Chapter Summaries

Murong Feiyan rejected her father Murong Zhan’s warnings and left the Old Residence with Hu Xiaotian as Imperial Guards patrolled Kang Capital. At the Hu Residence, Hu Xiaotian met merchant Zan Buliu, whose questions about Great Kang’s turmoil left Hu Xiaotian uncertain of his true purpose.

• Murong Zhan warned Murong Feiyan to hide and leave Kang Capital, but she told him to go and never return.
• After Murong Zhan departed, Murong Feiyan cried in Hu Xiaotian’s arms, then teased him about Princess Yongyang before they left together.
• Murong Feiyan and Hu Xiaotian reached the Hu Residence, where Zan Buliu arrived with lavish gifts and asked Hu Xiaotian about the city’s martial law.
• Hu Xiaotian confirmed the Imperial Mausoleum uprising and admitted that Great Kang faced turmoil within and threats from abroad.
• Zan Buliu said upheaval created opportunities for merchants, and Hu Xiaotian wondered whether his visit concealed another purpose.

Hu Xiaotian discussed Zan Buliu’s plan to bring food into Great Kang through Black Hu and other foreign merchants, then heard Yang Lingqi’s theory that the emperor was cultivating King Yongyang’s authority. The chapter ended with Hu Xiaotian agreeing that the emperor treated Qiqi well.

• Zan Buliu proposed organizing merchants from Black Hu, Tula, and Moli to sell meat and potatoes in famine-stricken Great Kang, taking thirty percent of the Black Hu merchants’ profits.
• Hu Xiaotian agreed to provide Zan Buliu with every possible convenience, while suspecting he was probably a Black Hu spy.
• Hu Xiaotian told Yang Lingqi that fifty thousand Imperial Mausoleum laborers had rebelled and the emperor had issued a Kill Order against them.
• Yang Lingqi argued that the emperor’s recent actions might be part of a plan to build King Yongyang’s prestige and prepare her to govern.
• Hu Xiaotian agreed that the emperor treated Qiqi well.

Yang Lingqi outlined ways for Great Kang to survive famine and contain Great Yong, and Hu Xiaotian decided to recommend him to King Yongyang. Hu Xiaotian then told Huo Shengnan that the Old Emperor and Princess Yongyang seemed intent on keeping him in the capital while his father traveled to Luosong.

• Yang Lingqi warned Hu Xiaotian that the Old Emperor might be building King Yongyang's prestige and preparing her to succeed him.
• Yang Lingqi proposed buying grain, allying with Black Hu and Li Tianheng, and using pressure on neighboring states to protect Great Kang and relieve domestic strain.
• Hu Xiaotian offered to introduce Yang Lingqi to King Yongyang so he could put his ideas into practice, and Yang Lingqi accepted his support.
• Huo Shengnan came to see Hu Xiaotian, who told her that the Old Emperor and Princess Yongyang seemed to be acting together and that his father would have to travel to Luosong.

Hu Xiaotian welcomed Xu Fengyi home and explained that his father would sail to Luosong to seek grain for Great Kang, while the Imperial Court kept Xu Fengyi in the capital. The chapter ended with Xu Fengyi asking whether Huang Feihong was a girl.

• Huo Shengnan told Hu Xiaotian that she would stand by him alone, and they discussed how hard it was to control their own fates.
• Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan greeted Xu Fengyi after she returned from detention at Princess Yongyang's residence.
• Xu Fengyi saw that Hu Xiaotian had restored the Minister's Residence, though its furnishings were only copies of the family's lost possessions.
• Xu Fengyi inferred that her mother's letter had included a nautical chart and that Hu Xiaotian's father would travel to Luosong to find grain for Great Kang.
• Hu Xiaotian explained that he had hoped his parents could flee overseas if the voyage failed, but the Imperial Court had kept Xu Fengyi in the capital as a hostage.
• Xu Fengyi refused to leave Hu Xiaotian behind and asked whether Huang Feihong was a girl.

Hu Xiaotian told Xu Fengyi about his love for Huo Shengnan and Murong Feiyan, while his mother warned him that Princess Yongyang might be seeking to marry him. As they worried over the consequences, Wu Jingshan arrived to see Hu Xiaotian.

