Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan reunited in Skywave City, raced up the Treasure Pagoda, and discussed their past encounters. Xi Yan proposed that Hu Xiaotian become her fiancé in name only, but he suspected she was setting a trap.

• Xi Yan used a flock of crows to stop Hu Xiaotian from escaping and reminded him that he had wronged her more than she had harmed him.
• Xi Yan took Hu Xiaotian up the Treasure Pagoda, where they raced to the spire and she arrived first.
• Hu Xiaotian gave Xi Yan his Fur Cloak, and they joked about his having become a eunuch and about the embroidered ball he had split.
• Xi Yan said Hu Xiaotian had ruined her marriage prospects by splitting the ball and asked him to be her fiancé in name only.
• Hu Xiaotian questioned Xi Yan's motives and objected that an engagement should involve mutual consent and his parents.

Xi Yan revealed that she had been asked by someone close to her to kill Hu Xiaotian, but instead forced him to accept her embroidered ball and marry her. After their playful vows atop the Treasure Pagoda, Xi Yan left with Hu Xiaotian’s cloak, and he returned safely to the post station, where Princess Anping rushed to meet him.

• Xi Yan threatened Hu Xiaotian and his companions unless he accepted her embroidered ball and married her.
• Xi Yan told Hu Xiaotian that someone close to her had asked her to kill him, but she had decided not to hurt him.
• Hu Xiaotian proposed that they marry atop the Treasure Pagoda, and Xi Yan agreed after teasing him.
• Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan knelt and exchanged vows, but Xi Yan flew away, laughing that she had been joking and taking his cloak.
• Wen Boyuan sent three hundred warriors to search for Hu Xiaotian and asked Governor Wang Wenyou to help find him.
• Hu Xiaotian returned safely to the post station, and Princess Anping hurried to greet him with red, swollen eyes.

Hu Xiaotian returned safely after pursuing the woman who attacked him, then shared a private meal with Princess Anping and agreed to paint her portrait for his contest with Wen Boyuan. Later, Zhan Peng confronted him under Wen Boyuan’s watch, and Hu Xiaotian turned the encounter into a public clash.

• Princess Anping welcomed Hu Xiaotian back and summoned him to her room, while Wen Boyuan criticized him for leaving her unprotected during the pursuit.
• Hu Xiaotian and Wu Jingshan discussed Hu Xiaotian’s painting contest with Wen Boyuan, and Wen Boyuan prepared to work through the night.
• Princess Anping questioned Hu Xiaotian about the woman who had thrown the fireball, and he reassured her before agreeing to paint her portrait the next morning.
• Hu Xiaotian saw Wen Boyuan’s room still lit and then encountered Zhan Peng and Zhao Chongwu on patrol.
• Hu Xiaotian ordered Zhan Peng to kneel, and Wen Boyuan arrived to defend his men and rebuke Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian prepared to face Wen Boyuan in a painting contest, while Long Xiyue worried about his honor and offered him her own portrait. Hu Xiaotian chose to paint Long Xiyue himself, and as Wu Jingshan praised Wen Boyuan’s finished work, Hu Xiaotian was still painting in the courtyard.

• Wen Boyuan praised Zhan Peng and privately ordered him to watch Hu Xiaotian and report anything suspicious.
• Long Xiyue urged Hu Xiaotian to take the painting contest seriously and showed him a self-portrait she had made as a backup.
• Hu Xiaotian refused to use Long Xiyue’s painting and persuaded her to pose for him, then began painting her clothed portrait.
• Zhan Peng reported to Wen Boyuan that Hu Xiaotian was still painting at the princess’s residence.
• Wu Jingshan arrived near noon and praised Wen Boyuan’s completed portrait of Princess Anping.

Hu Xiaotian challenged Wen Boyuan’s portrait with an unfamiliar sketching technique, while Wu Jingshan tried to arrange a judging panel. The portraits were revealed to the crowd, whose astonishment at Hu Xiaotian’s sketch left the contest’s result undecided.

