Chapter Summaries

Qiqi and Hu Xiaotian searched the secret chamber beneath Misty Mountain for Zhuge Yunchun’s War Sage Formation Diagram, hoping it would help Hu Xiaotian in Eastern Liang Commandery. They found a patterned lock on a submerged bronze ox, but Qiqi could not stay underwater long enough to open it.

• Qiqi and Hu Xiaotian returned to the Dragon Spirit Wonderland and searched the empty cavity beneath the bronze cauldron for clues to the missing treatise.
• Qiqi explained that she hoped the War Sage Formation Diagram would help Hu Xiaotian survive in Eastern Liang Commandery, and she declared that she would remain loyal to Great Kang.
• Qiqi suspected something was hidden beneath the pool, so Hu Xiaotian dived down and found a five-zhang Water-Calming Bronze Ox chained to the pool bed.
• Qiqi examined the patterns on the bronze ox’s back, but she had to surface repeatedly and could not stay underwater long enough to open its pattern lock.

Qiqi and Hu Xiaotian solved the Bronze Bull’s Pattern Lock and recovered the War Sage Formation Diagram, along with a map that Qiqi believed marked Great Kang’s third imperial treasure. They remained trapped in the drained pool as they discovered the map’s significance.

• Qiqi repeatedly borrowed air from Hu Xiaotian underwater until she completed the Pattern Lock and raised the Bronze Bull, draining the pool.
• Hu Xiaotian freed the crocodile’s corpse from its chain, and he and Qiqi realized the drained pool’s smooth walls left them unable to climb out.
• Qiqi used the words on the walls to open the Bronze Bull’s rear, and Hu Xiaotian used the Bone-Shrinking Skill to crawl inside and retrieve a box.
• Qiqi unlocked the box, and she and Hu Xiaotian found the War Sage Formation Diagram and a map that appeared to show a treasure site in Great Yong.
• Qiqi identified the map as the location of the third treasure Emperor Taizong had hidden within Great Kang’s borders.

Qiqi gave Hu Xiaotian the War Sage Formation Diagram and Long Family treasure map before they discussed her ambition to claim the throne and his plan to build strength in Eastern Liang Commandery. As Hu Xiaotian carried her out of the underground cavern, Qiqi cried at the thought of his imminent departure.

• Qiqi gave Hu Xiaotian the War Sage Formation Diagram and treasure map, asking him to investigate whether the treasure was genuine if he had the chance.
• Hu Xiaotian asked whether Qiqi wanted to become emperor, and she admitted she had considered taking the throne to protect Great Kang and its Altars of State.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Qiqi that the emperor was deceiving her and said they needed to establish a stronghold before Great Kang collapsed.
• Qiqi asked Hu Xiaotian to return, and he promised he would, reminding her that they were betrothed.
• Qiqi agreed that they could call each other Qiqi and Brother Xiaotian when alone, and Hu Xiaotian carried her up the cavern walls.
• Qiqi cried onto Hu Xiaotian's neck as he carried her out, saddened by his impending departure from the Kang Capital.

Hu Xiaotian kissed Qiqi before she returned to the Purple Orchid Palace, then arranged people and responsibilities as he prepared to leave Kang Capital for Eastern Liang Commandery. He asked Huo Shengnan to go with him, but she wanted to remain in the capital to oversee the Divine Strategy Office; their private conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the Tang Family Siblings.

• Hu Xiaotian kissed Qiqi at the exit, and she asked when he would leave before hurrying away.
• Hu Xiaotian arranged for Liang Dazhuang and others to accompany him, while Yang Lingqi managed Fengyi Manor and remained near Qiqi.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Huo Shengnan and asked her to travel with him to Eastern Liang Commandery, but she said she should stay in Kang Capital to oversee the Divine Strategy Office.
• Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan flirted until Hu Fo announced that Tang Tiehan and his two siblings had arrived.

The Tang siblings visited Hu Xiaotian after learning he would manage Princess Yongyang’s fief in Eastern Liang Commandery, and Tang Tiehan announced that he and his family would accompany him. Tang Tiehan also pressed Hu to take Tang Qingxuan as a concubine, while Hu left the matter unresolved and shared an intimate farewell with Huo Shengnan before his journey.