• Xu Fengyi confronted Hu Xiaotian about Huo Shengnan, and he admitted that they had pledged themselves to each other and explained that she had been framed for the assassinations.
• Hu Xiaotian told Xu Fengyi about Murong Feiyan, prompting her to worry that both women were fugitives with nowhere safe to go.
• Xu Fengyi warned Hu Xiaotian that Princess Yongyang might love him and said Quan Dean had asked for his birth characters to check marriage compatibility.
• Hu Xiaotian feared the imperial family might propose a marriage, while Xu Fengyi urged him not to sacrifice his happiness and to leave Great Kang if necessary.
• Hu Fo announced that Minister of Rites Wu Jingshan had arrived, and Hu Xiaotian went out to welcome him.

Wu Jingshan announced that the emperor had proposed a betrothal between Princess Yongyang and Hu Xiaotian, revealing a plan to bind the Hu Family and Xu Family in Jinling to Great Kang. Hu Xiaotian questioned the proposal, Qiqi confronted Long Xuan'en over his decision, and Hu Buwei reluctantly accepted while wondering what his son would think.

• Wu Jingshan told Xu Fengyi that the emperor proposed a match between Princess Yongyang and Hu Xiaotian, and Hu Xiaotian asked to speak with him privately.
• Hu Xiaotian questioned whether the emperor had truly ordered the proposal and asked what Qiqi thought of it.
• Qiqi confronted Long Xuan'en, who admitted he hoped the betrothal would tie the Hu Family and Xu Family in Jinling to Great Kang and revealed Hong Beimo was involved in the pressure surrounding her marriage.
• Quan Dean told Hu Buwei that the emperor intended to marry Princess Yongyang to Hu Xiaotian and described the princess as willing to follow the emperor's arrangements.
• Hu Buwei agreed to the betrothal but worried that Hu Xiaotian would become a tool in the imperial family's plans.

Hu Xiaotian discussed the emperor’s marriage arrangement with Qiqi and learned they would marry despite having little affection for each other. Qiqi then told him the emperor had assigned him to travel to Western Sichuan for Li Tianheng’s fiftieth birthday, leaving Hu Xiaotian wondering which ministers had arranged the dangerous mission.

• Hu Xiaotian told Wu Jingshan he would accept the proposed marriage if Princess Yongyang agreed.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Qiqi, who said the emperor had chosen the marriage and she neither liked nor disliked him.
• Qiqi identified Long Xiyue as the woman Hu Xiaotian cared for and warned him against acting against Great Kang.
• Hu Xiaotian asked to travel to Luosong in his father’s place, but Qiqi revealed he had been assigned to congratulate Li Tianheng in Western Sichuan.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Qiqi which ministers had recommended sending him on the mission.

Hu Xiaotian accepted his betrothal to Qiqi and discussed with Hu Buwei the emperor’s possible plans to make Qiqi his successor. As Hu Xiaotian prepared to travel to Western Sichuan, he suspected the emperor had another purpose for sending him; meanwhile, Long Xuan'en received treatment from Hong Beimo and awaited his elixir.

• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that Li Tianheng intended to rule Western Sichuan independently, and Qiqi agreed to meet Yang Lingqi and let Hu Xiaotian take him on the mission.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Qiqi to release Hu Buwei, and Hu Buwei returned home that night.
• Hu Xiaotian reassured his parents that he had settled the marriage with Qiqi, then discussed with Hu Buwei the emperor’s plans and the danger of the Western Sichuan mission.
• Hu Xiaotian suspected the emperor was preparing Qiqi to inherit the throne but wondered why he had chosen Hu Xiaotian to announce Li Tianheng’s investiture as king.
• Hong Beimo removed the golden needles from Long Xuan'en and said he was still working to refine an elixir because the Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter of Heaven and Earth Unveiled was missing.

