Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian rescued Li Chang'an from the frozen lake, and Li Chang'an spared him and warned him about Sumeru Heaven before leaving on the Snow Eagle. Hu Xiaotian found help in the Reed Marsh, but the rescuers set the dry reeds ablaze, trapping him behind a wall of fire.

• Hu Xiaotian overcame his hesitation, pulled Li Chang'an from the lake, and used an Origin-Returning Pill and his internal energy to revive him.
• The Snow Eagle attacked Hu Xiaotian, but Li Chang'an stopped it and acknowledged that Hu Xiaotian had saved his life.
• Li Chang'an told Hu Xiaotian that Sumeru Heaven had killed his wife, Qingling, warned him to stay away from her, and flew off on the Snow Eagle.
• Hu Xiaotian wandered through the Reed Marsh until he heard warriors calling for him and answered them.
• The warriors shot flaming arrows into the dry reeds, starting a fast-spreading fire that trapped Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian escaped the burning reed beds with Sumeru Heaven, then killed Dong Tieshan and watched her slaughter the other warriors. As they fled from approaching riders, Sumeru Heaven remained wounded and wary of him, while Hu Xiaotian wondered whether Le Yao’s consciousness still lingered within her.

• Sumeru Heaven found Hu Xiaotian in the flames and led him out beneath a fire-resistant cloak, using the Ice-Soul Asura Art to withstand the heat.
• Hu Xiaotian and Sumeru Heaven overheard Dong Tieshan and his warriors mocking Hu Xiaotian’s supposed death, then burst from the fire and attacked them.
• Hu Xiaotian killed Dong Tieshan, and Sumeru Heaven killed the remaining warriors after Hu Xiaotian hesitated to finish them himself.
• Hu Xiaotian noticed Sumeru Heaven’s reopened shoulder wound and carried her away, then hid with her when he heard riders approaching.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized Zhan Peng and Tang Tiehan among the riders, but Sumeru Heaven stopped him from calling out and accused him of betraying her before.

After escaping Li Chang'an, Sumeru Heaven and Hu Xiaotian took shelter in an abandoned cottage, where he treated her shoulder wound. Their conversation turned to her reason for seeking him out, and Hu Xiaotian pressed his claim that she could not summon and dismiss him at will.

• Hu Xiaotian carried the exhausted Sumeru Heaven to an abandoned cottage near Cangmu City and fetched water while she rested.
• Hu Xiaotian cleaned and treated the wound Li Chang'an's Lone Moon Slash had pierced through Sumeru Heaven's shoulder.
• Sumeru Heaven and Hu Xiaotian teased each other as they discussed her Flame-Repelling Cloak and her connection to Wen Boyuan and Wen Ya.
• Hu Xiaotian asked why Sumeru Heaven had arranged to meet him at the City God Temple, and her embarrassment suggested she had wanted an intimate encounter.
• After Sumeru Heaven extinguished the lamp, Hu Xiaotian touched her despite her protests, and she held a hand to his throat while warning him she could kill him.
• Hu Xiaotian told Sumeru Heaven that she could not do whatever she pleased or treat him like a tool she could summon and dismiss.

After spending the night with Sumeru Heaven, Hu Xiaotian found her farewell message and returned safely to Cangmu City. He reunited with Xiong Tianba, met naval general Zhao Wusheng, and learned that Long Xiyue was anxiously waiting for him.

• Sumeru Heaven left Hu Xiaotian a message reading “Never to meet again,” and Hu Xiaotian wrote that they would reunite one day.
• Hu Xiaotian disguised himself in worn clothes and encountered Xiong Tianba's party searching for him outside Cangmu City.
• Xiong Tianba told Hu Xiaotian that Long Xiyue had vowed not to go to Great Yong unless he was found, and that Zhao Wusheng had arrived with the navy's ships prepared.
• Hu Xiaotian met Zhao Wusheng, who hinted that they had once traveled together on the Heaven-Reaching River, prompting Hu Xiaotian to suspect he was connected to Ji Feihua's plans.
• Long Xiyue waited anxiously for Hu Xiaotian to return while Zhou Mo reassured her that he was safe.