• Tang Tiehan, Tang Tiecheng, and Tang Qingxuan warned Hu Xiaotian that Great Kang was declining and asked about his move to Eastern Liang Commandery.
• Tang Tiehan told Hu Xiaotian that he intended for the Tang family to go with him, and Hu welcomed their help.
• After Tang Qingxuan and Tang Tiecheng left, Tang Tiehan urged Hu to marry Tang Qingxuan, but Hu reminded him that he was engaged to Princess Yongyang.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to Huo Shengnan, told her about the Tang family’s plans and Tang Tiehan’s proposal, and shared an intimate farewell with her.

Hu Xiaotian said goodbye to Huo Shengnan and left the Kang Capital, planning to establish himself in Eastern Liang Commandery and take control of Wuxing Commandery. During his farewell with Qiqi, he arranged support for her in the capital and drew her closer to him.

• Hu Xiaotian watched Huo Shengnan practice her sword and learned that the Sun-Shooting Scripture had more than doubled her internal power and described an arrow technique unlocked at its seventh realm.
• Huo Shengnan told Hu Xiaotian that she wanted to join him after he settled down and have his child, and he agreed.
• Hu Xiaotian visited King Yongyang’s Residence to say goodbye to Qiqi, then rode with her beyond the eastern gate of the Kang Capital.
• Hu Xiaotian advised Qiqi to rely on Quan Dean, Huang Feihong, and Yang Lingqi, and urged her to spread doubts about Zhao Dengyun’s loyalty.
• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi he planned to deal with Zhao Dengyun and take control of Wuxing Commandery, then pulled her into his arms as he asked for a parting gift.

Hu Xiaotian traveled north to take charge of Eastern Liang Commandery, learning from Zhao Wusheng that the commandery was isolated, plagued by famine and disorder, and lacking a proper garrison. He arrived at Xiasha Port, where his party was stopped by civilian guards, and Xiong Tianba publicly announced his identity and mission.

• Hu Xiaotian said farewell to Qiqi, promised to marry her when he returned, then visited his mother's grave before heading north.
• Hu Xiaotian met Zhao Wusheng in Wuxing Commandery and learned that Eastern Liang Commandery was politically vulnerable, overcrowded with refugees, and increasingly unstable.
• Hu Xiaotian urged Zhao Wusheng to cooperate with him, but Zhao Wusheng warned that Zhao Dengyun still resented him and arranged a boat across the Yong River.
• Hu Xiaotian and his party reached Xiasha Port and were stopped by the merchant-funded Guard Corps inspecting arrivals.
• Xiong Tianba roared that Hu Xiaotian was the Imperial Son-in-Law and had come to take charge of Eastern Liang Commandery.

Hu Xiaotian arrived in Eastern Liang Commandery and faced a clash between port guards and desperate refugees. After calming the crowd, he learned from Governor Li Chengming that the commandery was overwhelmed by refugees and had almost no official forces to govern them.

• Hu Xiaotian found that the local people and guards ignored his authority when he arrived at Xiasha Port.
• Nearly a thousand refugees clashed with the port guards as they tried to land, and Xiong Tianba broke up the fight and announced Hu Xiaotian's authority by smashing a watchtower.
• An old man begged Hu Xiaotian to let his two young grandsons enter, and Hu Xiaotian addressed the refugees, explaining that Great Yong's border was closed and promising to help them.
• Li Chengming arrived and told Hu Xiaotian that nearly thirty thousand refugees had flooded the commandery, where crime was rising and the local government lacked soldiers and staff.
• Hu Xiaotian told Li Chengming they would return to the city.

Hu Xiaotian challenged the local merchants’ control of Eastern Liang Commandery by ordering the Guard Corps disbanded and refugees admitted. Hu Zhongyang came to contest his orders, and Hu Xiaotian asserted that authority over the commandery belonged to the court and its appointed officials.

