Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian encountered Fan Mingyu and Fan Ling'er outside the sealed Divine Farmer Society and helped them escape from pursuing soldiers. At their refuge, he reunited with Qin Yutong, and they discussed their efforts to find the imprisoned Liu Changsheng and his son.

• Hu Xiaotian saw soldiers searching the Prince of Yan's Residence and found the Divine Farmer Society deserted after its members were arrested or fled.
• Fan Mingyu returned to the sealed Divine Farmer Society in a confused state, and Fan Ling'er tried to lead him away before soldiers arrived.
• Hu Xiaotian defeated four warriors pursuing Fan Mingyu and Fan Ling'er, then followed them to their secluded dwelling.
• Hu Xiaotian discovered Qin Yutong hiding in the West Wing, and she recognized him despite his disguise.
• Hu Xiaotian told Qin Yutong how his appeal to Xue Lingjun had led to her using Liu Changsheng and his son to force him to work for her.
• Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong agreed to focus on finding Liu Changsheng and his son as soon as possible.

Hu Xiaotian received Zan Buliu’s lead that Xue Shengjing might be hiding at the Red Mountain Guildhall while resolving to save Liu Yucheng. In the palace, newly enthroned Xue Daoming confronted Xue Lingjun over her role in the coup, and she warned him that Li Chenzhou held the real power.

• Zan Buliu told Hu Xiaotian that Liu Changsheng was dead and Liu Yucheng was imprisoned, and suggested Xue Shengjing might be hiding at the Red Mountain Guildhall.
• Hu Xiaotian resolved to rescue Liu Yucheng and focused on finding Xue Shengjing.
• Xue Daoming ascended the throne, appointed Li Chenzhou Grand Commander for the Protection of the Realm, and asked Xue Lingjun to remain after the court withdrew.
• Xue Daoming accused Xue Lingjun of knowingly helping forge the succession edict, and she explained that she had sought to change the political order to survive Xue Daohong’s pressure.
• Xue Daoming concluded that Xue Lingjun and Li Chenzhou had masterminded the coup, while Xue Lingjun warned him that Li Chenzhou was beyond his power to challenge.

Li Chenzhou tightened his hold over Great Yong while searching for Xue Shengjing, and Hu Xiaotian confronted the Yulan merchant Enhe about his dealings with the Prince of Yan. Enhe dismissed his guards and led Hu Xiaotian away, leaving the truth behind the guildhall’s secrets unresolved.

• Li Chenzhou warned Xiang Liren to keep his family indoors, raised the prospect of Xiang Mo'er marrying Xue Daoming, and promised to attend Azure Cloud's wedding.
• Li Chenzhou learned that a secret passage beneath the Prince of Yan's Residence led beyond the capital, but he refused to conclude that Xue Shengjing had escaped and ordered Shi Kuan to secure the city before Yuchi Chong returned.
• Hu Xiaotian visited the Red Mountain Guildhall and presented Enhe with a portrait of Xue Shengjing.
• Enhe summoned his guards, but Hu Xiaotian bluffed that he had evidence of Enhe's dealings with the Prince of Yan.
• Enhe dismissed his guards and told Hu Xiaotian to follow him.

Hu Xiaotian discovered that Enhe was Prince of Yan Xue Shengjing, who had hidden the treasures from Buddha's Smile Tower at the Red Mountain Guildhall. Xue Shengjing explained how Li Chenzhou and Xue Lingjun had joined forces against him, leaving him branded a rebel and hunted across Great Yong.

• Enhe led Hu Xiaotian into Wild Goose Tower and revealed the secret chamber beneath it.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized the treasures from Buddha's Smile Tower and watched Enhe transform into Xue Shengjing.
• Xue Shengjing told Hu Xiaotian that Li Chenzhou and Xue Lingjun had joined forces and blamed Liu Changsheng and his son for the Grand Empress Dowager's murder.
• Xue Shengjing revealed that Xue Lingjun's succession edict was forged and that he had escaped the palace coup through a secret passage.
• Xue Shengjing explained that he had secretly built the Red Mountain Guildhall and arranged its resources, while Hu Xiaotian realized that his brother was temporarily at a disadvantage but retained hidden strength.

