Chapter Summaries

Fang Yun was barred from joining the battle as the Demon Barbarians launched a costly war of attrition against the Deer Gate Army. He realized the King of Chu might be trying to provoke him into a fatal mistake, then publicly lamented his enforced absence and drew the Deer Gate Marquis’s threat of execution.

• Fang Yun saw Xiong Bei and Lang Dan lead a renewed attack, while the Demon Barbarians cautiously tied down the Deer Gate Marquis and Xun Tianling and battered the human formations.
• As the battle dragged on, the humans suffered mounting casualties, and Fang Yun’s Transmissible Battle Poems and the stratagem "Rested and Awaiting the Weary" aided the army.
• Wei Changxian told Fang Yun that the Deer Gate Marquis had forbidden him from fighting and blamed Fang Yun’s father for his confinement.
• Fang Yun inferred that the King of Chu wanted him to make a mistake and suspected the king wanted him dead in battle.
• Fang Yun used Tongue Blossoms Thunder to tell the soldiers he had been forbidden to fight and grieved for their losses.
• The Deer Gate Marquis accused Fang Yun of unsettling the troops, ordered guards to watch him, and threatened to execute him if he disturbed morale again.

The Deer Gate Army diverted to Ganzhou to rest, leaving Zhang Longxiang confined to his carriage while its generals attended a banquet. Zhang Longxiang publicly condemned the army in a poem that entered the Hanlin Literary Ranking, enraging the Deer Gate Marquis and Wei Changxian.

• The Deer Gate Marquis changed the army’s route to Ganzhou, where the soldiers rested and local officials welcomed them.
• Wei Changxian and a Hanlin Academician kept Zhang Longxiang from joining the banquet, and the Deer Gate Marquis claimed he was studying strategies.
• Zhang Longxiang recited a poem condemning Ganzhou’s revelry while Liuzhou remained lost to the barbarians.
• The poem appeared on the Hanlin Literary Ranking in third place under the title “Inscription on Deer Gate Army,” identifying its target as the Deer Gate Marquis and his army.
• Ganzhou scholars praised the poem’s literary skill while the Deer Gate Army’s generals grew grim and Wei Changxian seethed.

At the Ganzhou banquet, Wei Changxian accused Zhang Longxiang of undermining the army and being a Rebel Species, while the Deer Gate Marquis refused to punish him. Zhang Longxiang’s new poem was acclaimed by the Poet-Addict Old Man, who defended his loyalty and left the question of his guilt unsettled.

• Wei Changxian argued that Zhang Longxiang’s poem insulted the Deer Gate Army and demanded severe punishment for him.
• The Deer Gate Marquis rejected Wei Changxian’s demand and said Zhang Longxiang might only be seeking revenge.
• A new poem by Zhang Longxiang was recited, and Xun Tianling praised one of its lines as having the potential to become Nation-Quelling.
• The prefect of Ganzhou invited the Poet-Addict Old Man to appraise the poem despite the commanders’ objections.
• The Poet-Addict Old Man praised the poem’s craft and declared that its author would never betray his country, while refusing to pronounce Zhang Longxiang’s guilt or innocence.

The Poet-Addict Old Man interpreted Zhang Longxiang’s poems and argued that they showed his loyalty to Chu, while the Deer Gate Army’s generals bristled at their criticism. A third poem appeared, condemning the cost of war, and left Ganzhou silent as the Poet-Addict Old Man and Xun Tianling praised Zhang Longxiang’s forceful verse.

• The Poet-Addict Old Man explained that Zhang Longxiang’s poem expressed concern for the country and hope that the King of Chu would trust him, then urged Ganzhou’s academies to display it.
• The prefect of Ganzhou agreed, and the scholars waited for the poem to appear on the Literary Ranking, where it was titled Second Inscription on the Deer Gate Army.
• A voice recited Third Inscription on the Deer Gate Army, whose final line described a general’s triumph leaving ten thousand bones to bleach.
• The Poet-Addict Old Man interpreted the third poem as an indictment of war and praised Zhang Longxiang’s three poems as potentially nation-quelling.
• Xun Tianling said only Void Sage Fang could be compared with Zhang Longxiang, and the Poet-Addict Old Man noted that Fang lacked Zhang Longxiang’s military experience.

