Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian sought Zhuge Guanqi’s counsel as Great Yong offered him submission terms and negotiated a separate grain-for-territory deal with Great Kang. Zhuge Guanqi remained cautious about Hu Xiaotian’s ambitions, while Hu Xiaotian explained why surrendering his territory would leave him with no reason to exist.

• Hu Xiaotian learned Zhu Guanqi had gone to the Refugee Camp, then discovered that Zhu Guanqi and Hong Lingxue had gone to Azure Cloud Mountain.
• At the Temple of the Martial Sage, Hu Xiaotian overheard Hong Lingxue urge Zhuge Guanqi to use his talents and learned that Zhu Guanqi was a descendant of Zhuge Yunchun.
• Hu Xiaotian heard Zhuge Guanqi admit that he still did not know whether Hu Xiaotian had greater ambitions, so he left without revealing himself.
• Hu Xiaotian waited for Zhuge Guanqi and Hong Lingxue to return, then brought food and wine to their home and sought Zhuge Guanqi’s advice.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhuge Guanqi that Xue Lingjun had urged him to submit to Great Yong while another envoy offered Great Kang grain in exchange for territory North of the River.
• Hu Xiaotian said he would lose his reason to exist if he surrendered the territory he held.

Hu Xiaotian considered Great Yong’s attempt to trade grain for land and received the War Sage Formation Diagram for Zhuge Guanqi. Meanwhile, Yu Tianxing learned Great Yong was using his family to pressure him into changing sides, and he confronted Xue Lingjun at the Refugee Camp.

• Zhuge Guanqi advised Hu Xiaotian to refuse surrendering the lands north of the river and to wait for the Imperial Court’s decision.
• Hu Xiaotian gave Zhuge Guanqi the War Sage Formation Diagram, and Zhuge Guanqi accepted it after recognizing its authenticity.
• Yu Dongqing told Yu Tianxing that his elder brothers had found positions in Great Yong and that their families were threatened unless Yu Tianxing went there to serve.
• Xue Lingjun arrived at Yu Dongqing’s home, and Yu Tianxing recognized her as the Eldest Princess of Great Yong.
• Yu Tianxing confronted Xue Lingjun about her visit and suspected her of using his brothers to pressure him.

Hu Xiaotian rejected Xue Lingjun’s peace proposal and warned her against threatening Yu Tianxing’s family. As Xue Lingjun left, Hu Xiaotian attacked Guo Zhenhai over an old grievance, leaving him injured and bewildered.

• Xue Lingjun tried to recruit Yu Tianxing by threatening his family, but Yu reaffirmed his loyalty to Hu Xiaotian, and Zhan Peng guarded him from a distance.
• Hu Xiaotian confronted Xue Lingjun about her threats and refused to submit to Great Yong, warning that he would retaliate if she harmed Yu Tianxing’s family.
• Xue Lingjun left with Guo Zhenhai after declaring that strength would decide the matter.
• Hu Xiaotian stopped them and struck Guo Zhenhai twice, causing internal bleeding, then said the attack repaid Guo for an ambush in the Western Prefecture.
• Guo Zhenhai denied remembering any such ambush.

Hu Xiaotian dealt with Great Yong’s failed attempt to win him over and weighed the Imperial Court’s demand for grain from the Eastern Luo Granary. Zhuge Guanqi advised him to protect the people’s trust by addressing the famine at its source, leaving Hu Xiaotian considering whether to offer more grain.

• Xue Lingjun fled after Hu Xiaotian punished Guo Zhenhai, and Yu Tianxing thanked Hu Xiaotian for protecting him and his family.
• Liang Yinghao reported that Long Xuan'en had rejected Li Chenzhou’s proposal to exchange grain for territory, giving Hu Xiaotian grounds to retain the two cities North of the River.
• Hu Xiaotian and Yu Tianxing suspected Great Yong planned to use the Eastern Luo Granary’s reserves as an excuse to avoid lending grain, while Fan Zongxi waited for Hu Xiaotian’s answer about sending grain to the Capital City.
• Hu Xiaotian met Zhuge Guanqi and explained that he was undecided about the Imperial Court’s demand for a hundred thousand shi of grain.
• Zhuge Guanqi warned that keeping the Eastern Luo Granary’s reserves could cost Hu Xiaotian the people’s support and urged him to address the famine by letting people return to their fields.
• Hu Xiaotian asked whether Zhuge Guanqi was advising him to offer more grain.

