Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Mu Yuwei reveals that someone has placed an enormous bounty on Zhuge Qing, the runaway daughter of Qingzhou’s governor, Zhuge Jingcheng.
• The city’s sudden military mobilization is linked to the governor’s search for his daughter—and his fear that she has become a target.
• Zhuge Qing’s father is politically connected to the current empress, leaving him vulnerable to surviving factions from the old imperial struggle. Qingzhou’s gates are shut, trapping Yin Jiuyou, Qi Shanhe, and Mu Yuwei inside amid rising tension.
• Mu Yuwei identifies major groups connected to the assassination plot: three powerful escort agencies and the Yin Lotus Cult, whose beautiful holy maiden uses mind-controlling heartless gu.
• At the Flower Delight House, Liu Ningzhi tries to seduce Ning Que while secretly sending a heartless gu toward his mouth. He spots and kills it, foiling her plan.
• Ning Que turns the tables, pins Liu Ningzhi down, and begins strangling her, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yuwei demonstrates her knowledge of Qingzhou’s politics and dangerous factions, while her unease about the Yin Lotus Cult’s holy maiden suggests the cult is a serious threat.
• Yin Jiuyou and Qi Shanhe recognize that the bounty could draw even desperate martial artists into the conflict. Their concern deepens as the gates close and escape becomes impossible.
• Zhuge Qing, though absent, is characterized as spirited and rebellious: she repeatedly flees her protected home to pursue her ideal of upholding justice.
• Ning Que appears easily distracted by Liu Ningzhi’s charms, but proves alert enough to notice the gu. He quickly seizes control of the encounter.
• Liu Ningzhi shifts from a practiced, flirtatious seductress to a startled and uneasy would-be attacker when her gu fails and Ning Que reverses their positions.

Significant themes

• Political intrigue and lingering conflict: Old factional grudges continue to endanger people long after the struggle for power has supposedly ended.
• Vulnerability behind privilege: Zhuge Qing’s protected status cannot shield her once powerful enemies target her.
• Deception and control: Seduction and supernatural manipulation conceal Liu Ningzhi’s attack, while Ning Que’s reversal exposes the danger beneath the performance.
• Confinement and escalating danger: The sealed city and the final choking scene leave characters trapped in situations that may turn violent.

Plot points and events

• Ning Que accompanies disguised provincial governor’s daughter Zhuge Qing to a room at the Flower Delight House, where courtesan Liu Ningzhi tries to seduce him.
• Zhuge Qing watches from behind a screen, misreading the scene as erotic. Ning Que, however, realizes something is wrong and strangles Liu Ningzhi despite her protests, killing her apparent body.
• No kill notification appears, so Ning Que takes Zhuge Qing and escapes through a window.
• After they leave, Liu Ningzhi’s corpse crumbles into bloody sludge and vanishes.
• The chapter reveals the real Liu Ningzhi is a Yin Lotus Cult holy maiden hiding in the Cave of No Worries. The woman at the brothel was an illusory body created by her Yin Arts.
• Liu Ningzhi had planned to implant a Heartless Gu in Ning Que and use him to kill Zhuge Qing, making the murder look like an ordinary guest’s crime. Her apparent death severely injures the real Liu Ningzhi, but she remains determined to have Zhuge Qing killed.

Character developments

• Ning Que shows sharp suspicion and decisive action, recognizing Liu Ningzhi’s trap and protecting Zhuge Qing by getting her out.
• Zhuge Qing is revealed as inexperienced and easily flustered; she is shocked by what she thinks she is witnessing and remains confused by Ning Que’s sudden escape.
• Liu Ningzhi is exposed as a calculating cult leader whose seduction was a means of control. Though injured by the destruction of her illusion, she remains ruthless and confident in the cult’s reach.

Character interactions

• Liu Ningzhi attempts to manipulate Ning Que through flirtation, while Ning Que turns the encounter against her by killing her false body.
• Zhuge Qing secretly observes the encounter, misunderstands its nature, and is then abruptly pulled to safety by Ning Que.
• In the cave, the real Liu Ningzhi reflects on Ning Que’s unexpected resistance and renews her threat against Zhuge Qing.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Liu Ningzhi’s alluring brothel persona is only an illusion, and the apparent scene conceals an attempted attack.
• Deception and control: The Yin Lotus Cult uses illusion and the Heartless Gu to manipulate people and compel obedience.
• Hidden worlds and power: The Cave of No Worries is a sinister underground city ruled by the cult, showing that a larger threat lies beneath Qingzhou’s surface.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Que senses that the Flower Delight House’s courtesan queen and numerous armed pursuers are targeting Zhuge Qing, the Provincial Governor’s daughter. He pulls her through the woods toward Flower Street.
• A group of masked attackers searches for Zhuge Qing, viewing her capture or death as a valuable prize. Their leader confronts Ning Que, who asks Zhuge Qing for her sword.
• Using her flexible Fish-Intestine Soft Sword, Ning Que kills the leader with a sudden, precise strike. When the others attack, he employs the powerful Demon-Subduing Saber Technique through the sword and kills them.
• With more pursuers closing in, Ning Que leads the shaken Zhuge Qing into Flower Street, where visitors wear masks to conceal their identities.
• As the searchers enter the crowded street, Ning Que puts an arm around Zhuge Qing and kisses her, apparently to disguise their escape as a couple meeting in secret.

Character developments

• Ning Que shifts from the apparently lecherous man Zhuge Qing saw at the brothel to a controlled, lethal fighter. He stays alert, acts decisively, and adapts his combat technique to an unfamiliar weapon.
• Zhuge Qing confronts the brutal reality behind her romanticized idea of the martial world. The violence frightens her, and she begins to see Ning Que in a very different light. His kiss catches her completely off guard.