Hu Xiaotian returned safely and persuaded Wu Jingshan that Wen Boyuan had repeatedly tried to kill him and posed a danger to Princess Anping. He urged Wu to question Wen Boyuan’s role in protecting the princess, but Wu was unsure how to challenge the emperor’s appointment.

• Hu Xiaotian met Wu Jingshan, ate a bowl of noodles, and claimed that Li Chang'an had abducted him before Wen Boyuan tried to kill them both with arrows.
• Hu Xiaotian told Wu Jingshan that Wen Boyuan’s forces had set Green Gauze Marsh on fire while he was escaping.
• Hu Xiaotian recounted earlier incidents during the escort journey and argued that Wen Boyuan had repeatedly used them to endanger him.
• Hu Xiaotian accused Wen Boyuan of coveting Princess Anping and warned that he might target Wu Jingshan next.
• Wu Jingshan promised to watch Wen Boyuan but said he did not know how they could overturn the emperor’s order assigning Wen to protect the princess.

Hu Xiaotian warned Wu Jingshan that Wen Boyuan might be manipulating the escort party, and Wu grew wary when Wen arrived with Zhao Wusheng and proposed adding two hundred Navy warriors. Wu rejected the reinforcements and asserted his authority, then insisted that Princess Anping must approve any change.

• Hu Xiaotian suggested that Wen Boyuan had leaked the princess's itinerary to Zhao Dengyun and urged Wu Jingshan to use trusted men for protection.
• When Wen Boyuan arrived with Zhao Wusheng, Hu Xiaotian ignored him and left, while Wu questioned how the Navy had learned about the crossing.
• Zhao Wusheng explained that Wen Boyuan had contacted his uncle, and Wen announced that two hundred elite warriors would join the escort.
• Wu Jingshan refused the reinforcements, saying the emperor had chosen the party and that he alone was responsible for the mission.
• Wen Boyuan argued that the extra troops were needed to protect Princess Anping, and Wu replied that they could proceed only if she approved.

Hu Xiaotian returned to camp and reunited with Long Xiyue after she spent the night worrying about him. As they set out to visit Phoenix Terrace, Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng discussed Wen Boyuan’s threat and their plans to cross the Yong River.

• Hu Xiaotian learned that Zhan Peng had saved him from Wen Boyuan’s attempted murder, but had exposed himself in the process.
• Tang Qingxuan said she would stay behind to care for her supposedly ill third brother, while Long Xiyue learned Hu Xiaotian had returned and tearfully reconciled with him.
• Wen Boyuan requested an urgent audience, but Long Xiyue refused to see him, and Zhou Mo noticed Wen Boyuan exchange a meaningful look with Zijuan.
• Long Xiyue invited Hu Xiaotian to visit Phoenix Terrace, and he arranged for Zhou Mo, Zhan Peng, and Xiong Tianba to accompany them.
• Zhan Peng said he would continue traveling with Hu Xiaotian despite Wen Boyuan’s threat, and Hu Xiaotian said they would cross the Yong River to leave the danger behind.

At Phoenix Terrace, Hu Xiaotian reassured Long Xiyue that he had a plan to rescue her and told her to agree when Wen Boyuan asked to replace her guards, while publicly creating discord with her. Wen Boyuan arrived and confronted them, and Hu Xiaotian accused him of nearly shooting him the previous night.

• Long Xiyue showed Hu Xiaotian Emperor Taizong’s broken stone tablet, and Hu Xiaotian recited “Riverfront Immortal” at her request.
• Long Xiyue confessed that she loved Hu Xiaotian, and he promised they would leave the world together if she died.
• Hu Xiaotian told Long Xiyue to agree when Wen Boyuan asked to replace the Tang Family Brothers and their men, and said they needed to appear at odds.
• Wen Boyuan rode to Phoenix Terrace with more than a hundred men, and Hu Xiaotian ordered Xiong Tianba to let him pass.
• Long Xiyue defended Wen Boyuan’s protection of her, and Hu Xiaotian accused Wen Boyuan of nearly killing him with an arrow the previous night.