• Wu Jingshan told Wen Boyuan that Hu Xiaotian had painted Princess Anping from life, making Wen Boyuan jealous and uncertain about the judging.
• Wu Jingshan proposed that Princess Anping, Wang Wenyou, and he judge the contest, but Hu Xiaotian objected to letting the princess participate.
• Hu Xiaotian proposed an anonymous public vote using copper coins, and Wen Boyuan agreed to the arrangement.
• Wang Wenyou displayed both portraits with their signatures covered, and the gathered officials and guards prepared to vote.
• The crowd saw Hu Xiaotian’s sketch and was awestruck by its novel technique, while Wen Boyuan’s traditional portrait showed greater conventional painting skill.

Hu Xiaotian won the portrait contest against Wen Boyuan, but Long Xiyue stopped him from forcing Wen to honor their humiliating wager. After a private reconciliation with the princess, Hu arranged for Wen Boyuan’s painting to be destroyed and asked Wang Wenyou to help an old friend.

• The voters overwhelmingly chose Hu Xiaotian’s lifelike portrait, and he challenged Wen Boyuan to admit defeat and bark like a dog as they had wagered.
• Long Xiyue ended the confrontation and summoned Hu Xiaotian to her room, sparing Wen Boyuan from public humiliation.
• Hu Xiaotian and Long Xiyue shared an affectionate moment before Snowball’s barking interrupted them.
• Wang Wenyou returned the portraits, and Hu Xiaotian told Zijuan to deliver his portrait to Long Xiyue and destroy Wen Boyuan’s.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Wang Wenyou to arrange help for an old friend living on the streets in Skywave City.

Hu Xiaotian met Yang Lingqi at his painting stall and learned how corrupt officials had destroyed Yang’s family and forced him to flee. After hearing that Xu Qinglian had regained power under Li Tianheng’s rule, Hu Xiaotian resolved to avenge the injustice; Yang remained in Skywave City, struggling to earn money and hoping to clear his parents’ names.

• Hu Xiaotian asked Wang Wenyou to discreetly look after Yang Lingqi, then went to visit Yang at his painting stall while Zhan Peng followed him.
• Hu Xiaotian invited Yang Lingqi to the Many Flavors House, where Yang described the mounted bandits’ attack, his parents’ deaths, and his belief that corrupt officials had conspired against them.
• Yang Lingqi told Hu Xiaotian that Xu Qinglian and his gang had been restored to power after Li Tianheng’s military revolt, and that they had retaliated against Hu’s former associates.
• Yang Lingqi explained that Li Tianheng’s purge had forced him to flee Western Sichuan, and that he had arrived in Skywave City penniless while hoping to earn enough to continue to the Capital City.

Hu Xiaotian offered to help Yang Lingqi recover his injured hand, and Yang Lingqi warned him about the dangers surrounding his journey to Great Yong. Yang Lingqi refused to join him, advised him to turn back and protect his life, and left Hu Xiaotian to continue toward Yong Capital.

• Hu Xiaotian examined Yang Lingqi's crippled right hand and said it might recover with surgery and rehabilitation.
• Hu Xiaotian promised to arrange Yang Lingqi's treatment in Capital City after returning from Great Yong, and Yang Lingqi agreed to owe him a painting.
• Yang Lingqi explained how a possible Great Yong alliance with Black Hu and the succession struggle between Xue Chuandao and Xue Chuanming could endanger Princess Anping's marriage mission.
• Hu Xiaotian invited Yang Lingqi to travel with him, but Yang Lingqi refused and urged him to feign illness and withdraw from the journey.
• Hu Xiaotian said he had to accompany Princess Anping to Yong Capital, and Yang Lingqi warned him not to let emotion endanger his life before taking his leave.

Hu Xiaotian prepared to continue the marriage escort mission north after parting from Yang Lingqi and reconnecting with the Tang brothers, while he and Long Xiyue shared an emotional promise. The party departed Skywave City through worsening snow, and Hu Xiaotian warned Wen Boyuan that bandits were known to appear in Black Pine Forest.

