Chapter Summaries

Su Yuchi struggled to balance the Imperial Court’s order to bar Western Sichuan refugees from Yunyang against their desperate need for help. Hu Xiaotian brought grain and medicine, offered to move vulnerable refugees through the city, and left Su Yuchi doubting his motives.

• Yuan Qingshan urged Su Yuchi to admit women and children, but Su Yuchi refused to disobey the Imperial Court’s order.
• Hu Xiaotian arrived at White Wolf Mound with ten cargo ships carrying grain and medicine, accompanied by Long Xiyue, Yan Nujiao, and Visa.
• Su Yuchi allowed Hu Xiaotian’s party to distribute relief supplies and assigned Yuan Qingshan to watch them.
• At the refugee camp, Hu Xiaotian challenged Yuan Qingshan over the closed pass and proposed letting elderly people, the weak, women, and children through before sending them onward from Yunyang.
• Yuan Qingshan relayed Hu Xiaotian’s proposal to Su Yuchi, who questioned whether Hu Xiaotian was truly acting out of kindness.

Hu Xiaotian tried to secure refuge for the Western Sichuan refugees, but Su Yuchi refused to admit them without Imperial Court approval. After the court ordered the pass closed, desperate refugees attacked Yunyang’s West Gate, and Su Yuchi ordered archers to shoot when his soldiers initially refused.

• Yuan Qingshan urged Su Yuchi to let vulnerable refugees through, but Su refused without an Imperial Court order.
• Hu Xiaotian promised the refugees he would take them in if Su agreed, and offered to keep sending grain and medicine.
• Nearly eighty thousand refugees gathered outside Yunyang as rain, hunger, and disease worsened, while Su waited for the court’s decision.
• A messenger delivered the court’s order forbidding anyone from Western Sichuan from entering Guanzhong.
• Refugees built a pontoon bridge and battered the West Gate, prompting Su to order the archers to fire after they hesitated.
• Su’s archers shot into the crowd, but the refugees continued rushing toward the gate, including women and children.

Hu Xiaotian and his companions discussed the refugees killed outside Yunyang City and Great Kang’s plans to exploit Western Sichuan’s disaster. Hu Xiaotian prepared to use Su Yuchi’s growing unpopularity to seize Yunyang, and the chapter ended with Zong Tang confirming that preparations were ready.

• Su Yuchi ordered his soldiers to shoot refugees forcing their way across the moat outside Yunyang City’s West Gate.
• Xia Changming reported that Great Kang was massing troops in the southwest, and Hu Xiaotian explained that the Imperial Court intended to isolate Western Sichuan before invading.
• Liang Yinghao told Hu Xiaotian that Su Yuchi’s refusal to admit refugees had stirred resentment in the city and that Yuan Qingshan had been arrested for disobeying orders.
• Hu Xiaotian rejected Xiong Tianba’s suggestion to destroy Yunyang’s defenses and attack, explaining that Great Kang’s generals could not openly rebel against the Imperial Court.
• Hu Xiaotian concluded that Su Yuchi’s harsh handling of the refugees had weakened his standing among Yunyang’s soldiers and civilians, then asked Zong Tang whether everything was ready.
• Zong Tang nodded, confirming that Hu Xiaotian’s preparations were complete.

Su Yuchi’s order to stop the refugees from entering Yunyang sparked mutiny among his soldiers as Zong Tang blasted open the West Gate. Xiong Tianba and Liang Yinghao stirred the chaos from within the opposing camps, leaving the battle at the gate in turmoil.

• Su Yuchi ordered his soldiers to shoot the unarmed refugees, but several soldiers refused and threw down their weapons.
• Zong Tang fired the Heaven-Shaking Thunder from Dafang Tower, blasting open the West Gate and destroying part of the gate-tower stairs with a second shot.
• Tens of thousands of refugees surged into Yunyang as Su Yuchi’s troops fought to contain them.
• Su Yuchi ordered his soldiers to kill anyone entering the city, and a guard died blocking an arrow fired at him by Xiong Tianba.
• Xiong Tianba attacked Su Yuchi’s soldiers with his hammers and urged them to save their families, while Liang Yinghao called on the refugees to kill Su Yuchi.

After Su Yuchi’s death in the West Gate fighting, Yuan Qingshan chose to open Yunyang to the Western Sichuan refugees despite the Imperial Court’s orders. The refugees passed through the city, and Yuan learned that the Prince of Suppressing the Sea had arrived.