After Zhang Longxiang’s first three poems drew criticism for their anger and lack of balance, he unveiled a fourth poem that astonished the banquet and won praise for its artistry. The chapter ended with the scholars eagerly copying and analyzing the new poem.

• The scholars debated Zhang Longxiang’s three poems, praising their individual lines while criticizing their excess anger and lack of moderation.
• The Deer Gate Marquis and Wei Changxian dismissed Zhang Longxiang’s poetry as flawed, while the Poet-Addict Old Man judged that he still needed years of refinement.
• As Wei Changxian tried to end the banquet, Zhang Longxiang’s fourth poem, “Midnight Song: Fourth Inscription on the Deer Gate Army,” rang across Ganzhou.
• The Poet-Addict Old Man and the prefect of Ganzhou praised the poem’s use of comparison, evocation, and intertwined scenery and emotion.
• The scholars rushed to copy the poem and discuss its techniques.

Scholars praised the fourth Deer Gate Army inscription and rushed to meet Fang Yun, while the Deer Gate Army kept him confined in camp. Fang Yun exchanged cryptic remarks with the Poet-Addict Old Man through Tongue Blossoms Thunder as the scholars laughed at the camp gates.

• The Poet-Addict Old Man explained how the fourth poem’s images conveyed longing and said its final partridge calls turned the poet’s heart south, completing the four inscriptions at nation-quelling rank.
• The Poet-Addict Old Man and the prefect of Ganzhou led scholars toward the Deer Gate Army camp, and scholars throughout Jingzhou City joined them.
• The Deer Gate Army generals watched the scholars depart, while Wei Changxian denounced Zhang Longxiang and the Deer Gate Marquis ordered the generals back to camp on foot.
• The scholars gathered outside the camp but were denied entry because the guards had orders to keep Zhang Longxiang under strict watch.
• The Poet-Addict Old Man spoke with Fang Yun through Tongue Blossoms Thunder, and Fang Yun declined to explain the line about a general’s triumph leaving ten thousand bones dry.

The Sacred Academy debated Zhang Longxiang’s extraordinary poems and agreed to contact Sage Kong’s Literary World while monitoring the changes there. As Zhang Longxiang’s works gained fame and his opponents plotted to recruit him against Fang Yun, Fang Yun’s army departed Ganzhou after a night of literary celebration, and he received an admiring message from his son.

• Zong Ganyu told the grand academicians that Zhang Longxiang had written a Nation-Quelling lyric and three potentially Nation-Quelling poems, stirring Sage Kong’s Literary World.
• Liu Yuan proposed informing Sage Kong’s Literary World’s Great Scholars’ Hall and letting it handle Zhang Longxiang, while Chen Ben asked that Zhang be offered a place at Two Worlds Mountain if the Literary World rejected him.
• The four works occupied the top four places on the human race’s Hanlin Literary Ranking, and readers across the human race praised them.
• Fang Yun’s opponents at the Gathered Literary Pavilion plotted to secretly recruit Zhang Longxiang and arrange a poetry contest between him and Fang Yun.
• The Deer Gate Army set out from Ganzhou after its scholars held an overnight literary gathering outside the camp.
• Fang Yun read a message from Zhang Jing’an, who praised his poems and hoped he would become the pride of the Literary World People.

Fang Yun used poems to criticize the Deer Gate Marquis and the King of Chu as the army traveled toward the front, until the Marquis banned Tongue Blossoms Thunder. That night, Lei Tingzhen arrived in disguise with greetings from several families of the Saint Origin Continent, leaving Fang Yun wary that they had uncovered his identity.

• Fang Yun deduced that the army was taking safer roads through cities, and it reached Dingnan County without being attacked.
• Fang Yun recited a poem in Dingnan County that Wei Changxian interpreted as an accusation that the Deer Gate Marquis was wasting Fang Yun's talents.
• Fang Yun recited a second poem in Longchuan County, condemning the Chu Kingdom's lost territory and vowing to keep fighting; Wei Changxian killed a horse in anger.
• The Deer Gate Marquis banned Tongue Blossoms Thunder to prevent the barbarians from spying on the army.
• Lei Tingzhen visited Fang Yun at midnight on behalf of the Zong Family, the Gu Family, the Lei Family, and other families, and Fang Yun invited him into the carriage.