Significant themes

• Romantic ideals versus harsh reality: Zhuge Qing’s dream of heroic justice gives way to the fear and bloodshed of actual violence.
• Masks and hidden identities: Flower Street’s customs provide cover for the fugitives, while also echoing the disguises and concealed motives surrounding them.
• Survival and moral ambiguity: The city’s factions treat Zhuge Qing as a prize, and Ning Que resorts to lethal force to protect their escape.

Character interactions

• Ning Que takes charge of Zhuge Qing’s flight and asks for her sword, which she readily gives him.
• Zhuge Qing follows close behind him during the fight, frightened by his ruthlessness and by the deaths around her.
• On Flower Street, Ning Que’s unexpected embrace and kiss transforms their partnership into an apparent romantic rendezvous, leaving Zhuge Qing stunned.

Plot points and events

• While fleeing their pursuers in a crowded pleasure quarter, Ning Que kisses Zhuge Qing to disguise them. Once the searchers pass, he releases her and explains why.
• Zhuge Qing protests that the kiss was unnecessary, but Ning Que reveals he has long known she is a woman. Her disguise failed to fool him, especially because she seemed uncomfortable in the brothel.
• Zhuge Qing drops her male disguise, introduces herself by her full name, and thanks Ning Que for saving her. Ning Que gives only his surname, concealing his identity.
• Qi Shanhe, Yin Jiuyou, and Mu Yuwei find them. Qi recognizes Zhuge Qing as the provincial governor’s daughter.
• Mu explains that the Escort Guild and the Cave of No Worries are pursuing Zhuge Qing, Qingzhou is sealed off, and the group needs her to escape. They invite her to return with them.
• Zhuge Qing agrees, but on the condition that Ning Que teach her the saber techniques he used. Her eagerness surprises the group.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhuge Qing shifts from embarrassment and indignation over the kiss to abandoning her disguise and openly pursuing her interest in martial arts. Though she could seek safety with her father, she appears reluctant to go home and readily joins Ning Que’s group.
• Ning Que acts quickly to protect Zhuge Qing, then teases her about her failed disguise. He is cautious about revealing his identity, but invites her along because the group needs her.
• Mu Yuwei and Qi Shanhe are shocked by Ning Que’s unexpected connection to the governor’s daughter, then explain how crucial she is to their escape. Yin Jiuyou is present with them.

Significant themes

• Disguise and identity: Zhuge Qing’s attempt to pass as a man is exposed, while Ning Que keeps his own identity concealed.
• Duty versus personal desire: Zhuge Qing is expected to return to her powerful father, but her longing for adventure and martial training pulls her elsewhere.
• Pragmatism and trust: The group initially sees Zhuge Qing as essential to escaping the city, while her agreement—and condition—suggests a more personal interest in joining them.

Key plot points

• Qingzhou spends a tense night amid fireworks, mounted patrols, wanted notices, and mysterious figures moving through the streets. A ragged beggar watches events unfold from the shadows.
• Provincial Governor Zhuge Jingcheng searches unsuccessfully for his runaway daughter, Zhuge Qing. A secret order from the capital demands that he mobilize Qingzhou’s underground forces to eliminate rebels, and he fears the rebels may have encountered his daughter.
• Jingcheng visits the ancestral shrine and recalls his wife’s death: after backing the losing side in a succession conflict, she took her own life rather than face punishment. He wonders whether he should trust their daughter.
• Zhuge Qing returns to the inn with Ning Que. With no rooms available, she stays in his room. He examines her abilities and says she has talent but cannot learn his saber technique; he offers only basic self-defense training.
• Ning Que suspects Zhuge Qing’s claim that she is “playing the wandering champion” conceals a desire to escape her father. He also wonders who placed the enormous bounty on her.
• The next morning, soldiers fill the streets, and reports say many people were arrested. Ning Que stays at the inn.
• News arrives that Liu Ningzhi, the Flower Delight House’s star courtesan, has vanished without a body. Ning Que knows he killed her the previous night, so he suspects someone took her remains. Mu Yuwei believes Liu was the Yin Lotus Cult’s holy maiden and attributes the disappearance to its dark magic.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhuge Jingcheng is shown as a stern, politically pressured father whose concerns are complicated by painful memories of his wife. His question about trusting Zhuge Qing suggests he is uncertain whether she shares her mother’s loyalties or fate.
• Zhuge Qing appears humble and eager to learn, but her disappointment at Ning Que’s refusal hints at her desperation to remain away from home. She seems unable—or unwilling—to explain her conflict with her father.
• Ning Que remains guarded and observant. He protects Zhuge Qing but probes her abilities and motives, while delaying another use of his Background Editing ability until he has consolidated Flowing Sand.
• Mu Yuwei offers a supernatural explanation for Liu Ningzhi’s disappearance, introducing a possible connection to the Yin Lotus Cult.

Significant themes

• Trust and family loyalty: Jingcheng’s past with his wife shapes his uncertainty about his daughter.
• Freedom versus protection: Zhuge Qing’s flight clashes with the governor’s efforts to find her, leaving her motives and the bounty’s source unclear.
• Hidden identities and unexplained powers: The beggar, the rebel hunt, and Liu’s mysterious disappearance deepen the chapter’s atmosphere of conspiracy and supernatural danger.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Mu Yuwei explains that the Yin Lotus Cult uses deception, brainwashing, and Heartless Gu to control people. The cult was behind earlier attacks in which civilians were made to kill government soldiers.
• The courtesan queen’s plan at the Flower Delight House was to identify Zhuge Qing as a woman and use a controlled guest to kill her. Her zither music affected only men, helping confirm Zhuge’s identity.
• Yin Jiuyou warns that Qingzhou is dangerous and insists the group keep Zhuge safe until they can meet Flowing Sand’s headquarters, expected in two days.
• Soldiers searching for Zhuge also carry wanted posters of Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou. Ning Que hides Zhuge in a concealed compartment behind a wardrobe, and the search party leaves without finding her.
• Ning Que checks his system and spends 500 karma points on the day’s special offer: thirty years of internal energy. The energy greatly strengthens him and raises his proficiency in both the Back-Penetrating Fist and Demon-Subduing Saber Technique from 25% to 80%.
• Ning Que estimates that he is now stronger than Qi Shanhe and roughly equal to Yin Jiuyou. When Zhuge asks about his remark that someone may end the dynasty, he avoids explaining and goes to bed.

