Chapter Summaries

Fang Yun took Zhang Jing'an to Jingzhou Prefectural Office to find him a career after he rejected military life. Zhang Jing'an chose to become a precinct head, and Fang Yun arranged to oversee a neighboring district as well.

• By the campfire, Zhang Jing'an accused Fang Yun of forcing him toward school, then said he wanted to become a civil official instead of a general.
• Fang Yun brought Zhang Jing'an to Jingzhou Prefectural Office and asked Prefect Qiao to find his son a suitable position.
• Prefect Qiao explained that Zhang Jing'an could not hold a ranked official post without a literary rank, and joked that becoming a high official without one meant becoming a eunuch.
• Zhang Jing'an refused to become a eunuch and chose to be a precinct head, while Fang Yun decided to take an adjoining precinct.
• Prefect Qiao secured appointments for Fang Yun over Jiangjin Street and Zhang Jing'an over Wude Street, and Zhang Jing'an proudly embraced his new title.

Zhang Jing'an took over Wude Street Pavilion and settled into an uneventful administration, while Fang Yun left him to manage on his own. In late September, a political attack and Prefect Qiao’s reprimand left Zhang Jing'an unsure whether to admit fault or risk dismissal.

• Fang Yun left Zhang Jing'an at Wude Street, and Zhang Jing'an went to South City to gather his followers.
• Zhang Jing'an presented Prefect Qiao’s appointment document at Wude Street Pavilion and took office despite Old Man Gao’s warning about bringing unauthorized men inside.
• Zhang Jing'an met the neighborhood heads and maintained the previous administration without making changes.
• The Imperial Censorate attacked Zhang Jing'an and Fang Yun, and Prefect Qiao ordered both to submit formal admissions of wrongdoing.
• Zhang Jing'an weighed the risks of admitting fault or refusing, then summoned the pavilion staff for advice, but none offered a solution.

Zhang Jing'an tried to establish himself as pavilion chief after cutting ties with his disreputable friends, but his new medical regulations provoked the powerful families of Wude Street. The chapter ended with an angry young man assaulting him over the edict.

• Zhang Jing'an dismissed his disreputable friends after their abuses led to complaints and another reprimand from Prefect Qiao.
• Zhang Jing'an recognized that he had alienated the Metropolitan Pavilion's clerks and bailiffs by bringing his friends into the office.
• Zhang Jing'an investigated a scandal involving the healer Lidu and discovered that many Wude Street clinics and apothecaries cheated patients.
• Zhang Jing'an wrote the Martial Virtue Street Medical Purification Edict and ordered four bailiffs to post copies throughout Wude Street.
• More than a dozen young men from powerful families confronted Zhang Jing'an, and one struck him down and kicked toward his face.

Zhang Jing'an gave in to pressure from powerful families, redirected blame onto itinerant doctors, and received public praise, but he could not feel at peace with his choice. He visited Fang Yun and confessed that he no longer wanted to be pavilion chief.

• Gu Hong struck Zhang Jing'an, and Yue Ming forced him to abandon the Pure Medicine Edict, threatening his position as pavilion chief.
• After the men left, Zhang Jing'an burned the edict copies and asked Old Man Gao how to salvage his position; Old Man Gao told him to blame the itinerant doctors.
• Zhang Jing'an posted notices warning people against itinerant doctors, and Prefect Qiao praised him for standing up for the people.
• Though his colleagues warmed to him and his work became easier, Zhang Jing'an shunned them and grew troubled by his actions.
• On the third day of the eleventh month, Zhang Jing'an visited Fang Yun, drank spirit tea, and admitted that he did not want to be pavilion chief anymore.

Fang Yun made Zhang Jing'an give up the precinct chief post and take his first steps toward earning his own living. After a day of searching, Fang Yun found him work as a waste collector, leaving Zhang Jing'an shocked by the humiliating prospect.

• Zhang Jing'an told Fang Yun he was certain he wanted to give up being a civil official, and Fang Yun sent him to visit employment brokers in coarse clothes.
• Fang Yun made Zhang Jing'an pay for his food and lodging out of future wages, then took him to Broker Street to look for work.
• Fang Yun and Zhang Jing'an failed to find a job that offered food and lodging, and brokers either dismissed them or showed troubling interest in buying the boy.
• Fang Yun refused to let Zhang Jing'an eat lunch because he had earned no money that morning, then continued searching for work with him.
• Fang Yun found Zhang Jing'an a job as a waste collector, shocking the boy with the prospect of handling rubbish and excrement.

Fang Yun pushed Zhang Jing'an to accept temporary refuse-collection work, then negotiated their pay and began clearing Xinming Street alongside Old Guo. After a long day of labor in the snow, the three finished the route and agreed to meet early the next morning.