Hu Xiaotian followed Zhuge Guanqi’s advice and promised three hundred thousand shi of grain to the Imperial Court, shifting the famine crisis and its political risks onto Great Kang. In the Capital City, Li Chenzhou learned that the peace talks had failed, but told Jian Rongxin he did not expect war and still had unfinished business.

• Zhuge Guanqi advised Hu Xiaotian to send three hundred thousand shi of grain to the Imperial Court and let the court handle its distribution.
• Hu Xiaotian told Fan Zongxi he would provide the grain as tribute, and Fan arranged for the court to transport it.
• Li Chenzhou received a falcon message and told Jian Rongxin that Great Kang had rejected the peace talks.
• Li Chenzhou reassured Jian Rongxin that war would not break out and said he needed more time to finish his business.

Xue Lingjun reconsidered her mission and stayed in Eastern Liang, then negotiated with Hu Xiaotian for the return of prisoners and the Eastern Luo Granary. Hu offered both, but hinted that he wanted security in exchange, leaving Xue Lingjun to wait for his terms.

• After learning Long Xuan'en had rejected Great Yong's peace offer, Xue Lingjun recognized the strategic value of Hu Xiaotian giving away his grain and decided not to leave Eastern Liang.
• Jian Ping told Xue Lingjun that Guo Zhenhai needed six months to recover, but Xue Lingjun ordered the delegation to stay.
• Hu Xiaotian welcomed Xue Lingjun warmly when she returned to say farewell, and they exchanged apologies over their earlier confrontation.
• Xue Lingjun reminded Hu Xiaotian of his promise to release Qin Yangming and the captured soldiers, and he agreed on the condition that she hear his terms.
• Hu Xiaotian offered to return the prisoners and the Eastern Luo Granary, then said he felt unsafe in Eastern Liang under the current circumstances.

Hu Xiaotian negotiated with Xue Lingjun to keep Eastern Luo Granary for five years while promising grain to Great Kang. In the Kang Capital, Li Chenzhou revealed himself as Wen Chenghuan’s son, and they reunited in private.

• Hu Xiaotian offered to release Qin Yangming and the other prisoners and asked to borrow Eastern Luo Granary for five years, promising to return it with its five hundred thousand shi of grain.
• Xue Lingjun said she needed Xue Daohong’s approval and asked to take the prisoners back, but Hu Xiaotian requested Yu Tianxing’s family before releasing them.
• News that Hu Xiaotian had promised three hundred thousand shi of grain reached the Kang Capital and divided opinion among the officials.
• Li Chenzhou visited Wen Chenghuan and presented him with the cracked Twin Fish Jade Pendant as a sign of his identity.
• Li Chenzhou knelt before Wen Chenghuan and called him Father, and Wen Chenghuan embraced him in tears.

Wen Chenghuan revealed Great Kang’s intelligence to Li Chenzhou and urged him to prioritize Great Yong’s stability over revenge against Hu Xiaotian. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng witnessed a snow eagle being swarmed by black eagles, leaving the snow eagle badly wounded.

• Wen Chenghuan and Li Chenzhou paid respects to Li Xuangan and discussed Great Yong’s unstable court, the rejected peace terms, and the need to strengthen the First Prince’s rule.
• Wen Chenghuan vowed to avenge Wen Boyuan by killing Hu Xiaotian, but agreed with Li Chenzhou that their family grievance must wait until Great Yong was secure.
• Wen Chenghuan told Li Chenzhou that he would explain the secrets about Great Kang he had gathered over the years.
• Hu Xiaotian practiced archery with Zhan Peng, but a black eagle snatched their hare before Hu Xiaotian could shoot it.
• A snow eagle seized the hare from the black eagle, and Hu Xiaotian stopped Zhan Peng from shooting at the rare bird.
• More than thirty black eagles surrounded the snow eagle and attacked it, leaving it badly wounded as Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng watched.

Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng helped the snow eagle defeat the black eagles, then followed it into a pine forest and found the wounded Li Chang'an. When a black bear attacked Li Chang'an and the snow eagle, Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng fought it off and pulled Li Chang'an from danger.

• Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng shot down black eagles while the snow eagle fought beside them, until the remaining birds fled.
• Hu Xiaotian followed the exhausted snow eagle into a pine forest, where he discovered Li Chang'an was gravely injured.
• A black bear charged Li Chang'an, and the snow eagle attacked it before Hu Xiaotian shot its eye and severed a foreleg with Hidden Edge.
• Zhan Peng shot the bear in both eyes, and Hu Xiaotian stabbed its chest as Li Chang'an tried to escape its counterattack.
• The bear's swipe felled a cypress toward Li Chang'an, but Zhan Peng dragged him clear.

Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng rescued Li Chang'an from a black bear, but Li Chang'an's Snow Eagle died from its injuries. After burying the bird and finding three orphaned bear cubs, the group agreed that Li Chang'an would raise them; he then revealed that the Heavenly Secrets Bureau was hunting him and insisted on leaving for the Northern Desert frontier.

• Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng helped Li Chang'an after he killed the black bear, and Li Chang'an mourned the dying Snow Eagle before it died in his arms.
• Hu Xiaotian and Zhan Peng buried the Snow Eagle, then found three black bear cubs; Hu Xiaotian stopped Li Chang'an from killing them, and Li Chang'an agreed they should be raised before returning to the mountains.
• Hu Xiaotian brought the cubs back to Eastern Liang Commandery, where Tang Qingxuan declined to raise them and Xiong Tianba's offer was rejected; Li Chang'an agreed to care for them.
• Li Chang'an told Hu Xiaotian that the Heavenly Secrets Bureau was hunting him and that Yan Huxiao likely controlled the black bear, but he still planned to leave for the Northern Desert frontier the next day.
• Hu Xiaotian urged Li Chang'an to stay under his protection, hoping to benefit from his beast-commanding skills, but Li Chang'an promised only to leave instructions for the cubs' care and thanked Hu Xiaotian for saving his life twice.

Hu Xiaotian agreed to provide the Imperial Court with grain, and Jiang Zhengyang arrived with an army to escort the first convoy. Hu Xiaotian and his advisers concluded Jiang might seize the grain and flee to Xingzhou, so Hu Xiaotian prepared to use the convoy as bait and strike if he rebelled.

• Li Chang'an recommended his junior fellow disciple Xia Changming to serve Hu Xiaotian, and said Xia Changming should arrive within two days.
• Seven days after Fan Zongxi departed, Jiang Zhengyang arrived outside Wuxing Commandery with troops and carts to escort the Imperial Court's grain.
• Zhan Peng and Li Yongfu reported that Yunyang was short of food and that Jiang Zhengyang had brought nearly his entire army to the convoy.
• Hu Xiaotian questioned his officers about what Jiang Zhengyang would do if his supplies ran out, and Xiong Tianba said he would keep the grain for his starving men.
• Yu Tianxing reasoned that Jiang Zhengyang might seize the grain and join Guo Guangbi in Xingzhou, while Hu Xiaotian told his officers to prepare to crush him if he took it.

Jiang Zhengyang arrived at Wuxing Commandery to collect grain for the Capital City, while Hu Xiaotian suspected he planned to keep it and watched him closely. Hu ordered the shipment loaded quickly, but Jiang kept his intended route secret.

• Hu Xiaotian traveled to Wuxing Commandery and gave Yu Tianxing authority to deploy troops, while he and his companions predicted Jiang Zhengyang would flee toward Xingzhou if he took the grain.
• Hu Xiaotian kept Jiang Zhengyang waiting before greeting him over a lavish meal, and Jiang and his deputies ate despite Jiang's complaints about the starving people of Yunyang.
• Jiang told Hu he had brought three thousand wagons and thirty thousand men to escort the hundred thousand shi of grain, and Hu warned that rebels and famine made the roads dangerous.
• When Hu asked which route he would take, Jiang said it was not suitable to discuss it there.
• Hu ordered Li Yongfu to load the grain within a day and a night and keep the shipment secret from the common people.

Hu Xiaotian suspected Jiang Zhengyang planned to hide the grain on Jadeheart Mountain in Cloud Marsh, and he sent a disguised fleet to stop him. Jiang Zhengyang’s convoy continued south toward White Spring City while the Kang forces prepared to intercept it.