Lei Tingzhen approached Fang Yun, disguised as Zhang Longxiang, and offered him the backing of several powerful families and the Dragon Race in exchange for competing against Fang Yun in a Literary Assembly. Fang Yun questioned the offer and resisted Lei Tingzhen's threats, while Lei insisted he had no other choice.

• Lei Tingzhen examined Fang Yun's Literary Qi and confirmed it matched the Literary Qi Zhang Longxiang had possessed years earlier.
• Lei Tingzhen offered to help Fang Yun clear his name, rise in rank, and take revenge if he competed against Fang Yun in literary prowess.
• Fang Yun rejected the offer at first, suspecting the powerful allies behind Lei Tingzhen wanted him to defeat himself.
• Lei Tingzhen showed Fang Yun a Lake-Containing Shell containing Half-Sage Regalia and other valuable treasures, offering most of them as gifts if Fang Yun agreed to compete.
• Fang Yun challenged the terms and refused to be intimidated by threats against his family, while Lei Tingzhen claimed Fang Yun had no other path.

Fang Yun accepted Lei Tingzhen’s offer and pledged to challenge Fang Yun in a poetry contest in exchange for treasures and a place for his son to study. As the army marched toward Pearl City, the Water Race blockaded its planned route, forcing a dangerous detour through territory controlled by Gou Bao.

• Fang Yun accepted Lei Tingzhen’s Lake-Containing Shell and agreed to challenge Fang Yun, but demanded that Zhang Jing'an be admitted to Sage Kong’s Literary World to study.
• Lei Tingzhen agreed to discuss securing Zhang Jing'an’s place, and Fang Yun swore an oath while concealing his confidence that he would soon become a Grand Academician.
• Lei Tingzhen left to prepare support for Fang Yun’s literary reputation, while Fang Yun privately welcomed the treasures as useful aid for passing the Ninth Mountain’s trial.
• The army fought Barbarian Kings Xiong Bei and Lang Dan for a quarter-hour before they retreated, then continued toward Peng City.
• Near Peng City, Fang Yun learned that the Water Race had blockaded Lingding Ocean and much of the lower Pearl River, forcing the army to detour through Guangzhou and likely encounter Qishan Marquis Gou Bao.

Fang Yun grew wary of the dangers ahead after receiving a warning from Zhang Qingfeng and focused on breaking through to Grand Academician. When the army was ambushed between Peng City and Guangzhou City, the Deer Gate Marquis refused Fang Yun’s repeated requests to join the fight, then called for help as his army became trapped.

• Zhang Qingfeng warned Fang Yun that both banks of the Pearl River were dangerous and urged him to be twice as cautious.
• Fang Yun concluded that the barbarian threat made his breakthrough to Grand Academician urgent, while the Deer Gate Marquis barred him from leaving camp near Peng City.
• The army marched toward Guangzhou City under strict orders to remain battle-ready.
• More than forty thousand barbarians, led by Xiong Bei and Lang Dan and aided by the Water Race, attacked the army between Peng City and Guangzhou City.
• Fang Yun asked three times to join the battle, but the Deer Gate Marquis rebuked him and threatened to strip his title and seal his literary guts.
• The Deer Gate Marquis announced that his army was trapped and called for aid, and an aged voice promised to open the city gates and send Armored Ox carts and Flood Dragon Horse carriages.

After the army reached Guangzhou City, Fang Yun was excluded from the welcome events and faced pressure to attend a literary gathering. A message from Zhu Fengqiong revealed a chance to use the Qin prime minister’s influence for his own purposes.

• The Deer Gate Army and Jingnan Army suffered heavy losses before the barbarians retreated, and the army reached Guangzhou City for three days of rest.
• Fang Yun was ignored at the welcome feast and literary gathering, so he focused on studying Confucian books.
• Wei Changxian invited Fang Yun to Guangzhou City’s early spring literary gathering, but Fang Yun refused and challenged the Deer Gate Marquis to lift the ban on Tongue Blossoms Thunder.
• The Poet-Addict Old Man warned Fang Yun that rumors were being spread to damage his literary reputation and offered to intervene.
• Zhu Fengqiong claimed authority over Fang Yun unless he surrendered the Half-Sage Regalia, and Fang Yun recognized him as a likely Saint Zong pawn and agreed to cooperate if it required little effort.