• Yang Lingqi gave Hu Xiaotian his prized landscape painting to present to Xue Shengjing, Prince Yan of Great Yong, and Hu Xiaotian resolved to help Yang Lingqi when he returned.
• Hu Xiaotian encountered the Tang brothers, Zhou Mo, and Tang Qingxuan, who was disguised as a man; he paid their bill, while Tang Qingxuan remarked that he seemed changed.
• Princess Anping praised Yang Lingqi's paintings, and Hu Xiaotian promised Long Xiyue that he would find a way to take her away and keep her happy.
• Wang Wenyou escorted Hu Xiaotian's party out of Skywave City and warned the Marriage Escort Envoys about bandits in the sparsely settled northern country.
• As the party pressed onward through fierce wind and ice pellets, Hu Xiaotian consulted Zhu Ba's map, rode to the front, and warned Wen Boyuan that Black Pine Forest lay ahead and bandits often appeared there.

Wen Boyuan insisted that the procession cross the Black Pine Forest despite Hu Xiaotian’s warnings, but the snow-covered paths and early darkness forced them to camp in the forest. Hu Xiaotian arranged for Zhou Mo to guard Princess Anping as the travelers settled in for the night.

• Wen Boyuan sent scouts and archers ahead, then chose to enter the Black Pine Forest rather than camp outside it.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Wen Boyuan that darkness and the forest’s tangled paths could leave the procession stranded, but Wen Boyuan pressed on.
• Zhao Zhihe lost track of the road as snow and fading light obscured the forest, so Wen Boyuan consulted Wu Jingshan and decided to camp until morning.
• Princess Anping agreed to stop for the night after Wu Jingshan informed her of the decision.
• Hu Xiaotian ordered Zhou Mo to remain by Princess Anping’s carriage and threatened Tang Tiehan to ensure he complied.
• Wen Boyuan visited Princess Anping’s tent after camp was established, but she answered him perfunctorily from inside.

After the party entered Black Pine Forest despite Hu Xiaotian’s warnings, he shared roast lamb and wine with Wu Jingshan while trying to turn him against Wen Boyuan. Wu Jingshan remained outwardly neutral, but Hu’s warning about danger to Princess Anping left him uneasy as the party camped in the forest.

• Long Xiyue and Zijuan joined Hu Xiaotian by the bonfire, where he explained that he had brought live sheep to feed the party on the desolate road.
• Hu Xiaotian invited Wu Jingshan to share roast lamb and wine, while Princess Anping returned to her tent with her portion.
• Hu Xiaotian reminded Wu Jingshan that he had won the painting contest and criticized Wen Boyuan for bringing the party into Black Pine Forest instead of waiting until morning.
• Hu Xiaotian showed Wu Jingshan the Greenwood Forces Map, which marked Black Pine Forest as a place where robbers and bandits often appeared.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Wu Jingshan that Wen Boyuan might have a sinister plan and that Wu would bear responsibility if anything happened to Princess Anping.
• Wu Jingshan recognized Hu Xiaotian’s attempt to sow discord, stayed noncommittal, and continued eating and drinking.

Hu Xiaotian and the escort fought off a night-owl attack on Princess Anping’s camp, then suspected the birds had been directed by a Beast Tamer. The chapter ended with Hu Xiaotian urging Wu Jingshan to persuade Wen Boyuan to leave as soon as possible.

• Hu Xiaotian stayed awake with Zhou Mo and spoke with Wen Boyuan after Wen shot a night owl near the camp.
• Hundreds of night owls surrounded the camp, and Wen Boyuan’s shout triggered their attack before the escort was fully prepared.
• Hu Xiaotian, Zhou Mo, and the escort fought back until most of the owls were killed or driven away.
• Hu Xiaotian comforted Princess Anping, took her dagger for safekeeping, and told her she could trust Zhou Mo.
• Hu Xiaotian told Wu Jingshan that the owls’ attack might have been directed by a Beast Tamer, and Wu agreed they should leave quickly.

Hu Xiaotian confronted Wen Boyuan’s disrespectful warriors, then a sudden smoke attack forced the camp to flee and left him trapped by apparent traitors. His attackers’ blades could not pierce him, but the ambush remained underway as an unknown archer killed one assailant.