• Jiang Zhengyang told Hu Xiaotian he would take his twenty thousand men and the grain south through White Spring City, prompting Hu to reconsider his route.
• Hu Xiaotian and Li Yongfu deduced that Jiang Zhengyang might use the Springview River to reach Cloud Marsh and hide the grain on Jadeheart Mountain.
• Jiang Zhengyang’s aide Zu Dacheng reported that five hundred boats would meet them at Green Jade Bay, while Jiang ordered the plan to proceed.
• Yu Tianxing concluded that Jiang Zhengyang, Guo Guangbi, and Ma Xingkong had allied, and learned that Guo Guangbi’s troops were creating a diversion near Yunyang City.
• Hu Xiaotian sent seventy disguised warships carrying six thousand elite naval soldiers toward Cloud Marsh and ordered Jiang Zhengyang’s loading slowed.

Hu Xiaotian sailed toward Cloud Marsh to block Jiang Zhengyang’s grain convoy, while Xia Changming demonstrated his ability to scout the area on snow eagles. Jiang Zhengyang continued toward Jadeheart Mountain, confident that his alliance with Guo Guangbi would let him seize Wuxing Commandery and its grain.

• Hu Xiaotian invited Xia Changming to join him and Li Yongfu on a warship bound for Cloud Marsh to intercept Jiang Zhengyang’s escape route.
• Hu Xiaotian explained that Jiang Zhengyang planned to take one hundred thousand shi of grain to Jadeheart Mountain, and Gao Yuan reasoned that Blackwater Stronghold’s ships would likely be lightly manned to carry more grain.
• Xia Changming offered to scout Cloud Marsh, then summoned two snow eagles and flew off on one of them while the other led the way.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized Xia Changming’s beast-taming skill as a valuable addition to his intelligence gathering, while Li Yongfu marveled at what he had seen.
• Jiang Zhengyang learned that no troops were pursuing him and that Wuxing Commandery’s navy had sailed upstream, so he continued toward Cloud Marsh, planning to join Guo Guangbi and attack Wuxing Commandery.

Jiang Zhengyang moved his grain convoy toward Green Jade Bay to send the grain to Jadeheart Mountain, while Hu Xiaotian’s forces prepared to trap him by destroying the ships waiting there. The chapter left Jiang Zhengyang nearing the bay, unaware that Hu Xiaotian intended to strike after the grain was loaded.

• Jiang Zhengyang joined forces with Guo Guangbi to seize Wuxing Commandery and take Hu Xiaotian’s grain, believing Hu Xiaotian had driven him toward rebellion.
• Yu Tianxing concluded that Jiang Zhengyang planned to send the grain through Cloud Marsh and warned that he might attack Wuxing Commandery alongside Guo Guangbi.
• Xia Changming reported that five hundred ships were waiting in Green Jade Bay to receive the grain convoy.
• Hu Xiaotian decided to wait until Jiang Zhengyang loaded the grain before sinking the ships and destroying the grain, while promising Li Yongfu he would leave a way for Yunyang’s soldiers to escape.
• Jiang Zhengyang sent Zu Dacheng ahead to inspect Green Jade Bay and its ships, then continued toward the bay with Zuo Xingjian accompanying the convoy.

Jiang Zhengyang and Zuo Xingjian loaded the stolen grain and their troops onto Blackwater Stronghold’s ships, intending to flee to Jadeheart Mountain and rebuild their strength. As their convoy departed Green Jade Bay, Hu Xiaotian’s forces prepared to attack, while Jiang Zhengyang began considering how the grain could let him pursue his own ambitions.

• Jiang Zhengyang and Zuo Xingjian agreed they had to flee together because the grain seizure made it impossible for Zuo Xingjian to remain in White Spring City.
• Hu Xiaotian ordered Xia Changming to use birds to exhaust the bandits’ arrows and divided his fleet to intercept the ships leaving Green Jade Bay.
• Jiang Zhengyang met Ruan Jingwu, arranged for five hundred ships to carry the grain, and insisted that the convoy wait until all the ships were loaded before leaving together.
• Zuo Xingjian discovered there was room aboard the ships for another seven thousand men and told Jiang Zhengyang he would follow him wherever he went.
• By the fourth watch, Jiang Zhengyang and seven thousand men had boarded with the hundred thousand shi of grain, and the convoy sailed from Green Jade Bay.
• Zuo Xingjian urged Jiang Zhengyang to pursue his ambitions, and Jiang Zhengyang recognized that the grain could give him the strength to challenge Ma Xingkong and other factions.