Fang Yun agreed to attend the Early Spring Literary Gathering in Guangzhou City after securing the Deer Gate Marquis's escort. At the gathering, he recognized that its rules and assembled competitors had been arranged to let his opponents manipulate the results.

• Zhu Fengqiong ordered Fang Yun to build his literary reputation by attending the gathering and competing with Void Sage Fang, and Fang Yun agreed for the sake of the treasures.
• Fang Yun asked Wei Changxian to have the Deer Gate Marquis escort him, then left with the marquis and his officers for the Guangzhou Literary Academy.
• At the academy, Fang Yun greeted the attendees and exchanged pointed words with Gou Bao, the Qishan Marquis, before sitting down to read.
• Xun Tianling arrived, and the prefect of Guangzhou announced that unusual verse about spring would be ranked by novelty, with close contests judged by three Grand Academicians.
• Fang Yun recognized that the rules could let the Deer Gate Marquis and Gou Bao sway the outcome, so he asked Zhu Fengqiong for information about the attendees and learned that several renowned poets had been assembled.

Fang Yun faced a rigged literary assembly where the prizes and rules were designed to pressure and humiliate him. After the prefect tried to provoke him into insulting a young Jieyuan, Fang Yun turned the accusation back on the prefect.

• Fang Yun consulted Zhu Fengqiong and the Poet-Addict Old Man, who advised that only a Three-Marvel Poem could win the assembly.
• The Poet-Addict Old Man warned Fang Yun that losing might steady his heart, but Fang Yun worried failure could affect the Lei Family and Zong Family’s support and the Half-Sage Regalia.
• The prefect of Guangzhou announced prizes that had once belonged to the Pearl River Marquis Residence, including the Pearl Water Brush, and Gou Bao’s presence made Fang Yun suspect the prizes were meant to provoke him.
• Wei Changxian mocked Fang Yun and offered two Hanlin Academician Literary Treasures in exchange for the brush, while the Deer Gate Marquis rebuked him.
• The prefect read last year’s Jieyuan’s One-Character Poem and suggested Fang Yun found it unworthy; Fang Yun replied that the prefect was trying to create a grudge between him and the young Provincial Graduate.

At the Literary Assembly, Fang Yun deflected the prefect of Guangzhou’s attempt to provoke him and recited a poem about climbing higher to gain a wider view. The poem won the scholars’ praise, and the young Jieyuan showed his talent by drawing a lesson from it.

• The prefect of Guangzhou pressed Fang Yun to predict whether the One-Character Poem would win, but Fang Yun said it would not take first place and offered to encourage the young Jieyuan with a poem.
• Fang Yun recalled a view from his past and recited, “The white sun sank against the mountains; the Yellow River flowed into the sea... To see a thousand miles farther, climb one more story of the tower!”
• Xun Tianling and the other poetry masters praised the poem’s sweeping imagery, deeper meaning, structure, and rhythm, while the Literary Assembly erupted in excitement.
• The young Jieyuan interpreted the poem as advice to study steadily and look beyond present circumstances, impressing Fang Yun and the gathered scholars.

At the Guangzhou literary assembly, Fang Yun outmaneuvered the prefect and submitted a poem that proved to be a Three-Marvel Poem. The chapter ended with the scholars recognizing its extraordinary achievement and the prefect left stunned.

• Fang Yun explained a flaw in the young Jieyuan’s poem, then challenged the prefect of Guangzhou to identify a flaw in “Ascending Stork Tower.”
• The prefect extended the time for the unusual-poem contest, and Fang Yun left the assembly before his poem was read, telling the prefect to send him the first-place prize.
• The prefect read Fang Yun’s poem and recognized that it worked as both a palindromic regulated poem and the lyric “The Beautiful Lady Yu.”
• Gou Bao and the Deer Gate Marquis prepared to judge the competing two-marvel poems, but Xun Tianling urged them to examine Fang Yun’s poem more carefully.
• The Poet-Addict Old Man and Xun Tianling confirmed that the poem was a Three-Marvel Poem because its lyric form also read backward as a palindrome.

