Chapter Summaries

Shen Yangge used the darkness, the water vat, and Little Stutterer to make the attackers believe he was a ghost, driving them to flee and helping the Imperial Guard defeat them. Afterward, he wrapped the crying baby in a dry robe and finally stepped onto the ground without pain in his tail.

• As attackers approached the water vat, the baby began crying, and Shen Yangge realized one of the men was frightened by what he saw.
• Shen Yangge stood on Little Stutterer's shoulders inside the vat and made himself appear to float while holding the baby.
• When a burly attacker swung at him and saw another eerie figure in the vat, the men panicked and fled.
• Shen Yangge climbed down, and Little Stutterer pointed out that the baby's swaddling was wet, so Shen Yangge wrapped the baby in a dry part of Chu Xuanzhen's robe.
• The Imperial Guard routed the remaining assassins, and Shen Yangge climbed from the vat and stood on the ground without pain.

Shen Yangge waited anxiously for Chu Xuanzhen to return and worried about the system’s dormancy as the refugees recovered food from the ruins. The chapter ended when Little Stutterer reported that the baby was coughing up blood.

• Shen Yangge questioned the Imperial Guards about Chu Xuanzhen’s absence, then stayed inside when they warned him it was unsafe outside.
• Little Stutterer noticed the baby looked pale and fed him softened steamed bun.
• Chu Xuanzhen returned with young men, who cleared the rubble and recovered stored provisions.
• Chu Xuanzhen comforted Shen Yangge by holding his fingers and spread his robe over a stone slab for him to sit on.
• Little Stutterer rushed over and told Shen Yangge that the baby was coughing up blood.

Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen discovered that the infant in their care had been poisoned and found medicine on the dead woman who had cared for him. As ships approached the island, they gathered their forces to advance on the City Lord's Residence and protect the realm together.

• The infant coughed up blood, and Chu Xuanzhen identified the cause as a slow-acting poison.
• Shen Yangge ordered a search of the infant's discovery site, and the Imperial Guards dug up the dead woman to find medicine that could alleviate the poison.
• Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen cared for the infant over the following days, while Chu Xuanzhen clashed with the City Lord and Shen Yangge spread rumors exposing the City's use of gunpowder.
• As ships neared the island, Chu Xuanzhen recalled his men and ordered them to advance on the City Lord's Residence.
• Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen joined hands and resolved to protect the realm, its lands, and its people together.

The City Lord learned that his soldiers had rebelled and that the people blamed him for the disaster. As soldiers faced the grieving public, Shen Yangge argued that the City Lord's orders—not the soldiers—were responsible, and the old woman turned her anger toward the official.

• A subordinate told the City Lord that his soldiers had rebelled and reported that people were accusing him of causing the disaster.
• The City Lord ordered an investigation, while the Mansion Lords realized their plan to placate the people was falling apart and feared being branded traitors.
• The people celebrated the soldiers' rebellion and condemned the City Lord for abandoning them after the disaster.
• Soldiers who had helped set off the gunpowder knelt and apologized among the rubble as an old woman beat their shoulders in grief.
• Shen Yangge told the soldiers that they had wanted to rescue people but had been held back by the City Lord's lack of orders.
• The old woman shifted her curses from the soldiers to the City Lord and mourned her son and two-month-old grandson.

Shen Yangge explained that the island’s volcano and the City Lord’s cannon drills had contributed to the disaster, then exposed the City Lord’s ties to the Western Regions Prince. The island’s soldiers and residents feared they would be branded traitors, but rallied together by declaring their loyalty to Great Chu.

• Shen Yangge told the soldiers that the island had an active volcano and that the City Lord’s cannon drills had contributed to the disaster.
• Yue Hanshan revealed that Lord Lu was the crown prince of an enemy nation and declared that he no longer served him.
• A schoolteacher from Capital City inspected Shen Yangge’s token and the personal seal, recognized them as proof of the Crown Prince’s authority, and knelt to salute him.
• Shen Yangge accused the City Lord of siding with the Western Regions Prince and urged the soldiers to prove their loyalty through their actions.
• The soldiers and residents shouted that they were not traitors and that they were people and soldiers of Great Chu.