Xia Changming and Hu Xiaotian’s fleet attacked Jiang Zhengyang’s grain convoy, first using a flock of birds to exhaust the defenders’ arrows, then setting the ships ablaze with fire arrows and smashing the survivors with Armor-Breaking Ships. Jiang Zhengyang’s fleet was nearly destroyed, and his own vessel began to sink as he fell across its tilting deck.

• Jiang Zhengyang’s ships were swarmed by thousands of birds, and his soldiers spent their arrows fighting them off.
• Birds ignited the fleet’s sails, forcing Ruan Jingwu to order the ships to lower them as more than ten vessels caught fire.
• Xia Changming directed his Snow Eagle away while Li Yongfu’s seventy warships formed up and launched successive volleys of fire arrows at the grain fleet.
• Jiang Zhengyang watched his ships burn and sink while Hu Xiaotian and Xia Changming observed the attack from their fleet.
• Li Yongfu sent ten Armor-Breaking Ships to ram the surviving vessels, and Zuo Xingjian tried to escape without Jiang Zhengyang.
• An Armor-Breaking Ship smashed into Jiang Zhengyang’s vessel, flooding its hull and sending him sliding across the listing deck.

Jiang Zhengyang’s grain fleet was destroyed by Hu Xiaotian’s forces, leaving his surviving troops hungry and fleeing toward Yunyang. At Tongyuan Bridge, Xiong Tianba blocked their route, and Zhan Hongsheng rode out to challenge him.

• Jiang Zhengyang abandoned his sinking ship, was captured by Li Yongfu’s forces, and was ordered taken to Wuxing Commandery for questioning.
• Zu Dacheng led the remaining troops to White Spring City, but Zuo Xingjian shut the gates and drove them off with arrows.
• Zuo Xingjian blamed Jiang Zhengyang for stealing the grain and colluding with Blackwater Stronghold, while Ma Xingkong withdrew to Jadeheart Mountain after losing most of his fleet.
• More than five thousand soldiers deserted as Zu Dacheng led the hungry survivors toward Tongyuan Bridge, where Xiong Tianba and five thousand elite troops blocked the crossing.
• Zhan Hongsheng volunteered to cover the army’s advance and rode onto the bridge to challenge Xiong Tianba, who taunted him to attack.

Xiong Tianba killed Zhan Hongsheng and routed Zu Dacheng’s troops, but the Black Charger threw him into the river. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian questioned the captured Jiang Zhengyang, who revealed his alliance with Guo Guangbi and the Black Water Gang before beginning to explain Zuo Xingjian’s role.

• Xiong Tianba killed Zhan Hongsheng with a hammer and seized the Black Charger, while Zhan Peng intercepted Zu Dacheng’s arrow aimed at him.
• Xiong Tianba charged Zu Dacheng’s troops and sent them fleeing, but the Black Charger stopped suddenly and threw him into the river, where his men rescued him.
• Yu Tianxing planned to starve out Jia Anshuang’s forces near Yunyang City, but Jia Anshuang withdrew before entering the city.
• Hu Xiaotian fed the captured Jiang Zhengyang and questioned him about Guo Guangbi, the Black Water Gang, and Zuo Xingjian.
• Jiang Zhengyang admitted he had agreed to join Guo Guangbi, revealed Ma Xingkong’s role in the plan, and said he had promised Zuo Xingjian five hundred thousand jin of grain for his cooperation.

Hu Xiaotian discussed Jiang Zhengyang’s defeat and his plans with Zhuge Guanqi, including persuading Zuo Xingjian to submit and expanding his influence through Cloud Marsh. The chapter ended with Zuo Xingjian anxiously awaiting the consequences of his role in the grain theft.

• Jiang Zhengyang asked Hu Xiaotian to spare his subordinates and then requested the Three-Foot Green Blade so he could end his own life; Hu Xiaotian promised him a proper burial.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhuge Guanqi that he had reported Jiang Zhengyang took a hundred and fifty thousand shi of grain and discussed capturing White Spring City.
• Zhuge Guanqi volunteered to persuade Zuo Xingjian to submit, and Hu Xiaotian agreed to send him with Gao Yuan and Zhan Peng.
• Hu Xiaotian planned to accept Jiang Zhengyang’s remaining soldiers, while Zhuge Guanqi warned him not to expand too quickly and described the strategic value of controlling Cloud Marsh and its waterways.
• Zuo Xingjian feared that his secret agreement with Jiang Zhengyang to embezzle imperial grain would be exposed, while White Spring City struggled with food shortages.