Character developments

• Ning Que grows substantially stronger through the system’s internal-energy reward. He remains guarded about his past and his thoughts about the dynasty.
• Zhuge Qing is frightened by the soldiers’ search but also becomes increasingly curious about Ning Que and his story.
• Mu Yuwei demonstrates detailed knowledge of the Yin Lotus Cult, based on her past dealings with it.
• Yin Jiuyou remains focused on protecting Zhuge and reaching Flowing Sand’s headquarters.

Character interactions

• Mu Yuwei explains the cult’s methods to Ning Que and the others, helping them understand the threat they face.
• Yin Jiuyou and Qi Shanhe discuss the danger and the need to keep Zhuge safe.
• Ning Que protects Zhuge by hiding her from the soldiers, then brings her food.
• Zhuge questions Ning Que about his cryptic comment and supposed story; he gives her no answers, leaving her intrigued.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and hidden threats: The cult’s control of people and the government’s expanding search make Qingzhou feel increasingly perilous.
• Power and progress: Ning Que’s system rewards show how quickly strength can change through cultivation and martial mastery.
• Secrecy and curiosity: Ning Que conceals his history, while Zhuge’s unanswered questions deepen her interest in him.

Key plot points and events

• Zhuge Qing spends the night hiding with Ning Que while government soldiers, bounty hunters, and rebels search for her. Ning Que keeps her indoors and arranges for their meals to be brought to them.
• Curious about Ning Que’s identity, Zhuge Qing questions him. He claims to be an ordinary former soldier, but a visitor addressing him as “Little Juzi” makes her suspect he is a rebel leader.
• Ning Que leaves the room door ajar, giving Zhuge Qing a chance to escape. She chooses to shut it instead, remaining with him.
• Zhuge Qing overhears the rebels discussing a plan to tell her father, Provincial Governor Zhuge Jingcheng, that she is in their custody and demand that he open Qingzhou’s gates. She rushes back to her room, but Ning Que orders his followers not to pursue her.
• Ning Que proposes that the rebels pose as bounty hunters, using the hunt as cover to kill members of the Escort Guild and the Cave of No Worries who threaten Zhuge Qing. That night, he and his companions apply for bounty-hunter tokens.

Character developments

• Ning Que shows confidence, strategic thinking, and an unexpected willingness to let Zhuge Qing decide whether to stay. He remains guarded about his past and motives.
• Zhuge Qing moves from wary curiosity to fear when she realizes Ning Que is a rebel leader. Despite learning that she is among rebels, she chooses not to flee, suggesting she may distrust returning home—or feel safer with Ning Que.
• Ning Que’s followers accept his plan to counter the bounty hunters, though they initially hesitate at the risks involved.

Character interactions

• Zhuge Qing probes Ning Que’s background and admires his strength, while he deflects her questions and turns the conversation back on her.
• Ning Que’s calm response to Zhuge Qing’s discovery contrasts with her panic.
• When she overhears the rebels’ plan, Ning Que prevents his followers from chasing or confronting her, leaving her free to act.
• Ning Que consults his allies about the threats from the Escort Guild and other bounty hunters, then persuades them to join the hunt under false pretenses.

Significant themes

• Trust and choice: Ning Que gives Zhuge Qing an opportunity to leave, but she stays despite what she learns.
• Hidden identities and uncertainty: Ning Que’s ordinary appearance and claimed past conceal his position among the rebels, while Zhuge Qing’s reasons for avoiding home remain unexplained.
• Protection amid violence: The rebels use deception and force to protect Zhuge Qing in a city where multiple factions are hunting her.
• Strategic deception: Ning Que turns the bounty hunters’ own system into cover for eliminating his enemies.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Que returns to the inn after collecting his bounty hunter token. He tells Zhuge Qing he may be late and leaves dinner for her.
• Zhuge Qing is frightened by his rebel identity, but stays rather than flee or return to the Provincial Governor’s residence. His kindness and the mystery of his identity deepen her conflicted feelings.
• Across Qingzhou City, escort groups search for the missing girl while worrying that rival escorts are killing one another. Lei Qiandong of the Flying Eagle Escorts remarks that they are “preying on their own.”
• Ning Que appears among Lei’s group and, after they mock his low-ranked token, reveals that they are his targets. He defeats the entire group with a single saber strike.
• Elsewhere, other violent attacks take place: a saber-wielding figure massacres people on a pleasure boat, Qi Shanhe emerges from an alley bloodied, and Mu Yuwei turns the tables on escorts who have cornered her.
• The next morning, authorities find groups of dead escorts marked with the words, “They deserved their fate!” Qingzhou is left under a cloud of fear.
• Back at the inn, Zhuge asks Ning Que where he went. He gives only a vague answer. It is the third and final day of their arrangement, and he expects to return her that evening.