Hu Xiaotian and Wen Boyuan clashed before Princess Anping, who publicly reprimanded Hu Xiaotian while covertly supporting his plan. Afterward, Hu Xiaotian told Zhan Peng that he intended to rescue the princess and eliminate Wen Boyuan during the crossing of the Yong River, where Ji Feihua had arranged for Wen Boyuan’s vessel to run into trouble.

• Wen Boyuan accused Hu Xiaotian of colluding with Sumeru Heaven, while Hu Xiaotian denied the charge and the two argued over adding Zhao Wusheng’s two hundred warriors to their party.
• Hu Xiaotian exposed Wen Boyuan’s improper feelings for the princess, prompting Long Xiyue to order Hu Xiaotian to kneel and leave in anger.
• After Long Xiyue departed, Hu Xiaotian told Zhan Peng that he had set out both to free the princess and to eliminate Wen Boyuan.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed that Ji Feihua had ordered him to kill Wen Boyuan at a river crossing and that Wen Boyuan could not swim.
• Hu Xiaotian said he expected someone to sabotage the crossing so that Wen Boyuan’s vessel would get into trouble, and Zhan Peng asked whether he planned to use the chance to rescue the princess.

Hu Xiaotian planned with Zhan Peng to protect the princess and deal with Wen Boyuan during the coming danger, while Hu Buwei and Xu Fengyi worried about their son at home. Ji Feihua visited the couple and questioned Hu Buwei about the old Chu Yuanhai Case, hinting that the emperor cared more about himself than Great Kang.

• Hu Xiaotian told Zhan Peng that the princess's boat would likely be targeted and assigned him to help protect her and prevent Wen Boyuan's allies from rescuing him.
• Hu Buwei comforted Xu Fengyi as she grieved over Hu Xiaotian's dangerous journey and feared that their son would return to save them.
• Ji Feihua visited Hu Buwei and Xu Fengyi, offered to help them, and asked Hu Buwei about the Chu Yuanhai Case and missing wealth.
• Ji Feihua suggested that someone had concealed Chu Yuanhai's fortune and told Hu Buwei that the emperor cared about himself rather than Great Kang.

Ji Feihua questioned Hu Buwei and Xu Fengyi about the Chu Yuanhai Case and the Xu Family, then arranged for Xu Fengyi to carry a letter to her mother in Jinling. He also ordered He Renxing to escort her and confirmed that preparations in the north were complete, leaving his plans uncertain.

• Ji Feihua questioned Hu Buwei and Xu Fengyi about the deaths connected to the Chu Yuanhai Case and the Xu Family’s past ties to Chu Yuanhai.
• Ji Feihua raised rumors that Chu Yuanhai was adopted by Old Madam Xu and that she had traveled soon after his downfall, unsettling Xu Fengyi and Hu Buwei.
• Ji Feihua warned Hu Buwei that the emperor suspected him and asked about the Retired Emperor’s rumored underground treasury.
• Ji Feihua gave Xu Fengyi a letter for Old Madam Xu and ordered her to travel to Jinling the day after tomorrow.
• Ji Feihua told He Renxing to escort Xu Fengyi and learned that preparations in the north were complete.

Hu Xiaotian met Zhao Wusheng to discuss the princess’s river crossing and suspected that Ji Feihua was arranging an attempt to drown Wen Boyuan. As the crossing approached, Hu Xiaotian prepared Long Xiyue to escape and left the outcome uncertain.

• Zhao Wusheng told Hu Xiaotian that two boats and two hundred skilled swimmers would escort the princess’s belongings and accompany the crossing, though he planned to leave Cangmu that night.
• Zhao Wusheng hinted that a boat might capsize in the Yong River’s hidden currents, and Hu Xiaotian suspected the crossing would be used to kill Wen Boyuan.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhou Mo to protect Long Xiyue and help her escape if danger arose, while admitting he did not know what would happen.
• Long Xiyue asked Hu Xiaotian whether he was angry with her, and he gave her a Water Suit and Human-Skin Mask for the crossing.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Long Xiyue to have Zijuan help with his precautions, and Long Xiyue agreed to let Zijuan prove herself.