• Fang Yun persuaded Zhang Jing'an to take the refuse job and made him agree to repay half the broker's fee.
• Fang Yun and Zhang Jing'an met the contractor, signed the work document, and offered Old Guo a favorable split while they learned the job.
• Fang Yun took on the difficult work of breaking ice from the sewage troughs, while Zhang Jing'an sorted scraps and refuse.
• Old Guo explained how to sort the refuse and hinted that workers could keep useful items householders gave them.
• Fang Yun, Zhang Jing'an, and Old Guo worked into the night, delivered the refuse, and agreed to meet at six the next morning.

Fang Yun forced Zhang Jing'an to work collecting rubbish and night soil, tightly controlling his wages and food until Jing'an finally volunteered for the dirtiest work. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Jing'an encountered a young girl and a woman who recognized Fang Yun as Brother Longxiang, and fled in shame while Fang Yun continued on with the cart.

• Fang Yun split the day's wages, charged Zhang Jing'an for his debts and lodging, and refused to let him keep money for food.
• Fang Yun took Zhang Jing'an to collect night soil, where Jing'an refused the dirtiest work and Old Guo agreed to do it for extra pay.
• After Jing'an struggled through the work without enough food and had his pay docked, he eventually volunteered for the filthiest tasks to earn three extra coins.
• On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, a young girl called out to Zhang Jing'an as he hauled the cart with Fang Yun and Old Guo.
• A middle-aged woman recognized Fang Yun as Brother Longxiang, but Fang Yun denied being the person she meant and continued pulling the cart as Jing'an ran away.

Fang Yun continued working and studying while Zhang Jing'an struggled with shame over his failed labor and his feelings for the Sea-Calming Marquis's granddaughter. When Zhang Jing'an admitted he wanted to quit, Fang Yun rejected his plan to study without discipline and revealed that he had withheld Literary Qi Jade because his son had disappointed him.

• Fang Yun returned from work and studied late into the night, and Zhang Jing'an realized that his father studied constantly even while serving and working.
• Zhang Jing'an lay awake thinking about the Sea-Calming Marquis's granddaughter and the gulf between her status and his own.
• Zhang Jing'an told Fang Yun he no longer wanted to collect night soil and said he could study instead.
• Fang Yun rebuked Zhang Jing'an for thinking he could choose an easy path and revealed the Literary Qi Jade he had meant to give him.
• Zhang Jing'an realized he had thrown away his chance to obtain the Literary Qi Jade and was overwhelmed with remorse.

Fang Yun continued studying the Confucian classics while Zhang Jing'an demanded the chance to study and accused him of cruelty. Fang Yun forced Zhang Jing'an to reconsider how his own choices had shaped his life, leaving the boy to confront the limits he faced without a Literary Rank.

• Fang Yun told Zhang Jing'an to go to bed and continued reading commentaries on the Confucian classics as he prepared to advance to Grand Academician.
• Zhang Jing'an insisted that he wanted to study, but Fang Yun swept him out of the study and shut the door.
• Zhang Jing'an pounded on the door, accused Fang Yun of lying and tormenting him, and cried about his mother's sacrifices and his own suffering.
• After regaining his composure, Zhang Jing'an returned, bowed to Fang Yun, and asked whether his army service and work as a night-soil hauler had been meant to make him study.
• Fang Yun explained that Zhang Jing'an had made his own choices despite having few options, then questioned him about how much control people have over their lives and education.
• Fang Yun challenged Zhang Jing'an to consider what he could have achieved in the army without a Literary Rank, and Zhang Jing'an acknowledged he would have remained a low-ranking squad leader.

Fang Yun explained to Zhang Jing'an that studying mattered because it gave people more choices in life and helped them make better decisions. Zhang Jing'an left encouraged to begin studying, while Fang Yun continued along the difficult path he had chosen.

• Fang Yun asked Zhang Jing'an to compare the limited work available to him without schooling with the opportunities opened by higher literary ranks.
• Zhang Jing'an realized that his choices to enter the military camp, become a civil official, collect night soil, and avoid studying had been wrong.
• Fang Yun told Zhang Jing'an that studying gave people more choices and offered a path toward decisions made with greater knowledge and security.
• Fang Yun encouraged Zhang Jing'an to study, explaining that his past experiences also counted as learning, though school was the easier path.
• Zhang Jing'an left with renewed confidence, and Fang Yun said he had to read many books because he had chosen the hardest road.

Fang Yun rewarded Old Guo for his kindness, then brought Zhang Jing'an to Zhurong Academy to seek his admission. Headmaster Ma Zhilong challenged Fang Yun to an archery contest, leaving Zhang Jing'an to realize the contest would determine whether the academy accepted him.