Character developments

• Zhuge Qing shifts from simple fear toward an uneasy fascination with Ning Que. She remains wary of him, but his identity as a rebel seems to draw her closer rather than drive her away.
• Ning Que shows little concern for his low status as a bounty hunter. His confidence and overwhelming power are demonstrated in his swift defeat of Lei Qiandong’s group.
• Lei Qiandong is established as an experienced, respected escort leader, but his confidence proves misplaced when he dismisses Ning Que as an inexperienced novice.
• Mu Yuwei reveals that her apparent frailty was a façade, suggesting she is far more dangerous and capable than her pursuers expect.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and rivalry: Escorts competing to find the girl increasingly regard one another as threats.
• Deceptive appearances: Ning Que’s low-rank token masks his strength; Mu Yuwei’s weakness is feigned; Zhuge’s fear coexists with attraction.
• Moral ambiguity and retribution: The bloody message condemns the escorts, raising questions about who deserves punishment and who has the right to deliver it.
• Fear and power: A handful of attacks transform the city’s atmosphere, showing how swiftly violence can unsettle an entire community.

Character interactions

• Ning Que treats Zhuge gently, leaving her food and allowing her space, while she struggles to reconcile that care with his rebel identity.
• Lei Qiandong’s group taunts Ning Que, and he responds by declaring them his targets and defeating them.
• Mu Yuwei’s pursuers mistake her for an easy victim before she turns against them.
• Zhuge’s question about Ning Que’s absence brings him back into direct contact with her, but he keeps his activities secret.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Que’s group realizes that Zhuge Qing’s father, Provincial Governor Zhuge Jingcheng, may have commissioned the bounty on her. Mu Yuwei’s research suggests Qing may not be his biological daughter: her mother died after giving birth to her, and Qing reportedly did not resemble Zhuge.
• The group suspects Zhuge may be seeking revenge for his late wife’s alleged affair with a rebel. They fear that telling him they have Qing would draw them into a trap, so they plan to leave before their main force reaches the city.
• Before they can act, a subordinate reports that Zhuge Qing has disappeared.
• Meanwhile, Zhuge Jingcheng learns that many bounty hunters were killed in one night by an unknown protector, causing the Escort Guild and Cave of No Worries to reconsider pursuing Qing.
• At his first wife’s memorial, Zhuge erupts in rage, smashes her spirit tablet, and accuses her of betraying him and leaving him to raise another man’s child.
• Zhuge then reveals that he knows who has Qing and receives an unsigned message demanding that he open the city gates if he wants her returned safely.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Que quickly connects the suspected family scandal to the bounty and recognizes the danger of approaching Zhuge directly. Though Qing is in his group’s care, he regards her largely as a stranger and an asset.
• Mu Yuwei provides the crucial family-history information, while Yin Jiuyou confirms the theory is plausible. Their discussion shifts from wondering whether the bounty hunters will act to questioning who is directing them.
• Zhuge Jingcheng is revealed as a deeply conflicted, possibly vengeful man: outwardly composed and devoted to his late wife’s memory, he privately carries grief, resentment, and rage.
• The power dynamics tighten when Qing vanishes and an unknown party threatens Zhuge through her, turning the suspected personal vendetta into a direct political confrontation.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and revenge: Zhuge’s anger centers on the possibility that his wife deceived him, with Qing caught in the consequences.
• Family and inherited blame: Qing may be punished for circumstances surrounding her birth, despite having no responsibility for them.
• Appearance versus truth: Zhuge’s public devotion to his first wife conceals bitterness, while the truth behind the family and bounty remains unproven.
• Political power and coercion: Qing’s safety becomes leverage in a struggle involving rebels, the Provincial Governor, and the city gates.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Zhuge Jingcheng receives two secret letters: One reveals that rebels are holding his daughter, Zhuge Qing, and threatens him. He orders an officer not to open the city gates, declaring that even his daughter must be killed if necessary rather than compromise his political cause. Afterward, he burns both letters and privately reveals his ambition to use the rebels as a means to advance closer to the Empress.
• Qingzhou’s escort agencies convene: Nearly a hundred leaders gather at the Dragon Gate Escort Bureau. Tong Chengkun announces a huge reward from the Provincial Governor: ten thousand taels for killing the rebels. He adds that Zhuge Qing is their captive and implies that killing her too would bring an additional bounty. The announcement stirs intense greed and hostility.
• The Yin Lotus Cult holds its annual gathering: At the Cave of No Worries, the bandits worship as Liu Ningzhi and the cult’s Holy Mother sit above a blazing fire. The Holy Mother says a decisive moment for the cult has arrived and that Liu can overcome her inner demon. Liu vows to settle her grudges with “that man” and avenge the deaths at the Flower Delight House.
• The rebels prepare to leave: Mu Yuwei tells Ning Que that Juzi Mu and the main force will soon reach Qingzhou City. Ning Que then tells Zhuge Qing that he may have to return her to her family. She drops her bowl and chopsticks in shock.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhuge Jingcheng presents himself as a ruthless, loyal official willing to sacrifice his daughter for the greater cause, but his private ambition reveals that he also sees the crisis as a route to promotion. His decision puts political advancement above his relationship with Zhuge Qing.
• Tong Chengkun uses the Governor’s bounty to unite the escort leaders around a common target, while exploiting Chai Feiying’s desire for revenge after the death of his deputy, Lei Qiandong.
• Chai Feiying suspects the rebels killed Lei and is eager to pursue them; the prospect of reward intensifies his anger.
• Liu Ningzhi shifts from her former courtesan identity into a role within the Yin Lotus Cult. She is determined to avenge the Flower Delight House killings, though the nature of her “inner demon” and her feud with the unnamed man remain unclear.
• Ning Que appears reluctant to send Zhuge Qing back, pausing before raising the subject. Zhuge Qing’s shocked reaction hints at strong feelings or a deep dependence on their current situation.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus personal bonds: Zhuge Jingcheng’s willingness to sacrifice his daughter contrasts sharply with the emotional weight of Ning Que’s possible decision to return her.
• Greed and opportunism: The bounty rapidly turns the escort guild into a potential threat, with money and status motivating the hunt.
• Revenge and unresolved grudges: Chai Feiying seeks justice for Lei, while Liu Ningzhi pursues vengeance for the Flower Delight House.
• Calm before conflict: Qingzhou’s outward peace masks several groups preparing to converge, making the coming night a likely turning point.

