Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian failed to persuade Su Yuchi to join him and resolved to remove him as a threat while Yunyang faced a possible attack from Western Sichuan and Xingzhou. Su Yuchi remained loyal to Great Kang and vowed to defend Yunyang, while Hu Xiaotian left still wondering what gave him such confidence.

• Su Yuchi warned Hu Xiaotian that Li Tianheng and Guo Guangbi might join forces to attack Yunyang, and Hu denied any intention of cooperating with them.
• Hu Xiaotian said he would not intervene in the conflict, but Su Yuchi challenged him to consider what losing Yunyang would mean for his interests.
• Hu Xiaotian invited Su Yuchi to join his cause, but Su reaffirmed his loyalty to Great Kang and vowed no one would take Yunyang while he lived.
• Hu Xiaotian raised the River Pirates on the Springview River, and Su Yuchi said he had strengthened patrols and that his forces were uninvolved.
• On the way back, Hu Xiaotian told Huo Shengnan that Su Yuchi seemed unusually confident, then agreed to stop at Sandbar Pasture to relax.

Hu Xiaotian visited Sandbar Pasture and accompanied Long Xiyue to Sandhorn Town after the Beggar Gang reported deadly attacks on its branches. Long Xiyue met North of the River Chief Leader Qin Yangming, who asked to speak with her privately.

• Hu Xiaotian inspected the horses and training at Sandbar Pasture with Tang Wenzheng and Tang Tiexin.
• Long Xiyue returned from an outing with Tang Qingxuan, and Lu Sanfan reported that three Beggar Gang members, including two Eight-Bag Elders, had been killed in attacks near Shaoyuan and Jingbian.
• Lu Sanfan said the Falling Cherry Palace might be involved, and Long Xiyue ordered the gang to stay alert and seek evidence.
• Long Xiyue agreed to meet Qin Yangming in Sandhorn Town, and Hu Xiaotian disguised himself as one of her guards.
• Qin Yangming greeted Long Xiyue at Jia's Tofu Shop, then asked her companions to leave so he could speak with her privately.

Long Xiyue confronted Qin Yangming over the Beggar Gang’s troubles and his challenge to her authority, while Hu Xiaotian grew suspicious of his intentions. As they tried to leave Sandhorn Town, hundreds of beggars surrounded them, and Hu Xiaotian realized the meeting had been a trap.

• Tang Qingxuan admitted to Hu Xiaotian that she had been wrong in the past, but he said he had forgotten what happened between them.
• Qin Yangming told Long Xiyue that the Sword Palace and Falling Cherry Palace had attacked Beggar Gang members because they were enemies of Hu Xiaotian, and he complained that the North of the River Branch had been excluded from the Red Sea Assembly.
• Long Xiyue warned Qin Yangming against unsupported accusations and declared that she would not tolerate betrayal of the Beggar Gang.
• Long Xiyue told Hu Xiaotian that Qin Yangming seemed suspicious, and they discovered that he had disappeared from the Tofu Shop courtyard.
• Hu Xiaotian and his companions found their mounts missing and were surrounded by hundreds of beggars, who prepared to attack with the Dog-Beating Formation.
• Hu Xiaotian drew the Windbreaker Saber and told his companions to show their attackers no mercy.

Hu Xiaotian, Long Xiyue, and their companions were trapped by Qin Yangming’s rebellion and the Beggar Gang’s Dog-Beating Formation in Sandhorn Town. Long Xiyue saved Tang Qingxuan from Qin Yangming’s attack, and the chapter left her facing him inside the Tofu Shop.

• Long Xiyue identified the beggars’ formation and its hidden command center as the 144-man Dog-Beating Formation attacked the group.
• Hu Xiaotian fought the formation’s 36-man striking force and ordered Long Xiyue, Tang Qingxuan, and the others to retreat into the Tofu Shop.
• Long Xiyue discovered Qin Yangming waiting inside, and he declared his rebellion and demanded the Green Bamboo Staff and Iron Rice Bowl.
• Tang Qingxuan and four warriors attacked Qin Yangming, but he killed the warriors and used Tang Qingxuan’s whip to drag her toward him.
• Long Xiyue used the Dog-Beating Staff Technique to snap Tang Qingxuan’s whip and redirect her fall, impressing Qin Yangming with her skill.

