the money when he heard a knock at the gate.
• Wang Binghe visited Qin Yao and congratulated him on his victory and achievements while looking around craftily.

Qin Yao learned that Yu Xiaoqian had been asking about his family and rushed to check on Mao Yuchong’s family in Nine Suns City. He found Mao Yuchong’s courtyard wrecked and his mother dead, while sobbing came from inside the house.

• Wang Binghe told Qin Yao that a woman had asked about his family, and Qin Yao paid him to learn that she was Yu Xiaoqian.
• Qin Yao reassured Qin Lan and Qin Dashan, then realized Mao Yuchong’s family in the city might be in danger.
• Qin Yao rode through the snowy night toward Nine Suns City, hoping he was overreacting.
• Mao Yuchong returned to his courtyard and found its gate and belongings smashed, with his mother lying dead in the yard.
• Mao Yuchong realized his mother’s heart condition had caused her death and heard sobbing from inside the house.

Mao Yuchong returned home to find masked men attacking his wife and daughter, and fought them despite his wounds. He recognized Yu Xiaoqian as the apparent mastermind, but she denied responsibility and blamed his unpaid debts.

• Mao Yuchong rushed into his home and found masked men assaulting his wife while his daughter hid and cried.
• Mao Yuchong fought the four masked men, trading wounds for attacks and killing several while his blade broke and his abdomen was pierced.
• Mao Yuchong noticed the surviving attackers glance toward Yu Xiaoqian at a teahouse window and realized she had sent them.
• Mao Yuchong killed a masked man who tried to ambush him and accused Yu Xiaoqian of harming innocent people.
• Yu Xiaoqian denied knowing what Mao Yuchong meant and claimed his enemies had come after him because he refused to repay his debts.

Yu Xiaoqian trapped Mao Yuchong and his family, then tried to kill his daughter while Mao was fighting her guards. A blue-robed youth arrived on a white horse and stopped the attack, and Yu Xiaoqian recognized him as Qin Yao.

• Yu Xiaoqian accused Mao Yuchong of owing money and had five Yu residence guards surround him as he tried to leave with his wife and daughter.
• Mao Yuchong shouted for help, but Yu Xiaoqian revealed that she had silenced the neighborhood and city patrols, then ordered her guards to torment him.
• The guards wounded Mao Yuchong while his daughter cried, and Yu Xiaoqian hurled a teacup at the girl.
• Mao Yuchong's wife shielded their daughter, but an arrow shattered the teacup before it struck them.
• A blue-robed youth rode into the street on a white horse, and Yu Xiaoqian recognized him as Qin Yao.

Qin Yao rode Silver Snow to Mao Yuchong’s home and intervened when Yu Xiaoqian’s men were attacking Mao and his family. He killed their leader and faced the four remaining attackers, while Yu Xiaoqian watched from across the street.

• Yu Xiaoqian recognized Qin Yao riding her abandoned horse Silver Snow and angrily accused him of stealing it.
• Qin Yao reached Mao Yuchong’s courtyard, where Mao and his family were being assaulted, and said he had come to drink with Mao.
• Qin Yao challenged the five men to show proof of Mao’s supposed debt, but they threatened him instead.
• Yu Xiaoqian ordered her men to kill Qin Yao, claiming the Yu Family would cover their actions.
• Qin Yao dodged the leader’s saber strike, broke his wrist, and beheaded him with the stolen blade.
• The four remaining men attacked Qin Yao from different directions, and he countered with a swift slash.

Qin Yao killed Yu Xiaoqian’s guards and confronted her after discovering she had arranged the attack on Mao Yuchong’s family. He caught her as she fled and ordered her to kneel, leaving her wounded and at his mercy.