Plot points and events

• Ning Que tells Zhuge Qing that the group must leave Qingzhou City and may have to send her back. Though frightened, she agrees to pack without protesting.
• Yin Jiuyou reminds Ning Que that returning Zhuge Qing would put her in danger: the Provincial Governor has hired escorts and assassins to kill her because she is the daughter of his wife and a rebel.
• The group prepares for a potentially deadly escape. Yin Jiuyou promises to get Zhuge Qing out safely, while Ning Que confidently predicts that everyone will survive and reunite with headquarters.
• Seeking a better weapon, Ning Que visits the Dragon Gate Escort Agency. Its chief, Tong Chengkun, lends him the exceptional saber Dawn Breeze, Waning Moon in exchange for Ning Que fighting for the agency that night.
• The party leaves the inn in force. The innkeeper recognizes the cloaked Zhuge Qing as the commandery princess and collapses in fear.
• As they walk, Zhuge Qing asks why Ning Que saved her. He says he acted because he wanted to, without needing a reason. Snow begins falling in June, and Ning Que marvels at it, calling it “June Snow.”

Character developments and interactions

• Zhuge Qing continues to show quiet courage: although afraid and aware of the danger, she chooses to stay with Ning Que’s group. She seeks to understand his motives but cannot fully voice what she wants to ask.
• Ning Que accepts the burden of protecting her, despite knowing they must leave. His calm confidence reassures the group, and he shows unexpected wonder at the rare snowfall.
• Yin Jiuyou balances concern for Zhuge Qing with the need to keep moving, sharpening his saber as he prepares for battle.
• Tong Chengkun recognizes Ning Que’s formidable presence and shifts from caution to respect, striking a bargain to gain his help.
• The innkeeper’s recognition of Zhuge Qing highlights how exposed and precarious the group’s departure is.

Significant themes

• Protection versus necessity: The group must leave quickly, but returning Zhuge Qing would expose her to deadly danger.
• Trust and courage: Zhuge Qing’s decision to remain, and the fighters’ readiness to risk their lives for her, underscore loyalty amid uncertainty.
• Choice without explanation: Ning Que’s simple answer suggests that compassion can be an act of personal conviction rather than calculation.
• Ominous transition: The cold night, preparations for battle, and extraordinary June snowfall mark a turning point as the group sets out toward danger.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Unseasonable snow begins falling over Qingzhou, deepening the sense that a crisis is coming.
• Before parting, Ning Que reveals that his face was a disguise and apologizes to Zhuge Qing for concealing his identity. He gives her his cloak.
• Governor Zhuge Jingcheng arms himself and asks his longtime steward, Liang Bo, whether he would forgive a terrible betrayal. Liang Bo pledges to trust and follow him, while Zhuge rejects the idea that Heaven or fate can dictate his choices.
• Tong Chengkun rallies the Escort Guild and the Cave of No Worries’ hired fighters for what he calls their final escort job: delivering the rebels’ heads and the Governor’s daughter. The Dragon Gate Escort Bureau will disband afterward.
• Zhuge orders Qingzhou’s residents to remain indoors, leaving the city eerily empty as Ning Que’s group marches to the gate.
• Zhuge Jingcheng, in armor, waits atop the wall. Though urged to capture the rebels—even with his daughter among them—he gives no answer and plants his sword in the stone, signaling his resolve.
• Ning Que calls on the Governor to open the gates, but Zhuge Jingcheng remains silent. The escort forces close in, their greed focused especially on Zhuge Qing.
• As Zhuge Qing trembles, Ning Que takes her hand and reassures her. She finally cries out, “Young Master Ning, take me with you!”

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Que drops his disguise and apologizes to Zhuge Qing, showing trust and regret. He remains protective when danger closes in, taking her hand and calming her.
• Zhuge Qing struggles with her feelings about Ning Que’s deception and her father’s apparent refusal to help. Faced with the encircling fighters, she makes her choice openly: she wants to leave with Ning Que.
• Zhuge Jingcheng appears prepared to oppose the group despite his daughter’s presence. His exchange with Liang Bo hints at a morally grave decision, while his rejection of fate emphasizes his determination.
• Liang Bo responds to Zhuge’s doubts with unwavering loyalty, describing himself as ready to follow his master anywhere.
• Tong Chengkun prepares his men for a potentially fatal confrontation, framing the mission as the Escort Guild’s last undertaking.

Significant themes

• Choice versus fate: Zhuge Jingcheng refuses to let Heaven or destiny define his actions, even as the strange snowfall suggests an omen.
• Loyalty and betrayal: Liang Bo’s devotion contrasts with the possibility that Zhuge may commit a “monstrous betrayal.”
• Trust and concealed identity: Ning Que’s revelation exposes the cost of secrecy, while his apology and protection begin to restore intimacy.
• Family versus chosen allegiance: Zhuge Qing’s plea signals a break from her father’s authority and a desire to choose her own path.
• Ominous transition: The June snow, deserted city, and armed forces gather around the characters as signs of a decisive confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• In the snowstorm, Zhuge Qing declares she is not afraid to join the rebels. Ning Que welcomes her into Flowing Sand, despite warning her that they intend to overthrow the Great Li Dynasty.
• Zhuge Jingcheng orders the rebels killed, but the bounty hunters and escorts hesitate when they learn Ning Que and his companions belong to Flowing Sand, the empire’s feared underground organization.
• The bounty hunters weigh their fear against the promised ten thousand taels of silver and refuse to back down.
• Tong Chengkun, head of the Dragon Gate Escort Bureau, claims his side has a powerful expert. Ning Que reveals that he took Tong’s saber, Dawn Breeze, Waning Moon, while disguised as an ordinary man.
• Enraged, Tong attacks. Ning Que meets his strike and kills him with a single saber blow, decapitating him.