• Hu Xiaotian ordered Li Chengming to summon the leading merchants, but they refused to come.
• Hu Xiaotian ordered the Guard Corps disbanded and declared that refugees at Xiasha Port must be allowed into Eastern Liang Commandery.
• Xiong Tianba reported that refugees cheered Hu Xiaotian’s orders and that he had driven off guards who tried to stop them.
• After the merchants came to meet him, Hu Xiaotian received only their leader, Hu Zhongyang.
• Hu Zhongyang defended the Guard Corps as necessary for maintaining order, while Hu Xiaotian argued that the merchants had no authority to form an armed force or bar Great Kang’s people from entering.

Hu Xiaotian confronted Hu Zhongyang over Eastern Liang Commandery’s refugees and merchants, then organized a limited refugee intake and built a small army to defend the city. After receiving news of veteran fighters joining his forces, he discussed the commandery’s defenses and judged that stronger walls would not solve the danger of a siege.

• Hu Xiaotian warned Hu Zhongyang that merchants could leave for Great Yong but could not take Great Kang’s property, and explained that the border closure made returning difficult for ordinary people.
• Hu Zhongyang described the strain caused by refugees and called for an army to restore order; Hu Xiaotian ordered the Guard Corps disbanded and proposed recruiting soldiers from among the refugees.
• Hu Xiaotian screened refugee recruits, formed a small army, established a Refugee Camp and Children’s Hall, and cracked down on boatmen smuggling people across the river.
• Xiong Tianba reported that more than two hundred former comrades, including a hundred sharpshooters, had arrived, while Liang Yinghao said the Yong River and city walls were the commandery’s only natural defenses.
• Hu Xiaotian rejected strengthening the walls for now, noting that Great Yong could still besiege the city until its provisions ran out.

Hu Xiaotian met with the merchant Zan Buliu, who assessed Eastern Liang Commandery’s precarious position and Hu’s ambitions before leaving to meet a friend. At the Children’s Hall, Hu met Zhu Guanqi and Hong Lingxue, but Hong Lingxue suddenly suffered severe abdominal pain.

• Zan Buliu visited Hu Xiaotian and described Eastern Liang Commandery as a vulnerable territory caught between Great Kang and Great Yong.
• Zan Buliu noted that Hu had recruited three thousand refugees and disbanded the local Guard Corps, then suggested Hu hoped to build an independent power base.
• Zan Buliu left to meet a friend, and Hu Xiaotian sent Liang Yinghao to follow him.
• Hu Xiaotian and Visa visited the Children’s Hall, where Zhu Guanqi was teaching the children to read.
• Zhu Guanqi introduced his wife, Hong Lingxue, to Hu Xiaotian, but Hong Lingxue suddenly clutched her abdomen and collapsed in pain.

Hu Xiaotian operated on Hong Lingxue after diagnosing her acute abdomen as ovarian cyst pedicle torsion, and successfully removed the cyst. Just after the operation, Prefect Li Mingcheng arrived in a panic with news of a serious incident.

• Hong Lingxue suffered worsening lower abdominal pain, and Hu Xiaotian suspected a gynecological emergency after examining her.
• The physician from the Hall of Benevolent Aid could not treat Hong Lingxue, so Zhu Guanqi brought her to Hu Xiaotian after she fainted from pain.
• Visa hypnotized Hong Lingxue, and Hu Xiaotian operated with Visa assisting, finding and removing a twisted ovarian cyst.
• Hu Xiaotian finished the operation and applied Black Jade Flesh-Regenerating Paste before leaving Visa to care for Hong Lingxue.
• Prefect Li Mingcheng rushed into the government offices and warned Hu Xiaotian that something serious had happened.

After a Great Yong caravan was attacked near Eastern Liang Commandery, Hu Xiaotian considered how to investigate without provoking the refugees or inviting war. Zhu Guanqi questioned the caravan’s story and uncovered suspicious details, leaving the attack’s true perpetrators uncertain.

• Li Mingcheng told Hu Xiaotian that twelve people from a Great Yong caravan had been killed and that one wounded survivor remained.
• Zhu Guanqi warned Hu Xiaotian against sending troops into the Refugee Camp, advising him to prepare for a possible response from Great Yong while avoiding unrest among the refugees.
• Hu Xiaotian took a small party, including Zhu Guanqi, to inspect the ambush site after sending most of Xiong Tianba’s assembled troops back to camp.
• At the scene, Zhu Guanqi questioned why the caravan had transported grain overland toward Great Yong instead of using the canal, noting that Great Yong had plentiful grain and Eastern Liang Commandery offered a more plausible market.
• Li Mingcheng challenged Zhu Guanqi’s authority, and Hu Xiaotian reprimanded him and defended his friend.