Long Xiyue fought Qin Yangming with the Dog-Beating Staff Technique while Tang Qingxuan tried to help, but Qin Yangming’s venomous snakes poisoned both women and left Long Xiyue disarmed and in danger. Hu Xiaotian broke through the formation and reached the courtyard just as Qin Yangming prepared to kill Long Xiyue, who remained strangely calm.

• Qin Yangming attacked Long Xiyue, but she used the Dog-Beating Staff Technique and her footwork to redirect his blows and keep him at a distance.
• Qin Yangming feinted toward Tang Qingxuan, then sent a venomous snake to bite her twice as she struggled to rise.
• Tang Qingxuan fired a crossbow at Qin Yangming, while Long Xiyue continued fighting and was bitten by another snake.
• Hu Xiaotian used dust and a powerful slash to break through the formation of thirty-six men and tear down the Tofu Shop’s courtyard wall.
• Qin Yangming broke Tang Qingxuan’s saber, hurled her toward Hu Xiaotian, and knocked the Green Bamboo Staff from Long Xiyue’s hands.
• Qin Yangming raised his Iron Staff to pierce Long Xiyue’s throat, while Hu Xiaotian shouted for him to stop and Long Xiyue remained composed.

Long Xiyue used concealed needles to help Hu Xiaotian kill Qin Yangming, while Tang Tiexin’s cavalry drove off the Beggar Gang. Hu Xiaotian saved the poisoned Tang Qingxuan with his own blood, then brought her back to Eastern Liang Commandery, where her condition remained stable under observation.

• Long Xiyue revealed that the snakes had not pierced her Black Silkworm Armor and fired the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles at Qin Yangming.
• Hu Xiaotian killed Qin Yangming, and Long Xiyue urged the Beggar Gang disciples to surrender, but Lu Sanfan rallied them to fight on.
• Tang Tiexin arrived with a thousand cavalrymen, whose arrows scattered the Beggar Gang disciples.
• Tang Qingxuan’s snake venom worsened, so Hu Xiaotian gave her his blood, which began to counteract the poison.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to Eastern Liang Commandery with Long Xiyue and Tang Qingxuan, whose condition remained stable under observation.

Hu Xiaotian investigated the Beggar Gang’s failed assassination attempt while Qin Yutong returned to treat Tang Qingxuan, whose condition worsened from complications caused by detoxification. Qin Yutong said Tang had only two hours to live unless an expert transferred internal power to her, and Visa urged Hu Xiaotian to use his own secret method.

• Hu Xiaotian returned to Eastern Liang Commandery with Long Xiyue and Tang Qingxuan, leaving Tang Tiexin to search for the attackers.
• Hu Xiaotian told Xue Zhenhai that Qin Yangming and Lu Sanfan had been involved in the attack, then gave Xue the roster of the North of the River Branch to resolve the affair.
• Hu Xiaotian met Qin Yutong, who assured him that Hong Lingxue was well, before Visa arrived to report that Tang Qingxuan was dying.
• Qin Yutong determined that Tang Qingxuan was suffering from complications of detoxification and said she needed an expert to transfer internal power within two hours.
• Visa reminded Hu Xiaotian that he could transfer internal power and urged him to save Tang Qingxuan despite his concerns about revealing his secret method.

Hu Xiaotian offered to save Tang Qingxuan by transferring his power through the Sun-Shooting Scripture, and Tang Qingxuan agreed despite her guilt over Long Xiyue. The treatment began while Qin Yutong covered for them outside, troubled by the sounds from the room.

• Hu Xiaotian told Qin Yutong that saving Tang Qingxuan required them to sleep together and asked her to explain the method and witness Tang Qingxuan’s consent.
• Tang Qingxuan woke and initially refused, saying she would rather die than accept the treatment.
• Hu Xiaotian reassured Tang Qingxuan that he wanted to help without taking advantage of her, and she admitted she had feelings for him.
• Tang Qingxuan agreed to the treatment after Hu Xiaotian promised to keep it secret from everyone except Qin Yutong.
• Hu Xiaotian began teaching Tang Qingxuan the Sun-Shooting Scripture as Qin Yutong waited outside and tried to avoid hearing them.