Hu Xiaotian arranged for Zijuan to impersonate Princess Anping so he could carry out a plan against Wen Boyuan at the Yong River. The escort set out through the fog toward Azure Dragon Bay, while Wu Jingshan remained uneasy about the journey.

• Hu Xiaotian persuaded Zijuan to disguise herself as Princess Anping and warned her to keep the plan secret.
• Hu Xiaotian welcomed the thick fog as an opportunity to eliminate Wen Boyuan and rescue the princess, while Zhou Mo prepared to help him.
• Wu Jingshan and Wen Boyuan disagreed over when to depart, but the escort left for Azure Dragon Bay with Wen Boyuan in command.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhou Mo to watch Zijuan closely as the party traveled through the thinning fog.
• Wu Jingshan questioned his retainer Wu Kui about how much farther they had to go to Azure Dragon Bay.

The bridal escort reached Azure Dragon Bay, where Feng Changzheng prepared ships to carry Princess Anping and her party across the river. Wen Boyuan arranged to travel on a separate ship, prompting Hu Xiaotian to suspect his intentions and board that vessel with Xiong Anmin, Xiong Tianba, and soldiers.

• Feng Changzheng welcomed Wen Boyuan and reported that the crossing was ready and Great Yong's Navy would meet them at Nanyang Stockade.
• Wen Boyuan assigned himself and Wu Jingshan to one ship while Princess Anping and Hu Xiaotian were assigned to the other, surprising Hu Xiaotian.
• Princess Anping and Zijuan boarded in exchanged outfits, and Zijuan nearly fell on the gangplank as Long Xiyue almost revealed herself.
• Wen Boyuan noticed Long Xiyue's reaction but left for his ship without investigating, increasing Hu Xiaotian's suspicions.
• Hu Xiaotian recruited Xiong Tianba, Xiong Anmin, and fifty soldiers to board Wen Boyuan's ship, claiming the other vessel was full.
• Wen Boyuan objected that his ship could not carry so many people, but Wu Jingshan confirmed it had room and Hu Xiaotian explained that he had come to help protect the princess.

Hu Xiaotian and Wu Jingshan watched over the ships as a coordinated attack struck them in the fog. The assault left the deck in chaos, and Hu Xiaotian realized a Beast Tamer was using giant birds to drop stones on the ship.

• Hu Xiaotian warned Wu Jingshan that Wen Boyuan might be plotting against Princess Anping, while Xiong Tianba kept Wen under close watch.
• The ships crossed the Yong River as thick fog gathered, and three fishing boats turned toward the large ship despite being hit by fire arrows.
• Stones began raining down from above, killing and injuring dozens of warriors and smashing through the cabin roof and deck.
• Wen Boyuan ordered the archers to shoot into the sky, and a wounded giant vulture crashed onto the deck.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized that a Beast Tamer was directing the birds to drop stones on the ship.

Vultures’ stone attack and a burning shipwreck threw Hu Xiaotian and Wen Boyuan into the Yong River, while Princess Anping’s vessel caught fire. Hu Xiaotian swam toward Long Xiyue’s ship, then spotted Wen Boyuan clinging to a log and dove underwater to approach him.

• Wen Boyuan’s ship took on water as vultures dropped stones, while Princess Anping’s ship caught fire.
• Hu Xiaotian realized Ji Feihua had intended to kill both Wen Boyuan and Princess Anping, and Xiong Tianba saved him from a falling stone.
• Wen Boyuan fought his way to a lifeboat, escaped the sinking ship, and taunted Hu Xiaotian as their vessels faced a collision.
• Hu Xiaotian and Xiong Tianba jumped into the river before the burning ship struck their vessel and overturned Wen Boyuan’s lifeboat with a massive wave.
• Hu Xiaotian swam toward Long Xiyue’s burning ship, then found Wen Boyuan on a floating log and dove underwater as Wen Boyuan swung Tiger Soul at the water.

Hu Xiaotian survived the shipwreck, killed Wen Boyuan with help from an unknown underwater assassin, and learned that Long Xiyue had escaped with Zhou Mo. The Great Yong Navy rescued the survivors, and Hu Xiaotian reunited with Long Xiyue aboard its warship as he asked Zhou Mo how they had arrived there.