Long Xuan'en revealed to Hong Beimo that he planned to eliminate Li Tianheng and would rather have the Prince of Zhou die than become a puppet emperor. Hu Xiaotian explained the political dangers of his engagement to Princess Yongyang to Murong Feiyan, then arranged for her to accompany his father to Luosong while he returned to Western Sichuan; the chapter ended as Xu Fengyi went to speak with Murong Feiyan.

• Long Xuan'en told Hong Beimo to kill Li Tianheng and said the Prince of Zhou must not become a pawn, even if rescuing him proved impossible.
• Long Xuan'en declared that his kindness to the Hu Family had gone unrepaid and vowed to leave the family without an heir.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Murong Feiyan, who confronted him about his engagement to Princess Yongyang, and he explained that the decree was a political scheme tied to his mission in Western Sichuan.
• Murong Feiyan worried that Hu Xiaotian might not return from Western Sichuan, and he asked her to protect his father on the journey to Luosong instead.
• Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu arrived to meet Hu Xiaotian, and Xu Fengyi told him she had come to speak with Murong Feiyan.

Hu Xiaotian and his friends suspected the emperor had hidden motives for betrothing him to Princess Yongyang and sending him to Western Sichuan. After Hu Xiaotian vowed to turn the emperor’s schemes against him, Long Xuan'en summoned him and asked what he thought of the mission.

• Hu Xiaotian, Zhou Mo, and Xiao Tianmu discussed how the emperor’s marriage decree and mission to Western Sichuan might be part of a plot to eliminate Hu Xiaotian and Li Tianheng and reclaim the region.
• Hu Xiaotian decided to accept the mission rather than risk a harsher punishment, and asked Xiao Tianmu and Zhan Peng to accompany his father to Luosong to seek a grain supply route.
• Hu Xiaotian vowed to thwart the emperor’s plans, while Hu Buwei returned to the Minister's Residence to handle visitors seeking ties with the Hu Family.
• Wang Qian summoned Hu Xiaotian to the palace, where Long Xuan'en explained that he had betrothed Qiqi to ensure someone would care for and protect her.
• When Long Xuan'en asked about the Western Sichuan mission, Hu Xiaotian bluntly said that he did not want to go.

Hu Xiaotian learned that Long Xuan'en planned to send him to Western Sichuan to invest Li Tianheng as king, then confronted Li Yuncong with the truth about his past and Unenlightened. Li Yuncong backed down after Hu revealed he had concealed Li Yuncong’s identity from Unenlightened, leaving the two with an unresolved debt between them.

• Long Xuan'en told Hu Xiaotian that Li Tianheng had offered to submit to Great Kang and asked Hu to go to Western Sichuan to confer the title of king upon him.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Li Yuncong and told him about his Western Sichuan mission, while Li Yuncong admitted he knew nothing about the decision.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed that Unenlightened had told him Long Xuan'en was once sworn brothers with Chu Fufeng and Xu Lingkong, and that Unenlightened had been betrayed by his brother, Mu Yuming.
• Hu Xiaotian accused Li Yuncong of being Mu Yuming and warned that he had gained strength while Li Yuncong had been weakened by Ji Feihua.
• Hu Xiaotian told Li Yuncong that he had named Hong Beimo, not Li Yuncong, as the source of his Void Art when speaking with Unenlightened.
• Li Yuncong abandoned his murderous intent and acknowledged that he owed Hu Xiaotian a favor.

Hu Xiaotian learned why the emperor might favor Princess Yongyang and reopened the Divine Strategy Office with Qiqi, setting up its divisions before he left for Western Sichuan. Hong Beimo arrived at the office with Baobao, leaving Hu Xiaotian to greet the man whose bureau had shut it down.

• Li Yuncong hinted that Princess Yongyang might be the daughter of the Old Emperor and Ling Jiazi, and warned Hu Xiaotian that his appointment as her consort could lead to danger in Western Sichuan.
• Fu Yuhong told Hong Beimo that Qiqi planned to reopen the Divine Strategy Office under Hu Xiaotian, and Hong Beimo decided to visit with a lavish gift rather than oppose her openly.
• Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi unveiled the Divine Strategy Office's plaque, and Hu organized the office into the Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning, and Star divisions.
• Qiqi refused to head the office and insisted that Hu take charge, while Zhou Mo and Huo Shengnan became deputy heads and the other members received their assignments.
• Zhou Ruiyuan, Wen Chenghuan, and other dignitaries attended the opening before Hong Beimo arrived with eight disciples and Baobao, whom Hu greeted at the gate.