After the City Lord sent soldiers to kill Shen Yangge and the island’s people, Shen Yangge rallied the refugees and urged them to fight until the court’s reinforcements arrived. As the defenders faltered, ordinary people of all ages volunteered to join the battle.

• The City Lord ordered his soldiers to arrest Shen Yangge and his followers, killing anyone who resisted.
• The island’s people fled to Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen’s territory as the City Lord’s forces attacked.
• Shen Yangge told the refugees that Great Chu knew of the City Lord’s treachery and had sent troops to rescue them.
• A wounded soldier reported that the outnumbered defenders were struggling against the enemy’s powerful weapons.
• An elderly veteran declared he would fight, prompting young people and other islanders to take up whatever weapons they could find.

Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen fought their way to the coast to confront Ruthis, but the Virus System revoked Shen Yangge’s dragon-transformation reward. Shen Yangge used his underwater-breathing ability to attack the Death Soldiers from the sea, where an orca helped him turn the fight.

• Shen Yangge rallied the people to fight and found weapons that another lord had taken from the rebels.
• Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen fought side by side as they made their way to the coast.
• The Virus System revoked Shen Yangge’s reward that would have let him transform into a dragon.
• Chu Xuanzhen attacked Ruthis, who recognized him as the Crown Prince of Great Chu and sent Death Soldiers after Shen Yangge.
• Shen Yangge led men toward the sea, then surfaced to strike two Death Soldiers while an orca swept the others away with its tail.

Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen fought Ruthis and his soldiers on the island as Ruthis plotted to kill Chu Xuanzhen and use the nearby Western ships to invade Great Chu. The ships halted before reaching shore, and Shen Yangge watched them with a smug grin.

• Shen Yangge stood over the water with the orca as it knocked Ruthis's death soldiers aside, while Chu Xuanzhen cut them down.
• Chu Xuanzhen pulled Shen Yangge ashore, carried him into battle, and wounded both of Ruthis's arms.
• Ruthis refused to retreat and plotted to kill Chu Xuanzhen, seize the island, and use the Western ships to attack Great Chu.
• The orca splashed seawater over Ruthis, worsening the pain in his wounded arms as the distant ships approached.
• The Western ships stopped before docking, and Shen Yangge grinned as Ruthis looked toward them.

Ruthis tried to flee after the Western ships were attacked by enormous fish, but Chu Xuanzhen pursued him. Shen Yangge and the Imperial Guards helped corner Ruthis, who stood surrounded with his Death Soldiers as Shen Yangge mocked him.

• Ruthis recognized the Western ships carrying his weapons, but enormous fish attacked them and forced the Westerners to retreat.
• Ruthis realized he was in danger and ran, while Chu Xuanzhen pursued him and the Imperial Guards fought off the Death Soldiers.
• Chu Xuanzhen carried Shen Yangge over his shoulder as they chased Ruthis, and Shen Yangge admired the sunrise along the way.
• Imperial Guards stationed along Ruthis's escape routes surrounded him, following Yue Hanshan's plan.
• Chu Xuanzhen held Shen Yangge as they faced Ruthis, and Shen Yangge mocked the trapped Western Regions Prince.

Ruthis poisoned Chu Xuanzhen with a Five-Poison Gu Worm, but Chu Xuanzhen revealed that Wu Wuji, his former master, was the Western Regions’ most powerful Gu Worm keeper. As the poison spread, Shen Yangge vowed to kill Ruthis and asked System 615 to try forcing the Virus System out.

• Ruthis released a Five-Poison Gu Worm, and Chu Xuanzhen caught it before it could reach Shen Yangge.
• The Gu Worm pierced Chu Xuanzhen’s palm and poisoned him, while Ruthis claimed the poison had no cure.
• System 615 told Shen Yangge that Chu Xuanzhen’s life was not in danger, though the poison continued spreading through his body.
• Chu Xuanzhen told Ruthis that Wu Wuji was his former master, and Ruthis recognized the name.
• Shen Yangge vowed to kill Ruthis and asked System 615 to try forcing the Virus System out.