Character developments

• Zhuge Qing makes a decisive break from her father’s side, choosing to join the rebels even after learning their ambitions.
• Ning Que shows confidence and cunning: he accepts Zhuge Qing, exposes his Flowing Sand identity, and uses Tong’s own weapon against him.
• Tong Chengkun shifts from boasting to fury when he recognizes the man who tricked him, then dies in the ensuing duel.
• Liu Ningzhi becomes consumed by anger at Ning Que, whose disguise and past actions have made him a personal obsession.

Significant themes

• Defiance and allegiance: Zhuge Qing chooses her own path despite her family and the danger it brings.
• Fear versus greed: The crowd fears Flowing Sand but is unwilling to abandon the bounty.
• Deception and consequences: Ning Que’s disguise gives him an advantage, but his trickery intensifies his enemies’ hatred.
• Violence and power: The chapter ends abruptly with Tong’s death, presenting killing as swift and matter-of-fact.

Character interactions

• Ning Que tests Zhuge Qing’s resolve, then publicly accepts her into Flowing Sand.
• Zhuge Jingcheng and the capital messenger urge the destruction of the rebels, while the surrounding fighters hesitate over whether to attack.
• Tong attempts to intimidate Ning Que, only to discover he has been deceived; their confrontation ends in Tong’s death.
• The Yin Lotus Holy Mother recognizes Liu Ningzhi’s fixation on Ning Que and urges her to kill him, deepening Liu’s hostility.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Que kills Tong Chengkun, head of the Dragon Gate Escort Bureau, with a single saber stroke. His death triggers a large battle between Ning Que’s roughly hundred-strong group and more than a thousand opponents.
• From the city wall, Zhuge Jingcheng and a messenger from the capital watch the fighting. Their confidence falters when a report arrives: nearly ten thousand leather-armored troops have gathered outside Qingzhou. The force is Flowing Sand, assembled after word spread that the former Juzi’s orphan had been found.
• Flowing Sand’s acting Juzi, Mu Lingfeng, waits rather than intervening immediately, despite learning that Ning Que, Yin Jiuyou, and the Qingzhou Branch are trapped in the city.
• In the battle, Yin Jiuyou, Qi Shanhe, and Mu Yuwei demonstrate their strength, but many attackers focus on Ning Que. Chai Feiying, whose brother Lei Qiandong was killed by Ning Que, joins several escort leaders in attacking him.
• Ning Que releases overwhelming internal power, blasting Chai Feiying and dozens of attackers away and leaving a crater. He draws a line in the ground, warning the remaining fighters not to cross it. Liu Ningzhi, the star courtesan, then appears and confronts him.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Que’s single-stroke execution of Tong Chengkun establishes his decisiveness and lethal skill. His sudden display of immense internal power reveals a capability far beyond what his allies or enemies expected, earning the astonishment of Yin Jiuyou, Qi Shanhe, and others.
• Chai Feiying attacks Ning Que out of vengeance for his brother’s death, but is swiftly defeated.
• Mu Lingfeng appears cautious and politically minded, holding Flowing Sand back until the moment is right.
• Zhuge Jingcheng remains focused on the broader threat once the rebel army is reported, abandoning the city-wall view of the battle to investigate.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and surprise: Ning Que’s extraordinary internal power overturns everyone’s assumptions about him.
• Escalation and political danger: A local factional battle is overshadowed by the arrival of a huge army that could threaten the city and expose the authorities’ precarious position.
• Vengeance and shifting alliances: Personal grievances fuel the fighting, while Flowing Sand’s arrival raises the possibility that the conflict will expand dramatically.

Plot points and events

• Ning Que confronts Liu Ningzhi, whom he had believed he strangled earlier. She reveals that she survived by using the Yin Lotus Cult’s Paper Soul Technique: the courtesan at the Flower Delight House had been a lifelike paper double.
• Ning Que asks whether she seeks immortality. Liu does not understand, but the Yin Lotus Holy Mother recognizes that he knows too much and orders him killed.
• Liu attacks with silk ribbons hardened by internal force. Yin Jiuyou intervenes to protect Ning Que and explains the technique, but Liu attacks again.
• Ning Que overwhelms Liu with his own internal energy, then kills both her and the Holy Mother with a devastating saber strike. The deaths earn him 500 Karma Points each.
• With the surrounding bounty hunters shaken and the fighting fading, Ning Que takes Zhuge Qing’s hand and calls to those inside the city, demanding that the gates be opened so his group can leave.

Character developments

• Ning Que remains composed and confident, turning the revelation of Liu’s survival into an opportunity to learn about the Paper Soul Technique. He demonstrates overwhelming force and is pleased by the Karma Points gained.
• Liu Ningzhi is exposed as the real Saintess, distinct from the paper double that impersonated her. Her formidable silk technique cannot withstand Ning Que’s power.
• The Yin Lotus Holy Mother reveals the cult’s dangerous interest in cultivation secrets and her willingness to kill to protect them.
• Zhuge Qing is deeply shaken by the violence. Having never killed anyone, she begins to understand that survival alongside Ning Que may require her to do so.

Significant themes

• The pursuit of immortality and knowledge drives the Yin Lotus Cult’s experiments, even at the cost of many lives.
• Deception and appearance are central to Liu’s paper double and the courtesan’s false identity.
• Power determines survival: the bounty hunters’ resolve falters when faced with someone more ruthless and powerful.
• The cost of joining a violent world becomes clear through Zhuge Qing’s fear and the likelihood that she will have to kill.