Hu Xiaotian agreed to join forces with Xue Shengjing against Li Chenzhou and his allies, hoping to rescue Liu Yucheng and learn where Huo Xiaoru was. Xue Shengjing outlined his plan to win over Yuchi Chong, while warning that the recent court massacre might only be the beginning.

• Hu Xiaotian told Xue Shengjing he would stay in Great Yong to help Liu Yucheng, and Xue Shengjing proposed they work together against Li Chenzhou.
• Xue Shengjing offered to rescue Liu Yucheng and arrange for Hu Xiaotian to meet Huo Xiaoru in exchange for his cooperation.
• Xue Shengjing said Great Yong's economy and northern garrisons were weaknesses for Li Chenzhou, and proposed securing Yuchi Chong's support.
• Hu Xiaotian asked about Xue Lingjun's alliance with Li Chenzhou, and Xue Shengjing said their partnership was driven by self-interest.
• Xue Shengjing said Xue Daoming had become a puppet ruler and warned that the massacre might only be the beginning.

After Xue Daoming became emperor, he confided to Dong Bingtai that he feared Li Chenzhou would eventually kill him, but Dong urged him to endure. Meanwhile, Li Chenzhou welcomed Xue Lingjun into his family ancestral hall and publicly declared her to be his woman.

• Xue Daoming told Dong Bingtai that Li Chenzhou had caused his mother's death and warned that Li Chenzhou would dispose of him once he had served his purpose.
• Dong Bingtai urged Xue Daoming to keep his suspicions private and wait for a safer opportunity to act.
• Xue Lingjun advised Dong Bingtai to comfort Xue Daoming and help steady the court, while Dong worried that she might know about their private conversation.
• Dong Tianjiang questioned whether Great Yong could so easily fall under another man's control, while Dong Bingtai warned him not to provoke Li Chenzhou.
• Li Chenzhou honored his deceased brother Wen Boyuan in the ancestral hall and remained convinced that Hu Xiaotian was connected to his death.
• Li Chenzhou took Xue Lingjun's hand and declared before his ancestors that she was his woman, moving her to tears.

Hu Xiaotian revealed the shifting balance of power in Great Yong to Jian Rongxin, then set his plans in motion against Li Chenzhou’s allies. The chapter left Hu Xiaotian facing Qiu Mubai in a sword duel at Happy Woods.

• Jian Rongxin recovered from her illness and tried to leave to bury her father, but Hu Xiaotian told her Jian Xihe had died in the political struggle and that Li Chenzhou and Xue Lingjun now jointly controlled Great Yong.
• Jian Rongxin realized her husband had deliberately driven her away and said living through the truth was worse than dying.
• Hu Xiaotian gave An Zhai a letter and ordered him to spread its contents, then told Xia Changming they would capture Qiu Mubai.
• Qiu Mubai left Xiang Liren’s residence and encountered Hu Xiaotian, disguised as Shangguan Yunchong, blocking the road at Happy Woods.
• Qiu Mubai attacked Hu Xiaotian with his sword, and their blades clashed.

Hu Xiaotian defeated Qiu Mubai and abducted him, using the name Shangguan Yunchong to demand the Seven Heaven-Slaying Swords. Meanwhile, Li Chenzhou addressed rumors about the palace coup and heard Qiu Xianguang’s appeal for help, leaving him to investigate a scheme aimed at creating discord.

• Hu Xiaotian defeated Qiu Mubai, knocked away the two Sword Palace disciples, and abducted him in exchange for the Seven Heaven-Slaying Swords.
• Qiu Xianguang learned that the abductor claimed to be Shangguan Yunchong and suspected someone was framing the Beggar Gang to provoke conflict.
• Leaflets exposing Li Chenzhou’s relationship with Xue Lingjun and details of the palace coup spread through the Yong Capital despite efforts to confiscate them.
• Li Chenzhou dismissed the rumors, discussed Xue Shengjing and the remains found in a secret passage with Shi Kuan, and ordered him to treat the discovery as though it had never happened.
• Qiu Xianguang asked Li Chenzhou for help finding Qiu Mubai, and Li assured him that Shangguan Yunchong was not responsible and the abducted man was unlikely to be in immediate danger.