• Hu Xiaotian tried to drown Wen Boyuan, but a green-clad assassin stabbed Wen Boyuan and then swam away while Hu Xiaotian escaped.
• The Great Yong Navy rescued Hu Xiaotian, Zhan Peng, Wu Jingshan, and other survivors, and Zhan Peng told Hu Xiaotian that Zhou Mo had taken Long Xiyue to safety.
• Hu Xiaotian concealed Long Xiyue's survival from Wu Jingshan and voiced suspicion that the shipwreck had been deliberate.
• Zhou Mo and Long Xiyue came aboard the Great Yong warship, and Hu Xiaotian quietly reassured Long Xiyue while keeping her identity secret.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Zhou Mo how he and Long Xiyue had ended up aboard the warship.

After the river disaster, Hu Xiaotian and the other survivors were taken to Great Yong’s Nanyang Water Fortress, where they learned Wen Boyuan had been murdered and Princess Anping remained missing to everyone but a few trusted companions. Hu Xiaotian and Wu Jingshan agreed to blame Wen Boyuan for the tragedy as they waited under Great Yong guard.

• Zhou Mo explained that a Great Yong navy skiff had rescued him and Long Xiyue, preventing their escape to Great Kang.
• The warship brought thirty-six survivors and recovered bodies to the Nanyang Water Fortress, where Great Yong soldiers guarded them and refused to summon a physician.
• Hu Xiaotian treated the wounded with splints and Qin Yutong’s Origin-Returning Pills, then warned Long Xiyue to conceal her identity and asked Zhou Mo to protect her.
• Long Xiyue said she had become separated from Zijuan during the escape from the burning ship.
• The survivors discovered Wen Boyuan’s corpse with Tiger Soul lodged in his chest, and Wu Jingshan and Hu Xiaotian pretended to grieve.
• Hu Xiaotian persuaded Wu Jingshan to blame Wen Boyuan for the disaster, claiming he had endangered the princess by bringing unidentified warriors into the delegation.

After a shipwreck left Princess Anping missing and hundreds dead, Great Yong generals Tang Boxi and Li Chenzhou questioned the Great Kang survivors and disputed where the attack had happened. While examining Wen Boyuan’s body, Li Chenzhou discovered a carved fish-shaped jade pendant.

• Tang Boxi and Li Chenzhou arrived at the drill ground and learned that the ships escorting Princess Anping had sunk, leaving thirty-six survivors and more than four hundred dead.
• Long Xiyue heard Tang Boxi say Great Kang seemed not to care whether she lived or died, then found comfort in Hu Xiaotian’s presence.
• Hu Xiaotian told the generals about the ambush, while Li Chenzhou learned the ships had sunk in Great Kang’s waters and challenged Hu Xiaotian’s account.
• Li Chenzhou asked whether Princess Anping had survived, and Hu Xiaotian said her whereabouts were unknown.
• Li Chenzhou stopped Tang Boxi from taking Tiger Soul from Wen Boyuan’s body, identified the saber, and found a fish-shaped jade pendant beneath Wen Boyuan’s collar.

Li Chenzhou discovered that the dead Wen Boyuan was his younger brother and learned that Wen Chenghuan was their father, but he concealed their relationship and vowed to avenge Wen Boyuan. At the Nanyang Water Fortress, he turned his grief into a pretext to threaten the Great Kang survivors over Princess Anping’s disappearance.

• Li Chenzhou recognized the Twin Fish Jade Pendant on Wen Boyuan and had his body taken to his tent despite the protests of Wen Boyuan’s surviving men.
• Li Chenzhou joined the pendant halves and realized Wen Boyuan was his younger brother and Wen Chenghuan was their father.
• Li Chenzhou swore to find Wen Boyuan’s true murderer, closed his brother’s eyes, and took Tiger Soul Saber.
• Li Chenzhou killed one of Wen Boyuan’s guards when the man demanded the saber and asked where the general’s body had gone.
• Li Chenzhou accused the Great Kang survivors of failing to protect Princess Anping and demanded to know where she was.
• Hu Xiaotian told Li Chenzhou that Great Kang would hold the survivors accountable, not Great Yong.