Character interactions

• Ning Que questions Liu about her survival and her ambitions; the Holy Mother’s alarm turns the exchange into a fight.
• Yin Jiuyou protects Ning Que and explains how Liu’s silk becomes weapon-like through internal force.
• Ning Que shields Zhuge Qing during the attack, then takes her hand as they head for the city gate.
• After witnessing Ning Que kill the cult leaders, the bounty hunters hesitate, allowing him to demand passage without further bloodshed.

Plot points

• Zhuge Jingcheng and the Capital City messenger learn that Flowing Sand has reunited and surrounded Qingzhou. The rebels demand that the gates be opened so they can leave without further bloodshed.
• Inside the city, the Escort Guild and Cave of No Worries have suffered heavy losses in their fight with Ning Que’s group. Rather than negotiate, Zhuge Jingcheng orders the battle to continue and raises the bounty to twenty thousand taels.
• He blocks any retreat with archers on the walls, driving the escorts and bounty hunters to renew their attack.
• As the attackers charge, Ning Que tells Zhuge Qing to stay close and warns her to draw her sword if needed. When a burly fighter targets her, she kills him herself.
• Ning Que praises Zhuge Qing, and she joins him in fighting. A system notification reveals that her kills earn him Karma Points too.
• The escorts switch to crossbows and unleash a volley. Ning Que pulls Zhuge Qing behind him and prepares to redeem a shield.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhuge Jingcheng grows increasingly desperate and ruthless. Focused on fulfilling the court’s mission, he refuses to let the fighters retreat, even as the situation becomes more dangerous.
• Zhuge Qing moves from frightened observer to active fighter. Her first kill shakes her, but Ning Que’s reassurance helps her regain confidence and continue fighting.
• Ning Que protects Zhuge Qing while encouraging her to defend herself. Her performance also reveals to him that Flowing Sand members’ actions can generate Karma Points.
• The escorts and bounty hunters are pressured by the promised reward and threat of execution into fighting on, despite their losses.

Significant themes

• Survival under coercion: The combatants are driven forward by fear, greed, and the absence of safe choices.
• Growth through action: Zhuge Qing’s first kill marks a painful but important step toward becoming a capable participant in the conflict.
• Power and loyalty: Flowing Sand’s unexpected reunification contrasts with the collapsing morale of its opponents.
• The cost of ambition: Zhuge Jingcheng’s determination to satisfy the court escalates the violence rather than resolving it.

Key events

• Escort agencies and hired bounty hunters attack Ning Que’s group with a massive volley of arrows, but Ning Que produces shields and orders everyone into a tight defensive formation. The arrows fail to break through, and his group counterattacks.
• The attackers try to seize Zhuge Qing as a hostage. Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou cut through them, forcing the remaining men to seek help from Provincial Governor Zhuge Jingcheng.
• Zhuge Jingcheng learns that the assault is failing and that Flowing Sand’s army has not yet attacked the city. He sends his adopted assassin, Black Qilin, to kill Ning Que, ordering that the city gates be opened if the attempt fails.
• During the battle, Black Qilin ambushes Zhuge Qing. Ning Que intercepts him, severs his arm, and prepares to kill him. Zhuge Qing begs Ning Que to spare him, recalling that Qilin treated her kindly when she was young. Ning Que lets him go.
• As the battle continues, Ning Que wonders how many more people must die before the gates open. Yin Jiuyou believes Zhuge Jingcheng will soon be unable to resist.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Que stays resourceful and decisive under pressure, organizing the defense and overpowering Black Qilin. Yet he shows mercy when Zhuge Qing asks him to spare her childhood protector.
• Zhuge Qing confronts the brutality of the world firsthand. Though frightened and immobilized during Qilin’s attack, she acts bravely to protect him, revealing her compassion and personal history with him.
• Black Qilin is revealed as Zhuge Jingcheng’s adopted orphan and deathsworn assassin. Even after losing an arm, he remains silent and committed to his role, though Ning Que’s words make him imagine a freer life.
• Yin Jiuyou remains a formidable fighter and supports Ning Que’s efforts, despite being wounded.
• Zhuge Jingcheng responds to his men’s failure by relying on Qilin, while keeping his attention on the larger threat posed by Flowing Sand.

Significant themes

• Violence and survival: The battle presents killing as the apparent price of staying alive in a brutal political world.
• Loyalty versus freedom: Qilin’s life as a deathsworn contrasts with the ordinary life Ning Que urges him to seek.
• Mercy and compassion: Zhuge Qing’s intervention interrupts the cycle of violence, and Ning Que chooses to spare Qilin.
• Power and resistance: Numbers and weapons cannot guarantee victory against a coordinated, determined group.

Key plot points and events

• Heavy snow blankets Qingzhou, while Flowing Sand surrounds the city and debates when to attack. The group is desperate to rescue Little Juzi, the orphaned son of their former leader.
• Acting Juzi Mu Lingfeng urges them to wait. He argues that Little Juzi should have the chance to grow into a worthy successor, not simply be kept sheltered. Luo Qingwan and the others remain anxious but accept the need for patience.
• Inside the city, fighting grows fiercer. Ning Que and his allies are injured, while their opponents believe victory is near.
• A mysterious, exceptionally powerful swordsman appears. He says he came to witness the fighting, not to claim the bounty, and invites Ning Que to join him in a “whole new world.” Ning Que declines. The stranger mentions that a girl he met in the imperial palace three years earlier also refused him, prompting Ning Que to wonder if he meant the Empress.
• The swordsman’s arrival triggers a system notification: a new background condition has appeared, increasing the chance of another Background Editing.
• At the city wall, Zhuge Jingcheng waits anxiously for Black Qilin. Black Qilin arrives badly wounded and missing an arm, just as a report warns that Flowing Sand is preparing to attack.