Li Chenzhou investigated the court’s funeral arrangements and the secret removed from Old Empress Dowager Jiang’s body, while Hu Xiaotian considered how to deal with Shangguan Tianhuo and his son. Xue Shengjing revealed that the skin concealed a secret, and Hu Xiaotian decided the Beggar Gang would concentrate its attacks rather than take Li Chenzhou’s bait.

• Li Chenzhou suspected Qiu Mubai’s abduction was meant to draw Shangguan Yunchong out and planned to turn the scheme against its makers.
• Li Chenzhou found that Xue Daoming had already left the Imperial Ancestral Temple, then advised Sun Weiyuan on the dowager empresses’ funerals and ordered a modest burial for Xue Daohong.
• Li Chenzhou examined Old Empress Dowager Jiang’s mutilated body and ordered Shi Kuan to investigate whether a tattoo on her back had concealed a secret.
• Xue Shengjing used the Ice-Spirit Soul-Calming Pearl to reveal pale blue characters on the sheet of skin and accused Old Empress Dowager Jiang of withholding a secret from him.
• Hu Xiaotian rejected An Zhai’s suggestion to attack Shangguan Tianhuo and his son immediately, deciding instead to concentrate the Beggar Gang’s attacks.

Yuchi Chong’s exhausted party stopped at the Dragon King Temple during a blizzard on the journey back to Yong Capital. He reflected on the late emperor’s command and wondered how the newly enthroned Xue Daoming would treat him.

• Yang Mingwei tried to strike his exhausted horse, but Yuchi Chong stopped him, and the horse soon died.
• Yuchi Chong ordered the party to rest at the Dragon King Temple until the blizzard passed.
• Yuchi Chong joined his soldiers by the fire and let them drink and relax after their arduous journey.
• Yang Mingwei apologized for mistreating the horse, and Yuchi Chong admitted he had pushed the party too hard.
• Yang Mingwei questioned why Yuchi Chong had returned to Yong Capital, and Yuchi Chong said he had little choice but to obey the summons.
• Yuchi Chong walked through the snow and wondered whether he would reach the funeral in time and how Xue Daoming would treat him.

Yuchi Chong’s company suffered a deadly scorpion attack at the Dragon King Temple and fortified themselves against a suspected enemy. The chapter ended as three beggars approached through the snow, and Yang Mingwei recognized the leader as an expert.

• Yuchi Chong discussed his uncertain place in Great Yong and the court’s summons with Liang Wensheng.
• Venomous scorpions poured from the temple’s front hall, killing eight soldiers and half the horses.
• Yuchi Chong ordered the front hall burned and kept his troops inside the main hall to prepare for an attack.
• A rooftop sentry spotted three approaching beggars, and Liang Wensheng readied archers while Yuchi Chong warned them not to shoot indiscriminately.
• The lead beggar said they only wanted shelter, and Yang Mingwei identified him as an expert.

Xue Zhenhai and two Beggar Gang members took shelter with Yuchi Chong’s army during a snowstorm, but the sudden collapse of his companions led him to suspect the soldiers had poisoned them. Yuchi Chong stopped the fight and offered to have an army physician examine the men, leaving the cause of their illness unresolved.

• Xue Zhenhai and his two companions joined Yuchi Chong’s camp by the fire and ate scorpions while declining the soldiers’ food.
• Yang Mingwei gave Xue Zhenhai a wineskin of liquor, and Liang Wensheng and Xue Zhenhai exchanged remarks by the fire.
• Xue Zhenhai’s two companions collapsed with stomach pain, and Xue Zhenhai accused Liang Wensheng of poisoning them and attacked him with his Dog-Beating Staff.
• Liang Wensheng evaded Xue Zhenhai with Phantom Shift, and Yang Mingwei’s men surrounded the Beggar Gang elder.
• Yuchi Chong arrived, halted the confrontation, and offered to have an army physician examine the fallen beggars.

Yuchi Chong’s camp was struck by poison, and Blade Demon Feng Xingyun emerged to attack him while Liang Wensheng fought to protect him. The chapter ended with Yuchi Chong killing the disguised Yang Mingwei and challenging Feng Xingyun after Feng Xingyun claimed there was no antidote.