Hu Xiaotian investigated the refugees’ camp after a Great Yong caravan was attacked nearby and encountered Yu Tianxing, the irreverent son of a respected refugee leader. Yu Tianxing hinted at ambitions and despair beneath his lazy, mocking manner, leaving Hu Xiaotian and Zhu Guanqi intrigued by him.

• Hu Xiaotian and Zhu Guanqi learned that the caravan’s dead were porters and that the injured survivor had been taken into the city for treatment.
• Hu Xiaotian visited the refugee camp, where Yu Dongqing thanked him for shelter and described the refugees’ meager food and harsh conditions.
• Hu Xiaotian asked about the attack, and Zhu Guanqi warned Yu Dongqing that Great Yong might retaliate after learning that twelve people had been killed.
• Yu Tianxing joked that war was good, then challenged Hu Xiaotian’s judgments and questioned whether the lord could protect the refugees for life.
• Yu Dongqing dragged Yu Tianxing away and beat him with a broom, while Hu Xiaotian and Zhu Guanqi followed and heard Yu Tianxing declare that he would ride high and far without looking back.

Yu Tianxing warned Hu Xiaotian that Great Yong would likely demand Eastern Liang Commandery and might invade, while explaining the commandery’s military disadvantages. Great Yong’s envoy demanded Hu surrender the city, but Hu rejected the demand by tearing up Tang Boxi’s letter.

• Yu Tianxing told Hu Xiaotian that the refugees had not attacked the Great Yong merchant caravan and warned that Great Yong could use the killings as a pretext to claim Eastern Liang Commandery.
• Yu Tianxing predicted that Great Yong would send an envoy to demand surrender and could send troops downstream from Nanyang Water Fortress.
• Xiong Tianba brought Hu Xiaotian news that Great Yong had already sent an envoy, and Hu concluded that the caravan attack might have been orchestrated by Great Yong’s new ruler, Xue Daohong.
• Liu Yuncai arrived on Tang Boxi’s behalf and demanded justice and an accounting for the caravan’s dead and wounded.
• Hu Xiaotian had Xiong Tianba intimidate Liu Yuncai, then read Tang Boxi’s demand that he surrender Eastern Liang Commandery.
• Hu Xiaotian tore up Tang Boxi’s letter, and Liu Yuncai warned that Great Yong’s army would soon bear down on the commandery.

Hu Xiaotian rejected Tang Boxi’s demand for Eastern Liang Commandery and prepared for a possible invasion, then sought Zhu Guanqi’s help as a military adviser. Zhu refused to serve Great Kang because of his oath, but Hong Lingxue urged him not to bury his talents, leaving his choice unresolved.

• Hu Xiaotian refused Liu Yuncai’s demands, and Liu warned that old ties would no longer protect him.
• Hu Xiaotian ordered Liang Yinghao to seek Zhao Wusheng’s aid and told Xiong Tianba to secure Xiasha Port.
• Hu Xiaotian discussed Tang Boxi’s likely ambitions with Zhu Guanqi and asked him to help defend Eastern Liang Commandery.
• Zhu Guanqi declined to serve Great Kang, citing his oath, and advised Hu Xiaotian to consult Yu Tianxing.
• Hong Lingxue realized Zhu Guanqi was troubled and urged him not to let his talents go to waste, though he insisted he wanted only a quiet life with her.

Hu Xiaotian prepared Eastern Liang Commandery for a threatened invasion by Great Yong and sought help from Zhu Guanqi, who refused to serve Great Kang. Yu Tianxing devised a river defense plan, and Hu Xiaotian asked him to become his military strategist in exchange for granting refugees equal status.