Hong Beimo tried to replace the Divine Strategy Office’s plaque with one written by the emperor, but Hu Xiaotian and Zhou Mo resisted his attempt. Zhou Mo defeated A Sheng in a fierce duel, and a woman’s voice then challenged Hong Beimo to bring out his hidden-weapons expert.

• Hong Beimo presented the emperor’s old Divine Strategy Office plaque and ordered A Sheng to replace the one above the office’s gates.
• Hu Xiaotian refused to let A Sheng take down the plaque, and Zhou Mo stepped in to block him.
• A Sheng fought Zhou Mo with his Iceburst Fist, but Zhou Mo withstood the icy shards and struck him down with his Iron Body Training.
• Hong Beimo defended A Sheng’s technique as no hidden weapon, while Hu Xiaotian accused him of using one.
• A woman called out to Hong Beimo, asking him to bring out his hidden-weapons expert.

Hong Beimo humiliated the Divine Strategy Office by unleashing a flock of crows at its opening, while Qiqi and Hu Xiaotian restrained their anger. That night, Hu Xiaotian and Hu Buwei concluded that the emperor’s Western Sichuan mission might be a scheme to have Hu Xiaotian and Li Tianheng kill each other while paving the way to reclaim the region.

• Qiqi confronted Hong Beimo over his plaque and challenged him to show his Hidden-Weapon Expert, but Hong Beimo left without accepting.
• Thousands of crows attacked the Divine Strategy Office, driving away the guests and turning its opening into chaos; Qiqi blamed Hong Beimo, but Hu Xiaotian urged her to wait for a chance to retaliate.
• Hu Xiaotian and Hu Buwei discussed the emperor’s uncertain plans for Qiqi and the Hu Family, and Hu Xiaotian suspected his marriage and appointment had been arranged to prepare him for the Western Sichuan mission.
• Hu Xiaotian and Hu Buwei reasoned that the emperor might be using the mission to get Hu Xiaotian killed by Li Tianheng while creating an opportunity to reclaim Western Sichuan.

Hu Xiaotian and Hu Buwei agreed to turn against the emperor and help Qiqi claim the throne, while Hu Xiaotian prepared to travel to Western Sichuan. Before leaving, he restored Huo Shengnan’s internal power and entrusted her with looking after his mother; he then chose the companions who would accompany him.

• Hu Xiaotian told Hu Buwei that he would help Qiqi ascend the throne and undermine the emperor’s plans for Western Sichuan, and Hu Buwei supported his decision.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Huo Shengnan, transferred internal power to her, and discovered that her strength had returned and grown greater than before.
• Hu Xiaotian told Huo Shengnan he was leaving for Western Sichuan and asked her to remain in the capital to oversee the Divine Strategy Office and care for his mother.
• Hu Xiaotian selected Yang Lingqi, Liang Yinghao, Xiong Tianba, and Tang Tiexin to accompany him on the journey.
• Huo Shengnan spent Hu Xiaotian’s final days before departure indulging him, while Murong Feiyan avoided him and stayed with Xu Fengyi.

Hu Xiaotian said goodbye to Xu Fengyi and Murong Feiyan before setting out for Western Sichuan to attend Li Tianheng’s birthday. He reached the region safely with Meng Zizai and Qin Yutong, then parted ways with them at Penyin Mountain as he continued toward the Western Prefecture.

• Hu Xiaotian received Hu Buwei’s letter for Li Tianheng, and Xu Fengyi urged him to explain the broken engagement between their families.
• Hu Xiaotian embraced Murong Feiyan and promised to return safely before leaving the Kang Capital with his party in the rain.
• Hu Xiaotian encountered Meng Zizai and Qin Yutong at a roadside pavilion, and they agreed to travel together to Western Sichuan.
• Meng Zizai treated Yang Lingqi’s injured left hand with gold needles, restoring some movement and improving the conditions for Hu Xiaotian’s later surgery.
• Hu Xiaotian’s party reached Western Sichuan without incident, and he parted from Meng Zizai and Qin Yutong at Penyin Mountain.