• Xue Zhenhai realized that the wine had poisoned the camp as dozens of Yuchi Chong’s soldiers and officers collapsed, while Liang Wensheng and his six guards remained unaffected.
• Liang Wensheng attacked Blade Demon Feng Xingyun, but Feng Xingyun killed Liang Wensheng’s six guards and wounded him with blade energy.
• Yang Mingwei attacked Liang Wensheng and Yuchi Chong, but Yuchi Chong caught him and exposed him as an impostor who had concealed a dagger.
• Xue Zhenhai gave Liang Wensheng an Origin-Returning Pill, and Yuchi Chong demanded an antidote from Feng Xingyun.
• Feng Xingyun said there was no antidote, so Yuchi Chong killed Yang Mingwei and challenged Feng Xingyun to fight.

Yuchi Chong battled Feng Xingyun while Shangguan Yunchong defeated Xue Zhenhai in their clash over the Beggar Gang. Liang Wensheng interrupted Shangguan Yunchong’s attempt to kill Xue Zhenhai, but Shangguan Yunchong turned back to finish him as the fight continued.

• Feng Xingyun acknowledged Yang Mingwei as his disciple and confronted Yuchi Chong, who killed Yang Mingwei and provoked Feng Xingyun.
• Yuchi Chong and Feng Xingyun exchanged powerful fist force and blade energy, revealing that Yuchi Chong’s martial arts matched Feng Xingyun’s.
• Xue Zhenhai found Shangguan Yunchong and attacked him with the Dog-Beating Staff Technique while accusing him of betraying and splitting the Beggar Gang.
• Shangguan Yunchong trapped Xue Zhenhai’s staff, broke his leg, and knocked him down before Liang Wensheng intervened to stop the killing strike.
• Shangguan Yunchong deflected Liang Wensheng’s attack and chased him off, then returned to the injured Xue Zhenhai and raised his Three-Edged Sword.

Shangguan Yunchong killed Xue Zhenhai and joined Feng Xingyun in attacking Yuchi Chong, while Liang Wensheng tried to intervene. Yuchi Chong fought both skilled opponents but was outmatched in internal power, and Feng Xingyun launched a massive blade-energy strike at him.

• Shangguan Yunchong killed Xue Zhenhai and two other Beggar Gang members, while Liang Wensheng failed to save them.
• Yuchi Chong split Feng Xingyun's snow barrier and fought him, but Shangguan Yunchong joined the battle and attacked Yuchi Chong from behind.
• Yuchi Chong revealed his Dragon-Scale Gloves and caught Shangguan Yunchong's Three-Edged Sword, then twisted it as they exchanged kicks.
• Feng Xingyun feinted at Yuchi Chong and wounded Liang Wensheng when he tried to attack from behind.
• Shangguan Yunchong and Yuchi Chong exchanged punches, and Shangguan Yunchong's stronger internal power made Yuchi Chong stagger.
• Feng Xingyun descended with a vast blade-energy slash aimed at Yuchi Chong.

Hu Xiaotian arrived at the Dragon King Temple and rescued Yuchi Chong and Liang Wensheng from Shangguan Yunchong and Feng Xingyun. After the attackers fled, Hu Xiaotian treated the wounded and poisoned soldiers, while Yuchi Chong asked his benefactor to reveal his name.

• Liang Wensheng refused Yuchi Chong's order to flee and stood between Feng Xingyun and the Commander-in-Chief.
• Hu Xiaotian descended on a block of ice, clashed with Feng Xingyun's blade energy, and then attacked Shangguan Yunchong.
• Shangguan Yunchong recognized Hu Xiaotian and fled, and Feng Xingyun followed rather than face the strengthened opposition.
• Hu Xiaotian gave Liang Wensheng medicine and supplied Blood-Cleansing Pills for the poisoned soldiers.
• Yuchi Chong thanked Hu Xiaotian and asked his name, but Hu Xiaotian's smile led him to think the answer was inconvenient.

Hu Xiaotian met Yuchi Chong after rescuing him from an assassination attempt, revealed his identity, and urged him to reconsider returning to the Yong Capital. Their talk turned to Yuchi Chong’s divided loyalties and the danger facing the Northern Frontier, and Xia Changming arrived after secretly tracking Shangguan Yunchong.