• Qin Yao swiftly killed the elite guards, then gave Mao Yuchong hemostatic medicine and sent him inside with his family.
• Yu Xiaoqian denied ordering the attack, but Qin Yao accused her of being its mastermind and shot an arrow that grazed her forehead.
• Qin Yao realized his bowstring had slackened, discarded the bow, and confronted Yu Xiaoqian about keeping the city patrol away.
• Yu Xiaoqian fled, but Qin Yao caught her with his movement technique and held his saber to her throat.
• Qin Yao ordered Yu Xiaoqian to kneel and cut her cheek when she refused, warning that he would slit her throat next.

Qin Yao subdued Yu Xiaoqian after she tried to stab him with a poisoned hidden weapon, then forced her to kneel and confess for harming the Sharp Blade Squad. Mao Yuchong arrived and saw Qin Yao relentlessly punishing her.

• Qin Yao evaded Yu Xiaoqian's poisoned Scorpion Tail Golden Needle and beat her after she attempted to attack him.
• Yu Xiaoqian begged for mercy, and Qin Yao made her kneel, kowtow, and admit she had harmed the Sharp Blade Squad.
• Qin Yao struck Yu Xiaoqian whenever she showed defiance or used language he considered disrespectful, leaving her badly injured.
• Mao Yuchong left his family at the Mao residence and arrived to see Yu Xiaoqian kowtowing as Qin Yao slapped her.

Qin Yao continued punishing Yu Xiaoqian for the deaths and suffering she had caused, while Mao Yuchong urged him to spare her to avoid provoking the Yu Family. Just as Qin Yao struck again, a powerful attacker arrived and forced him back.

• Mao Yuchong admired Qin Yao for making Yu Xiaoqian kneel and apologize, but feared the Yu Family’s retaliation if she was killed.
• Qin Yao told Yu Xiaoqian that her apology would not spare her life and slashed both her shoulders, naming the people she had harmed.
• Mao Yuchong grabbed Qin Yao’s arm and pleaded with him not to kill Yu Xiaoqian because of her powerful father and grandfather.
• Qin Yao forced Mao Yuchong back and raised his blade to strike Yu Xiaoqian again.
• A throwing dart struck Qin Yao’s blade and drove him back as a figure rushed toward him beneath the moonlight.

Yu Yanghai arrived to confront Qin Yao after finding his daughter, Yu Xiaoqian, gravely injured, but Qin Yao withstood his overwhelming pressure and challenged him over Yu Xiaoqian’s crimes. The confrontation ended with Qin Yao declaring that she had brought her injuries upon herself.

• Yu Yanghai arrived, saw Yu Xiaoqian’s wounds, and threatened Qin Yao.
• Mao Yuchong tried to defend Qin Yao, but Yu Yanghai’s pressure forced him back and made him spit blood.
• Qin Yao told Mao Yuchong to retreat and stood firm against Yu Yanghai’s aura, even as Yu Yanghai intensified it.
• Yu Yanghai demanded to know who Qin Yao was and how he would answer for injuring Yu Xiaoqian.
• Qin Yao accused Yu Xiaoqian of abandoning her troops, using comrades as shields, and sending people to murder their families.
• Yu Yanghai dismissed Qin Yao’s accusations, and Qin Yao said Yu Xiaoqian’s injuries were her own fault.

Qin Yao fought Yu Yanghai, who decided to overpower him and make peace afterward, but Yu Yanghai’s broad, forceful attack shattered Qin Yao’s saber and sent him flying. The chapter left Qin Yao airborne after taking Yu Yanghai’s full-strength blow.

• Qin Yao slapped Yu Xiaoqian down in front of Yu Yanghai, provoking Yu Yanghai to attack him.
• Qin Yao dodged Yu Yanghai’s punches and palm strike with the Seven Star Steps, then countered with a blade that Yu Yanghai knocked aside.
• Yu Yanghai recognized Qin Yao’s strength and decided to subdue him before seeking to turn their families into allies.
• Qin Yao evaded Yu Yanghai’s repeated claw attacks, but Yu Yanghai switched to a sweeping barrage of punches.
• Yu Yanghai’s punch shattered Qin Yao’s already cracked saber and sent Qin Yao flying backward.