Qiqi weighed the threat to Yunyang and agreed to Yang Lingqi’s proposal to deter Hu Xiaotian through cooperation with Great Yong. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian questioned Qin Yutong about the Heavenly Mystery Hall, then learned that Great Yong was reinforcing the Nanyang Water Fortress.

• Qiqi discussed the threat of Li Tianheng and Guo Guangbi attacking Yunyang with Hong Beimo, who offered to deliver his Heaven-Shaking Crossbows and Tortoise-Shell War Chariots to Su Yuchi.
• Qiqi ordered Hong Beimo to handle the weapons personally and warned him not to make mistakes in securing Yunyang.
• Yang Lingqi advised Qiqi that Hu Xiaotian was the main danger and proposed warning him that Great Kang and Great Yong would unite against him; Qiqi agreed.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Qin Yutong about the Heavenly Mystery Hall, but she refused to share information about her master, Ren Tianqing.
• Huo Shengnan told Hu Xiaotian that Great Yong had rapidly reinforced the Nanyang Water Fortress and seemed to be preparing to act.

Hu Xiaotian and Zhuge Guanqi discussed Great Yong’s troop buildup and how it might affect the coming battle for Yunyang, while Hu Xiaotian remained wary of threats tied to the Imperial Mausoleum. After Qin Yutong examined Hong Lingxue, she rejected Long Xiyue’s appeal to their old friendship and urged her to embrace her present identity and happiness.

• Huo Shengnan told Hu Xiaotian that Great Yong had reinforced the Nanyang Water Fortress, and Hu went to consult Zhuge Guanqi about its intentions.
• Hu Xiaotian and Zhuge Guanqi agreed that Yunyang was essential to Hu’s plans and discussed using a show of force at the Eastern Luo Granary to test or distract Great Yong.
• Zhuge Guanqi warned Hu that Great Kang might cooperate with Great Yong, and advised him to demonstrate strength without risking a real clash.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhuge Guanqi that he feared Hong Beimo and others still had powerful weapons connected to the Imperial Mausoleum.
• Qin Yutong examined Hong Lingxue, then Long Xiyue asked whether Qin still doubted her identity and friendship.
• Qin Yutong told Long Xiyue that Princess Anping was dead and urged her to accept her life as Princess Yingyue of the Fragrant Kingdom.

Hu Xiaotian dealt with the aftermath of the Beggar Gang rebellion while assessing the growing military pressure around Yunyang. He suspected that Xingzhou's campaign against Yunyang depended on secret assistance.

• Long Xiyue urged Qin Yutong to marry Hu Xiaotian, but Qin Yutong said they could not return to how they used to be.
• Hu Xiaotian ordered heightened defenses as Great Yong and Great Kang reinforced their forces, while Xue Zhenhai purged the North of the River Branch's rebels and captured Lu Sanfan.
• Hu Xiaotian instructed Xue Zhenhai to cripple the rebels' martial arts and imprison them, while privately planning to have them executed later.
• Qiao Fangzheng returned to help the Beggar Gang and criticized Hu Xiaotian for sparing the rebels, offering to use his influence to address the branch's troubles.
• Xia Changming reported Great Kang's military movements, and Hu Xiaotian reasoned that Western Sichuan and Xingzhou were coordinating an attack on Yunyang.
• Hu Xiaotian concluded that someone might be secretly supplying Xingzhou.

Xie Jian told Guo Guangbi that Great Yong would supply Xingzhou if Guo captured Yunyang and submitted to its rule, while Hu Xiaotian also coveted the city. Meanwhile, Chang Fanqi received Huang Xincheng at Eastern Luo Granary and saw through Qin Yangming’s attempt to use their meeting to provoke suspicion.

• Guo Guangbi abandoned the drilling ground after seeing his underfed troops, then hurried to the Marshal’s Residence when he learned Xie Jian had returned.
• Xie Jian reported that Hu Xiaotian wanted both Yunyang and Xingzhou, while Great Yong offered supplies in exchange for Yunyang and Xingzhou’s submission.
• Guo Guangbi decided to capture Yunyang first and give it to whoever supplied his army, as Li Tianheng’s allies planned to begin hostilities within half a month.
• Chang Fanqi welcomed his old friend Huang Xincheng to Eastern Luo Granary, where Huang admitted Qin Yangming had forced him to deliver a letter under threat to his family.
• Chang Fanqi burned the letter unread and concluded that Qin Yangming meant to use Huang’s visit to sow suspicion between him and Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan discussed the possibility of Chang Fanqi defecting before Tang Qingxuan left to recuperate at home. Qiao Fangzheng then offered the Beggar Gang’s support and recommended his disciple An Zhai to lead its North of the River Branch.