Hu Xiaotian traveled to Western Prefecture as Great Kang’s Imperial Envoy to congratulate Li Tianheng on his fiftieth birthday, while reflecting on his earlier escape from Western Sichuan. After arriving, he reunited with Zhang Ziqian, whose friendly welcome concealed his purpose of questioning Hu about the mission.

• Qin Yutong continued toward Western Prefecture to meet her master, then rode away after exchanging pointed remarks with Hu Xiaotian.
• Hu Xiaotian and his party reached Western Prefecture and entered through the eastern gate after Liang Yinghao identified them as Great Kang’s mission.
• Li Honghan met the party, exchanged courtesies with Hu Xiaotian, and escorted them to the Xuanning Post Station.
• Zhang Ziqian visited Hu Xiaotian and recalled their first meeting, while Hu recognized that Zhang’s apparent concern was only a surface display.

Hu Xiaotian arrived in Western Prefecture to deliver the emperor’s decree appointing Li Tianheng a king, but Zhang Ziqian kept him from meeting the general until his birthday. Li Tianheng and Zhang Ziqian discussed the emperor’s attempt to bind Western Sichuan to Great Kang, and Zhang concluded that Li would refuse.

• Hu Xiaotian told Zhang Ziqian that the emperor intended to make Li Tianheng a king and asked to meet him, but Zhang said Li was away until before his birthday.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Zhang Ziqian to find his old friend Zhou Wenju, the Western Sichuan Divine Physician, and Zhang agreed.
• Li Honghan told Li Tianheng that Hu Xiaotian had arrived as the imperial commissioner, and Li ordered him to treat the arriving guests as honored guests.
• Zhang Ziqian reported to Li Tianheng that Hu Xiaotian carried the decree appointing him a king.
• Li Tianheng and Zhang Ziqian recognized that the emperor hoped the title would bring Western Sichuan back under Great Kang, and Zhang said Li would never accept.

Li Tianheng and Zhang Ziqian debated whether to reject Great Kang’s investiture and break with the court, while Emperor Long Xuan'en prepared to eliminate Li Tianheng during his birthday banquet. In Western Prefecture, Hu Xiaotian learned that envoys from several powers had arrived, including his sworn brother Xue Shengjing.

• Zhang Ziqian urged Li Tianheng to sever ties with Great Kang and use the Prince of Zhou to challenge the emperor, but Li Tianheng remained hesitant.
• Long Xuan'en learned that Hu Xiaotian had reached Western Prefecture and ordered that Li Tianheng’s birthday banquet be the day of his death.
• Hu Xiaotian continued training his swordsmanship while managing the immense internal power in his dantian.
• Yang Lingqi told Hu Xiaotian that Xue Shengjing and envoys from Black Hu, Shajia, and Southern Yue had arrived for Li Tianheng’s birthday.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Yang Lingqi to identify the envoys and their lodgings, then promised to seek further treatment for Yang Lingqi’s injured hand.

Hu Xiaotian met his sworn brother Huo Ge, the Shajia prince, and they exchanged news over a planned meal. On the way to the restaurant, Xue Lingjun appeared, and Huo Ge was captivated by her before she challenged the title he used for her.

• Hu Xiaotian reviewed Yang Lingqi’s list of visiting missions and learned that Huo Ge was leading Shajia’s delegation.
• Huo Ge arrived at the post station, and he and Hu Xiaotian warmly reunited as sworn brothers.
• Huo Ge told Hu Xiaotian that his wife was pregnant, while Hu Xiaotian wondered whether Huo Shengnan might be carrying his child.
• Hu Xiaotian and Huo Ge agreed to eat together and walked toward the Hundred Flavors Restaurant.
• Xue Lingjun stopped them in her carriage, and Hu Xiaotian introduced her to Huo Ge as his distant cousin, Hu Lingjun.
• After Huo Ge eagerly invited Xue Lingjun to join them, she asked coldly what he had just called her.