Qin Yao survived Yu Yanghai’s full-force punch and nearly faced another attack before Zhao Lie arrived with city patrol soldiers to stop the fight. The confrontation paused under the City Lord’s order, while Zhao Lie saw Yu Xiaoqian badly injured and asked what had happened.

• Yu Yanghai punched Qin Yao through a roadside shop, but Qin Yao rose from the ruins with only a trace of blood at his mouth.
• Qin Yao taunted Yu Yanghai and prepared to use System Coupons to raise Cloud-Soaring Spear Art as Yu Yanghai charged him.
• Zhao Lie arrived with city patrol soldiers and stopped Yu Yanghai’s fist just before it struck Qin Yao.
• Yu Yanghai withdrew and held back after Zhao Lie warned that anyone provoking internal strife during the Golden Frost Barbarians’ attacks would become a public enemy.
• Zhao Lie checked on Qin Yao, then saw the badly injured Yu Xiaoqian and asked what had happened.

Zhao Lie arrived as Yu Xiaoqian and Yu Yanghai accused Qin Yao of violence, but Mao Yuchong exposed the harm Yu Xiaoqian had inflicted on his family. Zhao Lie invoked the City Lord’s order to prevent internal unrest and deferred any judgment until after the invasion, leaving the feud unresolved.

• Yu Xiaoqian played the victim before Zhao Lie, while Yu Yanghai displayed the bodies of five guards and demanded justice against Qin Yao.
• Mao Yuchong accused Yu Xiaoqian of fleeing battle and sending people to attack his family, then showed Zhao Lie his dead mother, injured wife, and frightened daughter.
• Yu Yanghai challenged Mao Yuchong to provide evidence, and Mao Yuchong could not produce proof against Yu Xiaoqian.
• Zhao Lie cited the City Lord’s order to prevent unrest during the Golden Frost Barbarians’ invasion and told the families to settle their grievances on the battlefield or await judgment after winter.

Qin Yao and Yu Yanghai outwardly agreed to cooperate against the Golden Frost Barbarians while secretly planning to destroy each other, and Zhao Lie manipulated both sides for his own gain. After warning Yu Xiaoqian that her blood debt remained unpaid, Qin Yao prepared the Sharp Blade Squad survivors’ families for danger and resolved to eliminate the Yu Family once he grew stronger.

• Qin Yao saw through Zhao Lie’s mediation scheme but agreed to act as his spear while he built strength and earned battle merit.
• Yu Yanghai decided to target Qin Yao, while Zhao Lie privately anticipated that their conflict would weaken the Yu Family and strengthen the City Lord.
• Qin Yao confronted Yu Xiaoqian and warned her that her blood debt was not fully repaid, frightening her into silence.
• Zhao Lie told Yu Yanghai a false story about Qin Yao’s secret art and accepted thirty thousand taels from him.
• Qin Yao contacted the Sharp Blade Squad survivors and urged them to move their families to safety as he planned to settle accounts with the Yu Family later.

Yu Xiaoqian’s father, Yu Yanghai, planned to have Qin Yao killed on the battlefield, while Qin Yao prepared to return to the front with a group of loyal comrades. At dawn, Qin Yao led them to the quartermaster to replace his ruined bow and stock up on arrows.

• Yu Yanghai scolded Yu Xiaoqian for her failed attack and ordered her to stay home while she recovered.
• Yu Yanghai said he would use the battlefield and the Golden Frost Barbarians to disguise Qin Yao’s death, and Yu Xiaoqian eagerly approved.
• Qin Yao told the Sharp Blade Squad that he would return to fight and invited them either to join him or flee with their families.
• Mao Yuchong, Niu Qingren, and other comrades pledged to follow Qin Yao, while some men left; Qin Yao reassured those who stayed that the Yu Family was no threat.
• At dawn, Qin Yao led his brothers to the quartermaster’s office to replace his broken bow and buy arrows.