• Huo Shengnan told Hu Xiaotian that Huang Xincheng had visited Chang Fanqi to persuade him to surrender, and Hu Xiaotian said he trusted Chang Fanqi.
• Huo Shengnan hinted that she suspected Hu Xiaotian had helped Tang Qingxuan recover, but he credited Qin Yutong instead.
• Tang Qingxuan bid Hu Xiaotian farewell and hurried away after Long Xiyue teased her about taking his blood.
• Qiao Fangzheng offered the Beggar Gang’s intelligence and covert support for Hu Xiaotian and Long Xiyue.
• Qiao Fangzheng recommended his disciple An Zhai to lead the Beggar Gang’s North of the River Branch, explaining that An Zhai’s abilities deserved a higher rank.

Hong Beimo brought Su Yuchi powerful new weapons, troops, and supplies to defend Yunyang, while Su Yuchi assessed the enemy forces and their shifting alliances. Hu Xiaotian and Xia Changming surveyed the approaching armies and saw that battle could begin within three days.

• Hu Xiaotian took an interest in An Zhai as the Beggar Gang sought capable supporters for Long Xiyue amid internal opposition.
• Hong Beimo secretly met Su Yuchi in Yunyang and delivered Heaven-Shaking Crossbows, Tortoise-Shell War Chariots, warriors, provisions, and Fu Yuhong.
• Yuan Qingshan told Su Yuchi that Western Sichuan had sent a hundred thousand troops under Li Yan and Yan Hucheng, while Xingzhou prepared to send another fifty thousand with Great Yong's support.
• Su Yuchi concluded that Guo Guangbi had sought Great Yong's protection for provisions and suspected Hu Xiaotian's threats against Great Yong were a feint.
• Hu Xiaotian and Xia Changming surveyed Yunyang from the air and observed that the opposing armies would be in position within three days.

Hu Xiaotian considered the coming war over Yunyang and chose to shelter refugees fleeing the city, while Western Sichuan prepared to attack. Su Yuchi anticipated the assault and planned a nighttime raid on Li Yan’s camp.

• Hu Xiaotian saw refugees fleeing Yunyang and told Xia Changming that Xiong Anmin would settle them in Cangmu County.
• Hu Xiaotian discussed Yunyang’s defenses and Great Kang’s mysterious weapons shipment with Zhuge Guanqi.
• Li Yan decided Western Sichuan would storm Yunyang the next day, dismissing Yan Hucheng’s warnings about Su Yuchi and Xingzhou.
• Su Yuchi told Yuan Qingshan that Yunyang would launch a surprise attack on the Western Sichuan camp that night.

Li Yan’s army endured a night of harassment and a bird attack before advancing on Yunyang City, while Su Yuchi prepared to meet the Western Sichuan forces in battle. The chapter left Xu Guangdi and Yan Hucheng clashing as the armies watched.

• Su Yuchi’s forces harassed Li Yan’s camp with drums and horns, then sent birds diving into the encampments and starting fires.
• Yan Hucheng urged Li Yan to withdraw and investigate Su Yuchi’s plan, but Li Yan ordered one hundred thousand troops to attack Yunyang at dawn.
• Su Yuchi predicted Li Yan would attack, told his generals to follow their plan, and prepared two hundred Heaven-Shaking Crossbows on the city walls.
• Li Yan’s army advanced toward Yunyang, where Su Yuchi had led twenty thousand troops outside the city and ordered Xu Guangdi to challenge the enemy.
• Yan Hucheng rode out to meet Xu Guangdi, and the two generals charged at each other as both armies beat their war drums.

Yan Hucheng killed Xu Guangdi and Jia Qing, then fought Yuan Qingshan as Su Yuchi used the duel to lure the Western Sichuan army into an attack. Su Yuchi’s forces unleashed poison from Heaven-Shaking Crossbows, a charge of flaming bulls, and Tortoise-Shell War Chariots, leaving the battle in chaos.