Fang Yun watched his enemies turn the literary assembly’s praise into a scheme to undermine him, but he believed it would only strengthen his reputation. After arriving at Pearl City, he faced a hostile welcome from its officials and scholars.

• Officials at the literary assembly praised Zhang Longxiang’s poem and declared his literary fame greater than Void Sage Fang’s, while a young Jieyuan warned Fang Yun that the praise was part of a plot.
• Fang Yun thanked the Jieyuan and concluded that the scheme would help build his momentum; Zhu Fengqiong sent praise and began gathering support while Fang Yun obtained intelligence about Chu Kingdom Academy Students.
• Wei Changxian delivered Fang Yun’s prize and taunted him about surpassing Void Sage Fang; Fang Yun sensed that he was close to advancing to Grand Academician and planned to claim command of the Pearl River Army.
• Two days later, Fang Yun’s army reached Pearl City, where he ordered his carriage to the front after the Deer Gate Marquis failed to let him advance.
• Wei Changxian stopped Fang Yun, then escorted him forward; at the welcome, Pearl City’s people greeted Xun Tianling but fewer than half bowed to Fang Yun, while others looked at him with hostility.

Fang Yun arrived in Pearl City and discovered that the Pearl River Army was divided, with only a minority of its officers supporting the Pearl River Marquis. The Deer Gate Marquis asserted command over the army, while Fang Yun secured a limited role handling official documents.

• Fang Yun inspected the welcoming officers and realized that only about sixty thousand of the Pearl River Army's two hundred thousand soldiers truly supported him.
• Fang Yun greeted Zhang Qingfeng and Wang Li, former comrades of Zhang Wankong, who welcomed him with restrained warmth.
• The Deer Gate Marquis presented the King of Chu's command placing him over three armies, and Zhang Qingfeng argued that Fang Yun retained the right to command ten thousand Pearl River troops and join military deliberations.
• Wang Li backed Zhang Qingfeng when the Deer Gate Marquis claimed sole authority, while Wei Changxian accused them of insolence.
• The Deer Gate Marquis assigned Fang Yun to handle official documents rather than fight, and Fang Yun accepted the role.

Fang Yun entered Pearl City and was assigned to handle official documents while the army prepared to face a stronger Barbarian force. After a council exposed the threat posed by Hu Ding, Fang Yun met privately with two generals to discuss matters.

• The Deer Gate Marquis assigned Fang Yun to manage official documents in Pearl City’s military administration.
• At the command council, the Deer Gate Marquis revealed that Hu Ding, a veteran Silver-Tent Barbarian King, had secretly entered Lotus Mountain Pass.
• Fang Yun assessed the imbalance between the enemy’s six Barbarian Kings and the three Grand Academicians in the allied armies.
• The Deer Gate Marquis proposed probing enemy defenses and waiting for an opportunity to kill one Barbarian King before attacking Lotus Mountain Pass.
• After the council and breakfast, Fang Yun met with Zhang Qingfeng and Wang Li in a sealed study.

Fang Yun met with Zhang Qingfeng and Wang Li to discuss Literary Qi Jade, his father’s mysterious service at Two Worlds Mountain, and his plans for the Pearl River Army. He promised to investigate Zhang Wankong’s past and began taking charge of the army’s affairs.

• Fang Yun showed Zhang Qingfeng and Wang Li the Literary Qi Jade and arranged to lend it to them so they could advance to Grand Academician before passing it to Jing An.
• Zhang Qingfeng and Wang Li told Fang Yun that Zhang Wankong had claimed to reach Two Worlds Mountain and render great service, and they asked Fang Yun to uncover proof and clear his father’s name.
• Fang Yun agreed to investigate Zhang Wankong’s story, though he remained doubtful because his search of the records had found nothing.
• Fang Yun declared that he intended to become Grand Academician, take command of the Pearl River Army, and pacify the Southern Barbarians.
• After discussing their plans all day, Fang Yun reported to the Marshal’s Office that night and formally took charge of the army’s official documents and affairs.