Character developments

• Mu Lingfeng shows strategic restraint, persuading Flowing Sand to delay its assault despite the members’ fear for Little Juzi.
• Luo Qingwan reveals her deep concern for the child and for the people trapped inside the city.
• Ning Que demonstrates confidence and formidable skill in confronting the mysterious swordsman, while privately reflecting on the system’s new condition and the stranger’s connection to the imperial palace.
• Zhuge Jingcheng grows increasingly anxious as the crisis worsens and Black Qilin returns in a dreadful state.

Significant themes

• Patience versus urgency: Flowing Sand must balance the immediate need to rescue Little Juzi against the possibility that he can become a capable leader.
• Inheritance and destiny: Little Juzi is viewed not merely as an orphan to protect, but as a potential successor to the Juzi’s legacy.
• Power and choice: The mysterious swordsman offers Ning Que access to another world, but Ning Que chooses to remain committed to his current responsibilities.
• Escalating conflict: The worsening battle and Black Qilin’s injury signal that the standoff is nearing a breaking point.

Character interactions

• Luo Qingwan and other Flowing Sand members press Mu Lingfeng to attack; he counters their urgency with a case for waiting.
• Ning Que steps in to face the mysterious swordsman, exchanges blows with him, and refuses his invitation.
• Zhuge Jingcheng awaits Black Qilin, whose injured arrival coincides with news that Flowing Sand may soon storm the city.

Plot points and events

• Zhuge Jingcheng realizes Ning Que’s group has nearly escaped Qingzhou. Though the city has thousands of soldiers, Flowing Sand’s nearly ten thousand fighters surround the city, making a further attack too dangerous.
• Zhuge Qing calls to her father from below the wall. Zhuge Jingcheng aims an arrow at her but cannot bring himself to shoot, despite believing she is not his biological daughter.
• Faced with the choice of risking a battle or letting the rebels go, Zhuge Jingcheng orders the city gates opened. When a messenger invokes the Capital’s orders to stop them, Zhuge Jingcheng kills him and repeats his command.
• Ning Que and his exhausted companions leave the city and join Flowing Sand’s main force. The snowfall ends as dawn breaks, concluding their night-long escape.
• In the Capital, Minister Wang Yong learns that the rebels escaped. He tells Zhao Chengfeng and Deng Shigao that he has prepared a memorial about the Qingzhou events and the murder of the Lotus Town magistrate. The three plan to present Ning Que as a rebel at court, avoiding mention of the marriage alliance.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhuge Jingcheng shifts from pursuing the rebels to letting them go. His hesitation to shoot Zhuge Qing reveals lingering attachment, while his decisive killing of the Capital’s messenger shows he is willing to defy orders.
• Zhuge Qing stands calmly before her father’s arrow, accepting the risk rather than retreating. Her restraint and resolve affect Zhuge Jingcheng more than any argument could.
• Ning Que remains composed and resourceful, leading his battered group to safety and earning Flowing Sand’s leaders’ admiration for his strategic and military ability.
• Mu Lingfeng, Luo Qingwan, and Flowing Sand’s force receive Ning Que with emotion and excitement, seeing him as worthy of his father’s legacy.
• Wang Yong, Zhao Chengfeng, and Deng Shigao respond to the escape by shifting their political strategy: they intend to frame Ning Que as a rebel before the Empress.

Significant themes

• Conflicting loyalties: Zhuge Jingcheng’s duty to the court collides with his personal bond to Zhuge Qing.
• Power and political manipulation: The ministers use accusations of rebellion to conceal their earlier involvement in the marriage alliance.
• Unity and resistance: Ning Que’s group survives by reaching Flowing Sand, whose strength turns the balance against Qingzhou’s authorities.
• A turning point: The stopped snow and breaking dawn mark the end of the night’s struggle and the beginning of a new, more dangerous political phase.

Plot points and events

• Empress Mu Xuehuang becomes consumed by the fear that rebels will eventually overthrow her dynasty. She orders a ruthless, empire-wide campaign to kill not only bandits but anyone suspected of rebellious tendencies.
• Veteran minister Yue Zhenling argues that crackdowns cannot solve the underlying causes of banditry and urges the court to address the people’s hardship. Minister Wang Yong counters that a serious rebel threat has been identified in Qingzhou, near Flowing Sand, and presents a report and wanted portrait of Ning Que.
• Mu recognizes that ordinary bandits cannot be the powerful rebels shown in her earlier simulation. The portrait’s young subject seems a possible match, so she rushes to investigate.
• A new simulation begins. It depicts rebels confronting a fortified city. A jade-faced young man steps forward, but Mu sees that he is not Ning Que.
• The city’s defenders open the gates and let the rebels enter without a fight. The rebels do not massacre the inhabitants; instead, they replace Great Li’s flag with their own, bearing the title “Heaven-Warring Great General.”

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Xuehuang is increasingly anxious and distracted, convinced that eliminating rebels can prevent the future she fears. The simulation’s countdown briefly revives her spirits, and she focuses on identifying the rebel leader. The city’s surrender shocks and enrages her.
• Yue Zhenling displays political insight and concern for ordinary people, challenging the Empress’s purely military response.
• Wang Yong supports the Empress’s campaign and brings forward concrete evidence of rebel activity.
• Mu and her ministers clash over whether rebellion should be suppressed by force or prevented through reforms that ease popular hardship.

Significant themes

• Fear versus sound governance: Mu’s paranoia drives extreme measures, while Yue argues that injustice and poverty create the conditions for rebellion.
• Fate and attempts to change it: Mu believes she can avert the dynasty’s collapse by acting before events unfold.
• Loyalty and institutional weakness: The city’s voluntary surrender raises the possibility that Great Li’s own officials may be disloyal—or that the regime has lost its legitimacy.
• Power and symbolism: The rebels’ peaceful entry and replacement of the imperial banner signal a challenge to the dynasty beyond mere military conquest.