• Hu Xiaotian rejected Liu Yuncai's demand to surrender Eastern Liang Commandery, then sent Liang Yinghao to seek aid from Wuxing Commandery and ordered Xiong Tianba to secure Xiasha Port.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Zhu Guanqi to help defend Eastern Liang Commandery, but Zhu Guanqi refused to serve Great Kang and suggested consulting Yu Tianxing.
• Hong Lingxue urged Zhu Guanqi not to waste his talents, while Zhu Guanqi explained his family's oath and praised Yu Tianxing's abilities.
• Yu Tianxing told Hu Xiaotian that Tang Boxi might attack around the full-moon day and warned that defending the city would be dangerous because many residents favored Great Yong.
• Yu Tianxing proposed linking fishing boats into pontoon bridges to obstruct the Great Yong navy, use fire attacks against its ships, and help capture its soldiers.
• Yu Tianxing asked Hu Xiaotian to settle refugees inside the city and treat them equally, and Hu Xiaotian asked Yu Tianxing to serve as his military strategist.

Hu Xiaotian prepared Eastern Liang Commandery for Great Yong’s coming attack by putting Yu Tianxing’s river defense plan into motion and welcoming reinforcements from the Beggar Gang. He learned that Great Kang would offer no help, while Tang Boxi prepared to attack with thirty thousand troops, and Zhao Dengyun ordered reports on events in Eastern Liang Commandery.

• Hu Xiaotian urged Yu Tianxing to keep his appointment secret until after the battle and prioritize gathering boats, craftsmen, and trusted men for the defense.
• Hu Xiaotian welcomed Zhu Ba and learned that two thousand Beggar Gang members would arrive to help defend Eastern Liang Commandery.
• Liang Yinghao reported that Zhao Dengyun had refused to send reinforcements, and Zhao Wusheng had offered no support.
• Hu Xiaotian and Yu Tianxing inspected Little Waist and planned three pontoon bridges, burning rafts, and ambushes using five thousand defenders.
• Tang Boxi learned that Great Kang would not aid Eastern Liang Commandery and prepared to lead thirty thousand troops against it.
• Zhao Dengyun told Zhao Wusheng that Great Kang would let Great Yong take Eastern Liang Commandery and ordered him to monitor the situation.

Zhao Wusheng and Li Yongfu discussed Great Kang’s inability to defend Eastern Liang Commandery, while Hu Xiaotian prepared the city for Great Yong’s attack. Hu Zhongyang offered him powerful siege weapons, and Hu Xiaotian eagerly agreed to buy them.

• Zhao Wusheng stopped the officers from confronting the Governor and asked Li Yongfu to learn Lord Hu’s intentions in Eastern Liang Commandery.
• Hu Xiaotian requisitioned the city’s smithies, forced the blacksmiths to work, and helped refugees evacuate across the pontoon bridge.
• Zan Buliu visited Hu Xiaotian with Hu Zhongyang and said he would try to persuade Tang Boxi not to attack.
• Hu Zhongyang gave Hu Xiaotian an illustrated booklet of war-machine designs and revealed he already had ten catapults and six siege crossbows.
• Hu Xiaotian eagerly asked Hu Zhongyang to name his price for the weapons.

Hu Xiaotian accepted Hu Zhongyang’s weapons and inspected the defenses at Xiasha Port with Zhuge Guanqi, who uncovered weaknesses in their river defense plan. Zhuge Guanqi began to see a path to serving Hu Xiaotian, but Hu Xiaotian admitted that Eastern Liang Commandery could not be held if the enemy landed.

• Hu Xiaotian agreed to buy Hu Zhongyang’s weapons, and Hu Zhongyang offered them in exchange for a drink if Hu Xiaotian held Eastern Liang Commandery.
• Hu Xiaotian brought Visa to remove Hong Lingxue’s stitches, then invited Zhuge Guanqi to inspect Xiasha Port with him.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhuge Guanqi that he had to win the war and intended to seize Wuxing Commandery and its navy afterward.
• Zhuge Guanqi inferred Hu Xiaotian and Yu Tianxing’s plan to trap Great Yong’s fleet with pontoon bridges, fire rafts, and hidden anchors.
• Zhuge Guanqi warned that armor-breaking ships, changing winds, and prepared naval defenses could defeat the plan, and Hu Xiaotian said Eastern Liang Commandery could not be held if the enemy landed.