• Hu Xiaotian warned Dong Tieshan and the other warriors to quiet down, then knocked Dong into the snow when he openly defied him.
• Wen Boyuan stopped Dong from attacking Hu Xiaotian and reprimanded his men, but thick smoke suddenly spread through the camp.
• Wen Boyuan ordered everyone to protect the princess and retreat, while warriors escorted Hu Xiaotian through the smoke.
• Battle cries sounded from the woods, and two warriors holding Hu Xiaotian let another attacker thrust a sword at his back.
• Hu Xiaotian’s body repelled the sword, and his kick sent the attacker into a tree before an unknown archer shot him dead.
• The two warriors gripping Hu Xiaotian stabbed him with daggers, but their blades also failed to pierce his body.

Hu Xiaotian survived Wen Boyuan’s attempt to kill him in the Black Pine Forest, aided by Zhan Peng, and reunited with the others after the staged bandit attack. He resolved to kill Wen Boyuan, while Wen Boyuan realized his assassins had failed and suspected Hu Xiaotian knew what happened.

• Hu Xiaotian escaped the ambush by using his Black Silkworm Armor and killing the attackers, while Zhan Peng covered him with arrows and led him out of the smoke.
• Zhan Peng told Hu Xiaotian that the attackers were Divine Strategy Office warriors, and Hu Xiaotian recognized the attack as Wen Boyuan’s plot.
• Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng returned to the group after the remaining bandits fled, and Hu Xiaotian reunited with the worried Long Xiyue.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhou Mo that Wen Boyuan had staged the attack and decided he would kill him, though he cautioned Zhou Mo to wait until they could act safely.
• Wen Boyuan examined the corpses of his failed assassins and questioned what had happened, while Hu Xiaotian feigned ignorance and urged that the men be buried properly.

After a night ambush, Hu Xiaotian suspected Zhao Zhihe of helping Wen Boyuan and killed him when Zhao tried to call for help. Tang Qingxuan witnessed the killing, and Hu Xiaotian tried to conceal it by claiming Zhao had attempted to assault her, while Wen Boyuan turned his threatening gaze on her.

• Hu Xiaotian staged a clumsy arrow shot at a dead bandit, deepening Wen Boyuan's suspicions, and the survivors counted five of their dead and twelve wounded.
• Hu Xiaotian confronted Zhao Zhihe beside a stream and accused him of leading the party into the Black Pine Forest and conspiring with Wen Boyuan.
• Hu Xiaotian seized Zhao Zhihe and threatened him for information about another ambush, then stabbed him in the neck when Zhao tried to shout for help.
• Tang Qingxuan witnessed the killing, and Hu Xiaotian threatened her and pulled her close as warriors rushed over.
• Hu Xiaotian claimed Zhao had tried to rape Tang Qingxuan, while Wen Boyuan tried and failed to save Zhao, then fixed Tang with a murderous stare.

Hu Xiaotian killed Zhao Zhihe and used the ensuing conflict with Wen Boyuan to strengthen Princess Anping’s protection of Tang Qingxuan. After the party traveled peacefully for several days, it stopped at the abandoned Lu Family Village, where Wen Boyuan eyed the ominous entrance.

• Hu Xiaotian encouraged the clash between Wen Boyuan and the Tang siblings, while Tang Tiehan admitted he had brought Tang Qingxuan disguised as a man.
• Princess Anping arrived, ordered the armed men to stand down, and declared that she had invited Tang Qingxuan and would answer for her.
• Princess Anping took Tang Qingxuan under her protection, and Hu Xiaotian told Zhou Mo that Zhao Zhihe had likely connected Wen Boyuan to the bandits.
• Princess Anping invited Tang Qingxuan into her carriage and announced they had become sworn sisters as the party left Black Pine Forest safely.
• Wu Jingshan grew uneasy about the dangers and possible conspiracy behind the journey as the party traveled north through deserted country.
• Wen Boyuan stopped the party at dusk outside the abandoned Lu Family Village and watched a crow fly away from its rotting entrance.

After Hu Xiaotian killed Zhao Zhihe, Wen Boyuan tried to seize Tang Qingxuan and clashed with the Tang brothers. Tang Qingxuan testified that Zhao Zhihe had assaulted her, but Wen Boyuan’s threats drove both sides to the brink of violence as archers prepared to shoot.