System 615 helped Shen Yangge use his last reward to transform into a small golden dragon, while the Virus System continued interfering with them. As Chu Xuanzhen and Yue Hanshan pursued Ruthis, Ruthis threatened to order the remaining Five Poison Insects to kill Shen Yangge if they attacked him.

• System 615 infiltrated Shen Yangge’s consciousness and urged him to use his reward while the Virus System attacked.
• Shen Yangge used the reward to transform into a little golden dragon, and the Virus System’s interference prevented him from becoming huge.
• Shen Yangge guided Chu Xuanzhen and Yue Hanshan in pursuit of Ruthis, while Yue Hanshan’s men were astonished to see the Divine Dragon.
• Ruthis released the remaining Five Poison Insects and threatened to command them to poison Shen Yangge if Chu Xuanzhen killed him.
• Shen Yangge challenged Ruthis’s claim that he could not maintain his dragon form for long.

Shen Yangge thwarted Ruthis’s attempt to unleash the Five Poison Insects on everyone in the city and struck him down. Ruthis then tried to justify the Western Regions taking Linhai, and Shen Yangge knocked him flat again.

• Ruthis threatened Shen Yangge’s loved ones, while Shen Yangge noticed the Five Poison Insects multiplying on him.
• Shen Yangge warned Chu Xuanzhen, and Chu Xuanzhen ordered everyone to retreat.
• Ruthis released the Five Poison Insects, but Shen Yangge’s light slowed them and his dragon tail swept them away.
• Shen Yangge told the others to flee, then struck Ruthis and sent him crashing into the rubble.
• Ruthis argued that the Western Regions should take Linhai instead of the Westerners, and Shen Yangge knocked him down again.

Shen Yangge escaped Ruthis's explosives with Chu Xuanzhen, and their appearance as a golden dragon rallied Great Chu's forces to defeat the rebels. The ensuing fire consumed the ruins and homes, leaving Shen Yangge grieving as Chu Xuanzhen comforted him and insisted the disaster was not his fault.

• Chu Xuanzhen warned Shen Yangge that Ruthis was about to explode, and Shen Yangge flew away with him just before the explosives detonated.
• Yue Hanshan and the others saw Shen Yangge return as a golden dragon, lifting the spirits of Great Chu's soldiers and civilians.
• Great Chu's forces fought the rebels until the fighting ended, while some rebels were beaten by their own relatives.
• Shen Yangge organized the evacuation of civilians and sent soldiers to contain the fire, but the flames consumed the ruins and homes.
• Chu Xuanzhen comforted Shen Yangge, telling him that neither Ruthis's explosives nor the resulting disaster had been his fault.

After the island fire killed many civilians and soldiers’ families, Yue Hanshan rallied the survivors to keep fighting the rebels. Shen Yangge evacuated civilians, then discovered he could use water and flew back to battle the flames.

• Yue Hanshan comforted a grieving subordinate and rallied the soldiers to fight the City Lord, the rebels, and the Western Regions forces.
• Shen Yangge warned Chu Xuanzhen that the fire was flaring up again and said he would find a way to put it out while Chu Xuanzhen checked on Ruthis.
• Shen Yangge descended before the civilians and told them to retreat, assuring them their dead would have another life.
• The soldiers led the civilians to safety as Shen Yangge flew to the sea and plunged beneath the surface.
• Shen Yangge returned with a changed body and sprayed water from his tail and mouth toward the flames.

Shen Yangge discovered he could control seawater as a dragon and used the ability to extinguish the fires before confronting Ruthis. After stabbing Ruthis, he was interrupted by a boy calling him “Your Highness,” as Ruthis pulled the sword from his chest.

• Shen Yangge put out the fires by spraying seawater, then reverted to human form and fell into a puddle.
• Shen Yangge encountered Ruthis, who declared he would survive and conquer Great Chu for the Western Regions.
• Ruthis attacked Shen Yangge with his Five-Poison Gu Worms and sword, but his injuries weakened him.
• Shen Yangge blasted Ruthis with water and drove his sword into Ruthis's chest.
• A curly-haired boy called Shen Yangge “Your Highness,” and Ruthis pulled the sword from his chest.

Nan Jiaxi rescued the gravely wounded Ruthis from Shen Yangge and escaped with him by boat. Ruthis awoke and warned Nan Jiaxi not to touch the Gu Worms in his wound, which would heal on its own.