• Fang Yun gave Old Guo a thousand taels of silver and a document bearing Zhang Longxiang's name, urging him to leave the night-soil trade and seek help if needed.
• Fang Yun took Zhang Jing'an to Zhurong Academy, where Child Scholars gossiped about Zhang Jing'an's family and his work hauling dung.
• Fang Yun went to Quietude Retreat and demanded that Headmaster Ma Zhilong come out to greet him.
• Ma Zhilong asked Fang Yun whether he had mastered all six arts, and Fang Yun said he had.
• Ma Zhilong challenged Fang Yun to an archery contest, and Zhang Jing'an realized the result would decide whether he was admitted.

Fang Yun and Ma Zhilong competed in the Five Shots at Zhurong Academy, where Fang Yun won the first round through ingenuity and demonstrated superior archery in the remaining contests. Ma Zhilong then agreed to return to Quietude Retreat to discuss Zhang Jing'an's enrollment.

• Fang Yun and Ma Zhilong chose bows and arrows and agreed to compete in the Five Shots at thirty zhang.
• Fang Yun shot two arrows at once, hitting his own target's bull's-eye and destroying Ma Zhilong's target to win the White Arrow round.
• Fang Yun's four arrows arrived faster and clustered more tightly than Ma Zhilong's in the Chain of Arrows round, while both men tied in the Upward Cast.
• Fang Yun stepped back one zhang for Respectful Retreat, and both men tied that round and Square Formation.
• Ma Zhilong thanked Fang Yun and invited him to Quietude Retreat to discuss Zhang Jing'an's enrollment.

Ma Zhilong heard Zhang Jing'an explain how Fang Yun had changed his life and admitted him to Zhurong Academy. After a quiet period, Fang Yun received a royal decree ordering him to lead an army against Lotus Mountain Pass, where the human forces faced a daunting battle against five barbarian tribes.

• Zhang Jing'an told Ma Zhilong about his troubled past and how Fang Yun had taught him through hardship and a long talk.
• Ma Zhilong accepted Zhang Jing'an into Zhurong Academy and said he would write their story for the students' required reading.
• Fang Yun retrieved the Pearl River Marquis's official seal, while old friends began contacting him and many literary assemblies left him uninvolved.
• The King of Chu ordered the Deer Gate Marquis and forces from three armies to join Fang Yun in retaking Lotus Mountain Pass.
• Fang Yun studied the map and recognized that the human armies were outmatched by five Barbarian Kings and their tribes.

Fang Yun joined the southbound campaign as a mistrusted Pearl River Marquis, with the King of Chu and powerful officials limiting his influence over the Pearl River Army. As the army marched, Zhang Jing'an returned to Zhurong Academy, while Fang Yun remained isolated and under guard.

• Fang Yun realized the King of Chu had delayed his departure and was using the Deer Gate Marquis to keep him under surveillance, leaving him with little chance of controlling the Pearl River Army.
• One hundred thousand Deer Gate Army troops arrived outside Jingzhou City, and the King of Chu led the oath-taking ceremony before the army set out south.
• Zhang Jing'an visited Fang Yun, wished him success, and said he was doing well at Zhurong Academy; Fang Yun told him to study and refused to lend him the Literary Qi Jade before he passed the Licentiate examination.
• The army marched south with Fang Yun traveling alone in his carriage, while soldiers nearby mocked him as a Rebel Species traitor and speculated that he was being escorted under guard.
• Fang Yun handed his driver parcels of meat and vegetable dishes and told him to heat them so they could share the meal.

Fang Yun noticed a possible threat to the southbound army and sought an audience with the Deer Gate Marquis to discuss his insight. Wei Changxian told him the marshal was unavailable, leaving Fang Yun waiting outside the Deer Gate Army’s camp.

• Fang Yun observed that another Grand Academician had joined the march, while the Deer Gate Marquis let the army curse Zhang Longxiang without intervening.
• The Deer Gate Marquis stopped the spring rain with a Flood-Stopping Poem, lifting the army’s spirits as it neared Pearl City.
• After reading about the Fox Barbarian King’s military skill, Fang Yun considered how he might respond to the advancing force of 150,000 and hurried to the central command tent.
• Deer Gate Army patrols stopped Fang Yun because he lacked a token, and he requested an audience with the Deer Gate Marquis.
• After making Fang Yun wait for three quarters of an hour, Wei Changxian arrived and said the marshal could not see him because he was discussing strategy with the generals.

Fang Yun warned the Deer Gate Marquis that demon barbarians might ambush the army, but was barred from the military council and later ordered to stay out of the battle. After Fang Yun detected the attack and prepared to fight, the Deer Gate Marquis stopped him and Wei Changxian kept watch over him as the battle began.