• Tang Tiehan and Tang Tiexin arrived as Tang Qingxuan fled to them, while Wen Boyuan ordered her seized and Hu Xiaotian admitted killing Zhao Zhihe.
• Wen Boyuan ordered his men to arrest all three Tang siblings after Tang Tiehan drew his saber to protect his sister.
• Wu Jingshan arrived, and Tang Qingxuan testified that Zhao Zhihe had tried to molest her before Hu Xiaotian killed him in her defense.
• Wen Boyuan accused Hu Xiaotian and Tang Qingxuan of conspiring, prompting Tang Tiehan and the Tang crew to threaten to quit rather than accept further abuse.
• Wen Boyuan ordered archers to prepare to shoot anyone who abandoned his post, and Tang Tiehan challenged him as the archers drew their bows.

As the escort party traveled toward the border, Wen Boyuan proposed changing their route to avoid unrest in Wuxing Commandery, prompting Hu Xiaotian to suspect his motives. Hu Xiaotian told Wu Jingshan that Wen Boyuan had staged the Black Pine Forest ambush, leaving Wu Jingshan reconsidering the incident.

• Wen Boyuan ordered the party to shelter overnight in Lu Family Village, where Long Xiyue and Hu Xiaotian spoke privately about their journey and the approaching border.
• Wen Boyuan proposed bypassing Wuxing Commandery because of civil unrest and crossing into Great Yong at Azure Dragon Bay via Peak Forest Gorge.
• Hu Xiaotian challenged Wen Boyuan's new route, while Wu Jingshan worried about passing through the Turbid Water Gang's territory.
• After Wen Boyuan left, Hu Xiaotian told Wu Jingshan he distrusted the general and believed Wen Boyuan had arranged the Black Pine Forest ambush.
• Hu Xiaotian recounted how Wen Boyuan had insisted they enter the snow-covered forest late in the day and questioned why so few bandits had attacked their five hundred warriors.

At Lu Family Village, Long Xiyue and Hu Xiaotian reflected on their journey toward Great Yong while Wen Boyuan proposed changing the route to avoid unrest in Wuxing Commandery. Hu Xiaotian distrusted Wen Boyuan and told Wu Jingshan that Wen had staged the ambush at Black Pine Forest, leaving Wu to reconsider the accusation.

• Wen Boyuan sent scouts into Lu Family Village, and they found it abandoned before the party settled in for the night.
• Long Xiyue and Hu Xiaotian watched the sunset and discussed their journey, the approaching border, and Long Xiyue’s fear that she would never see spring in Great Kang again.
• Wen Boyuan proposed bypassing Wuxing Commandery and traveling through Peak Forest Gorge to cross the Yong River at Azure Dragon Bay, citing unrest near Wuxing Commandery.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Wu Jingshan that Wen Boyuan’s concern for the princess did not necessarily extend to them, and Wu urged him not to make accusations without evidence.
• Hu Xiaotian argued that Wen Boyuan had orchestrated the Black Pine Forest ambush, citing his decision to enter the snow-covered forest too late in the day; Wu Jingshan began to see some merit in the claim.

Hu Xiaotian warned Wu Jingshan that the bandit attack and reports of unrest might be part of a plot to change their route, then advised Tang Qingxuan to leave the escort party. Tang refused to abandon Princess Anping, while Hu Xiaotian and Long Xiyue shared a private conversation that ended with her saying she had no choice left.

• Hu Xiaotian told Wu Jingshan the bandit attack seemed staged to create confusion and revealed someone had tried to assassinate him during the camp move.
• Hu Xiaotian urged Wu Jingshan to verify reports of unrest in Wuxing Commandery before deciding whether to change their route.
• Hu Xiaotian thanked Tang Qingxuan for supporting him and warned her that her exposed identity and dispute with Wen Boyuan made the journey dangerous.
• Tang Qingxuan refused to return to the Kang Capital because she had vowed to accompany Princess Anping to the Yong Capital, despite Tang Tiehan's support for Hu Xiaotian's advice.
• Hu Xiaotian recalled his paired lines with Long Xiyue, and Long Xiyue said there was no choice left.