• Yan Hucheng killed Xu Guangdi in a single exchange and raised his body to challenge the enemy camp.
• Su Yuchi sent Jia Qing to face Yan Hucheng, and Yan killed him after deflecting Jia Qing’s arrows and disarming him.
• Su Yuchi ordered Yuan Qingshan to lose and draw Yan Hucheng’s forces toward his lines; after more than twenty exchanges, Yuan retreated.
• Li Yan ordered a full assault, and Su Yuchi’s Heaven-Shaking Crossbows launched venom and poison sand into the advancing Western Sichuan troops.
• Su Yuchi’s soldiers sent a thousand flaming, blade-horned bulls charging into the enemy, followed by Yuan Qingshan’s vanguard escorting one hundred Tortoise-Shell War Chariots.

Su Yuchi’s forces routed Western Sichuan with poisonous crossbows, fire bulls, and Tortoise-Shell War Chariots, then pursued the fleeing army. After learning of the defeat, Guo Guangbi and Xie Jian debated abandoning Xingzhou and moving west rather than risk confronting Su Yuchi.

• Yan Hucheng rallied Western Sichuan’s soldiers against the fire bulls, but Yuan Qingshan’s Tortoise-Shell War Chariots tore through their ranks and shattered their morale.
• Su Yuchi led twenty thousand troops in an assault after Li Yan ordered a retreat, and Yunyang’s forces pursued the fleeing Western Sichuan army, killing more than ten thousand soldiers.
• Hu Xiaotian, Xia Changming, and Zhuge Guanqi watched the battle as Su Yuchi’s forces secured a decisive victory.
• Guo Guangbi ordered his Xingzhou forces to withdraw after hearing that Western Sichuan had been routed.
• Xie Jian urged Guo Guangbi to abandon Xingzhou and move west, but Guo Guangbi worried that leaving would make Great Yong cut off his army’s grain supply.

After Su Yuchi’s victory devastated the Western Sichuan army, Guo Guangbi withdrew west, leaving Xingzhou exposed to rival powers. Hu Xiaotian and Li Chenzhou prepared to seize it, while Su Yuchi held back and Xue Daohong hesitated over the risks.

• Xie Jian urged Guo Guangbi to abandon Xingzhou and escape west, and Guo Guangbi struggled with the decision to leave.
• Li Yan arrested Yan Hucheng, accusing him of colluding with Su Yuchi after Yan refused to pursue Yuan Qingshan.
• Hu Xiaotian and Zhuge Guanqi reconsidered attacking Yunyang, then ordered an advance on Xingzhou after Huo Shengnan reported Guo Guangbi’s withdrawal.
• Su Yuchi refused Yuan Qingshan’s suggestion to pursue Guo Guangbi, warning that Hu Xiaotian or Xue Daohong would likely strike Xingzhou.
• Li Chenzhou told Xue Daohong that Xingzhou was vulnerable and urged him to seize it, but Xue Daohong worried about winter fighting and provoking Great Kang.

Li Chenzhou warned Xue Daohong about Great Kang’s powerful weapons and began planning to obtain the Heavenly Secrets Bureau’s secrets, while Hu Xiaotian captured Xingzhou with the townspeople’s help. After rewarding An Zhai and entering the city, Hu Xiaotian recognized the surrendered officer Luo Shifeng as a former Imperial Mausoleum stonemason.

• Xue Daohong proposed joining Great Kang to destroy Hu Xiaotian, but Li Chenzhou cautioned him that Great Kang’s ties to Hu Xiaotian were complicated.
• Li Chenzhou showed Xue Daohong diagrams of the Heaven-Shaking Crossbow and Tortoise-Shell War Chariot, then urged him to acquire the Heavenly Secrets Bureau’s secrets.
• Before Xue Daohong’s forces could converge on Xingzhou, An Zhai led townspeople in rebellion, killed the city’s commander, and opened the gates to Hu Xiaotian’s army.
• Hu Xiaotian distributed grain to Xingzhou’s starving residents and praised An Zhai, telling him that the North of the River Branch would rely on him.
• Xiong Tianba brought the surrendered Luo Shifeng before Hu Xiaotian, who recognized him as a former stonemason from Great Kang’s Imperial Mausoleum.