• Hu Xiaotian revealed his true identity to Yuchi Chong and explained that he had come to Great Yong, prompting Yuchi Chong to grieve over Liu Changsheng’s death.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Yuchi Chong that the assassination attempt and the enemies waiting in the Yong Capital made his return dangerous.
• Hu Xiaotian questioned whether Li Chenzhou or Xue Shengjing had arranged the attack, while considering that Xue Shengjing might be colluding with the Black Hu people.
• Hu Xiaotian told Yuchi Chong that Huo Shengnan was well and invited him to visit Eastern Liang Commandery, describing them as family rather than enemies.
• Hu Xiaotian discussed Great Yong’s decline and urged Yuchi Chong to value himself and the Northern Frontier’s defense, while Yuchi Chong said no one was indispensable.
• Xia Changming arrived after secretly following Shangguan Yunchong when the assassins fled.

Hu Xiaotian left Yuchi Chong and tracked Shangguan Yunchong to a cave, where he discovered Shangguan was meeting with Black Hu people. He recognized White Corpse among the people inside, and the chapter ended with her detecting him and Hu Xiaotian fleeing toward the entrance.

• Xia Changming told Hu Xiaotian that he had found Shangguan Yunchong’s hiding place, and Hu Xiaotian left Yuchi Chong behind to investigate.
• Yuchi Chong ordered Liang Wensheng to take the soldiers to wait outside the Yong Capital, while he continued the journey alone.
• Hu Xiaotian and Xia Changming rode their Flying Owl and Snow Eagle to the mountain cave, where Hu Xiaotian entered alone.
• Hu Xiaotian overheard Shangguan Yunchong speaking the Black Hu language with a burly Black Hu man and realized Shangguan was colluding with them.
• Hu Xiaotian followed the Black Hu man deeper into the cave and spotted White Corpse among four people by a campfire.
• White Corpse detected Hu Xiaotian and attacked, so he leaped down and ran toward the cave entrance.

Hu Xiaotian escaped the cave after fighting the Black-and-White Twin Corpses, but Gangbala, Black Hu’s state preceptor, intercepted him and demanded the Northern Nether True Scripture. Their battle began with Gangbala encasing himself in ice armor and charging Hu Xiaotian inside a giant snowball.

• Hu Xiaotian fought off Black Corpse and used White Corpse’s attack to strengthen his strike before escaping the cave.
• Hu Xiaotian outran the Twin Corpses downhill as Xia Changming approached overhead on the Snow Eagle with the Flying Owl.
• A wall of snow surged toward Hu Xiaotian, and he split it with Formless Sword Energy to reveal the Fan Monk, Gangbala.
• Gangbala demanded the Northern Nether True Scripture, and Hu Xiaotian recognized him as Black Hu’s state preceptor and mocked his threat.
• Gangbala withstood Hu Xiaotian’s sword energy inside ice armor, then charged him as a giant spinning snowball.
• Hu Xiaotian struck the snowball with the God-Demon World-Ending Fist and prepared to kick it away with Gangbala inside.

Hu Xiaotian and Gangbala tumbled down a mountainside locked in a close-quarters fight, survived a fall over Bone-Shattering Cliff with help from the flying owl, and crashed through the ice of a small lake. Hu Xiaotian discovered Gangbala could not swim and gained the advantage underwater.

• Gangbala grabbed Hu Xiaotian and wrestled him into a snowball that rolled toward Bone-Shattering Cliff, while Hu Xiaotian’s Void Art failed to drain Gangbala’s power.
• The snowball plunged over the cliff, and the flying owl cushioned its fall before Hu Xiaotian and Gangbala emerged and continued fighting in midair.
• The flying owl slowed their descent, and Hu Xiaotian and Gangbala fell onto the ice covering a small lake, cracking it beneath them.
• Hu Xiaotian realized Gangbala feared the water and held on as Gangbala struggled, causing the ice to break and both men to fall into the lake.
• Gangbala could not swim and released Hu Xiaotian once they reached the lakebed, while Hu Xiaotian moved easily underwater.