• Nan Jiaxi deflected Shen Yangge's sword and carried Ruthis away at great speed.
• Shen Yangge chased them to Linhai, where a child led him through a ruined house to the shore.
• Shen Yangge attacked Nan Jiaxi as he tried to put Ruthis in a fishing boat, but a pebble knocked the stick from Shen Yangge's hand and Nan Jiaxi rowed away.
• Nan Jiaxi panicked when Ruthis stopped responding, but Ruthis opened his eyes and told him he was fine.
• Nan Jiaxi tried to bandage Ruthis's chest wound, and Ruthis stopped him and explained that Gu Worms in his body would heal it and could kill Nan Jiaxi if touched.

Nan Jiaxi paddled Ruthis away as insects covered him, while Shen Yangge rescued an orphan and joined Chu Xuanzhen and Yue Hanshan after the rebellion was crushed. Shen Yangge confronted the captured City Lord about serving the Western Regions and warned him that death would not spare him from punishment.

• Nan Jiaxi paddled Ruthis away while insects spread over Ruthis's chest.
• Shen Yangge watched Ruthis and Nan Jiaxi escape, then agreed to take a homeless child somewhere safer.
• Shen Yangge met Chu Xuanzhen and Yue Hanshan after the fires were extinguished and the City Lord, his followers, and the rebels were captured.
• Yue Hanshan restrained the crowd from stoning the City Lord before the imperial court issued its sentence.
• Chu Xuanzhen stood beside Shen Yangge and pushed the child away when the child tried to approach him.
• Shen Yangge questioned the City Lord about serving the Western Regions and threatened him with the Eighteen Layers of Hell and the Ghost Gate.

The City Lord discovered that Chu Xuanzhen was the Crown Prince, who sentenced him and his household to execution for their crimes. Shen Yangge confronted the City Lord over the people he had abandoned to die, and the enraged commoners began throwing stones at him.

• The City Lord recognized Chu Xuanzhen as the Crown Prince, and Yue Hanshan and the commoners knelt to greet him.
• Chu Xuanzhen sentenced the City Lord's household to execution and condemned the City Lord to death under several forms of torture.
• Shen Yangge kicked the City Lord and rejected his plea to spare his family, reminding him of the innocent people harmed by his actions.
• The City Lord fell silent as Shen Yangge denounced his refusal to rescue people buried beneath the rubble, and the commoners resumed throwing stones.

Chu Xuanzhen treated Shen Yangge’s lingering hand injury, and the next day the townspeople watched the condemned City Lord and his accomplices face execution. Wang Chunfang pleaded that she and her unborn child were innocent, but the townspeople exposed her crimes and she was dragged to her death.

• Chu Xuanzhen noticed the bruise on Shen Yangge’s hand, held him still, and applied ointment.
• The City Lord died during the fourth round of torture at the execution grounds.
• Wang Chunfang claimed she was innocent and unrelated to the City Lord, but townspeople accused her of abusing and killing women.
• Wang Chunfang begged for her life and invoked her unborn child, while an old woman struck her and the crowd cursed her.
• The executioners dragged Wang Chunfang onto the platform, and she continued pleading for her child until her death.

After returning from the Northern States, Shen Yangge was kept under guard in the palace while Chu Xuanzhen dealt with officials pressing him to ascend the throne. The chapter ended with Shen Yangge still unable to leave his confinement.

• Relief supplies reached the island, and Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen set out for the capital.
• At the city gate, guards recognized Chu Xuanzhen’s token, and women later stopped their carriage to plead for justice; Chu Xuanzhen promised to investigate.
• Shen Yangge asked to visit his family, but Chu Xuanzhen said he would accompany him in a few days.
• Chu Xuanzhen confined Shen Yangge under constant watch, while Su Shang brought the exhausted body double back after he fled the capital.
• Chu Xuanzhen told suspicious ministers that he had stayed in the palace and that the man seen in the Northern States had been his body double.
• Ministers urged Chu Xuanzhen to ascend the throne as foreign envoys arrived, while Shen Yangge remained confined and could not even take a walk.