• Fang Yun argued with Wei Changxian after being excluded from the Deer Gate Marquis's military council and warned that demon barbarians might launch a surprise attack.
• At one in the morning, Fang Yun detected the demon barbarian attack and shouted an alarm as the enemy force approached the camp.
• Fang Yun began writing Storming the Linked Camps, but the Deer Gate Marquis interrupted him and ordered him to remain with the Jingnan Army.
• Fang Yun obeyed the order and stayed by his carriage while Wei Changxian arrived with soldiers to keep him from acting rashly.
• Wei Changxian accused Fang Yun of possibly having a hidden connection to the attack, leaving Fang Yun furious.

Fang Yun endured the Deer Gate Army’s attempts to sideline him, then asserted his authority at a military council after the battle. The Deer Gate Marquis let him take a seat near the head of the table, while Wei Changxian’s renewed smile hinted that the conflict would continue.

• Fang Yun refused to challenge Wei Changxian’s obstruction before the battle and stayed in his carriage while the Deer Gate Army fought off the barbarians.
• The battle ended with the barbarians retreating, and Fang Yun surveyed the heavy casualties before heading to the Deer Gate Marquis’s command tent.
• Wei Changxian initially blocked Fang Yun from attending the council, then let him pass after claiming the marshal had summoned him.
• Fang Yun insisted on taking the foremost seat on the left, and the officers argued that the Deer Gate Marquis held royal authority over all three armies.
• The Deer Gate Marquis reprimanded Fang Yun but ordered Haotang to yield his seat, allowing Fang Yun to sit just below him.
• Wei Changxian sat near the entrance and soon resumed smiling, though his expression suggested more trouble ahead.

Fang Yun warned the Deer Gate Marquis that the barbarians were planning a major attack, then identified a hidden Barbarian King when the camp was raided. The Wolf Shan King and Xiong Bei King exposed Fang Yun as Zhang Longxiang, leaving the human officers suspicious of him.

• The Deer Gate Marquis held a council, punished the vanguard commander only on record, and asked Fang Yun to assess the barbarians’ raid.
• Fang Yun warned that the barbarians would launch a larger surprise attack, accused Wei Changxian of withholding his warning, and argued that he should be allowed to fight.
• The army marched cautiously toward Pearl City, and at four in the morning the Deer Gate Marquis sounded the alarm as barbarians raided the camp.
• Fang Yun spotted a wolf Barbarian Marquis and identified him as Wolf Shan King, who revealed his true form and praised Fang Yun’s insight.
• Xiong Bei King confirmed Fang Yun had been his intended target, while Wei Changxian called Zhang Longxiang a rebel species.
• Lang Dan recognized Fang Yun as Zhang Longxiang and offered to rescue him for the Barbarian Race, causing the officers to turn on Fang Yun with suspicion.

Fang Yun watched the human army battle Lang Dan and Xiong Bei’s barbarian forces as the Deer Gate Marquis struggled to hold back both Barbarian Kings. A Metropolitan Graduate revealed himself to be a Grand Academician and crippled Lang Dan with a Lip Spear and Tongue Sword strike.

• The Deer Gate Marquis dismissed Lang Dan’s claim that Zhang Longxiang was a Rebel Species member, while Fang Yun recognized that the marquis was also warning the officers to remain wary of Zhang Longxiang.
• Lang Dan ordered his troops to capture Zhang Longxiang alive, and Xiong Bei led the barbarians in an assault on the human camp.
• The Deer Gate Marquis and the scholars defended the camp, blocking Lang Dan’s Celestial-Aspect Strike with a Grand Academician Literary Treasure.
• Fang Yun noticed a Metropolitan Graduate whose past support had helped reconcile him with the Xun Household and realized the man was likely a newly advanced Grand Academician.
• The Metropolitan Graduate struck Lang Dan with his Lip Spear and Tongue Sword, cutting away his right shoulder and much of his body before his identity as a Grand Academician was revealed.

The Deer Gate Marquis and Xun Tianling joined forces to repel Lang Dan and the demon barbarians, revealing Xun Tianling as a newly advanced Grand Academician. Afterward, Fang Yun avoided the Deer Gate Marquis’s military council and warned him against growing complacent.

• The Deer Gate Marquis and Xun Tianling used their Loyal-Ruler and Ritual Literary Platforms to strike Lang Dan with a court tablet and Heaven-Sacrificing Flame.
• Lang Dan unleashed his Barbarian King's Fist, but the clash badly wounded him and killed nearby demon barbarians, forcing him and Xiong Bei to retreat.
• Xun Tianling revealed his identity as a human junior, and the scholars recognized him as a talented Xun Household Grand Academician who had advanced after the Comet Corridor collapsed.
• The Deer Gate Marquis reorganized his troops and called another military council, while Fang Yun anticipated that the marshal would target him.
• Fang Yun claimed to be ill and refused Wei Changxian’s order to attend, then told him to warn the Deer Gate Marquis not to let a fleeting victory go to his head.