• A young man freed Yuan Qingshan and urged him to stop the bloodshed by letting the refugees pass through Yunyang.
• Xiong Tianba knocked Su Yuchi into the refugees, who swarmed and beat him to death as Liang Yinghao slipped away.
• Yuan Qingshan led the Heavy Armored Army into the West Gate melee, separated the fighters, and found Su Yuchi dead.
• When soldiers called for revenge, Yuan Qingshan ordered them to let the refugees leave and declared that he would bear responsibility.
• Yunyang opened its East and West Gates for the refugees, and a soldier reported to Yuan Qingshan that the Prince of Suppressing the Sea had arrived.

Hu Xiaotian used the refugee crisis and Su Yuchi’s death to take control of Yunyang without deploying his army, while Yuan Qingshan chose not to resist and risk another war. In the Kang Capital, Qiqi learned of Hu Xiaotian’s actions and began questioning why Western Sichuan’s refugees had been directed toward Yunyang.

• Hu Xiaotian met Yuan Qingshan at Yunyang’s West Gate after Yuan opened it to let the refugees pass, and he discussed the Imperial Court’s orders and the risks Yuan faced.
• Hu Xiaotian offered to report that he had temporarily taken command after unrest in Yunyang, and Yuan realized he intended to seize control without spending a soldier.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Yuan that fighting him would endanger the refugees and the Yong River basin, and Yuan lowered his head rather than start another war.
• Qiqi heard Quan Dean report that Hu Xiaotian had taken Yunyang and submitted a memorial claiming credit, then called his account a lie.
• Qiqi asked why the refugees had gone to Yunyang rather than Western Prefecture, and Quan Dean explained that blocked roads and Hu Xiaotian’s promise to accept them had drawn them there.

Qiqi rewarded Hu Xiaotian with Yunyang after he seized it, while Yang Lingqi proposed using the flood of refugees to weaken him. Hu Xiaotian sheltered a hundred thousand refugees, and Zhuge Guanqi urged him to endure the strain because the newcomers could strengthen his new territory.

• Qiqi ordered Hu Xiaotian promoted to Grand Commander, rewarded him with gold and silk, and allowed him to administer Yunyang.
• Qiqi confronted Yang Lingqi over his plan to seal off Western Sichuan, and Yang Lingqi advised sending the refugees toward Hu Xiaotian to burden his resources.
• Hu Xiaotian took control of Yunyang's weapons and stayed there to oversee the settlement of refugees as their numbers continued to rise.
• Zhuge Guanqi arrived with grain and reported that Hu Xiaotian had sheltered a hundred thousand refugees, with enough supplies to support them through the autumn harvest.
• Hu Xiaotian worried that accepting more refugees would strain his territory, and Zhuge Guanqi argued that surviving the challenge could win him loyal subjects and populate his lands.

Hu Xiaotian decided to shelter Western Sichuan’s refugees and use allied grain purchases to support them, while Li Tianheng faced the loss of Yunyang and northeastern Western Sichuan. As Li Tianheng weighed surrendering to Great Kang, he mourned his past mistakes and the death of Zhang Ziqian; the chapter then turned to the imprisoned Prince of Zhou, Long Yefang.

• Hu Xiaotian accepted that his territory could take in three hundred thousand refugees if he bought grain from the Fragrant Kingdom and Bohai, and he ordered Zhuge Guanqi to draft a proclamation setting out protections and rules.
• Hu Xiaotian planned to station troops in Fangjing and Qingluan and help rebuild the devastated cities once conditions stabilized.
• Yao Wenqi told Li Tianheng that relief envoys had been refused, roads to Fangjing and Qingluan were impassable, and Hu Xiaotian had gained Yunyang and support from his allies.
• Li Tianheng recognized Hu Xiaotian’s growing power and asked how Western Sichuan should respond, prompting Yao Wenqi to suggest surrendering to Great Kang.
• Li Tianheng rejected fear of Hu Xiaotian and Great Kang, lamented that he had ignored Zhang Ziqian’s earlier advice, and struck a tea table in frustration.
• Long Yefang remained confined in Autumn Splendor Palace, where years of isolation had left him feeling like a soulless shell.

Li Tianheng decided to send Long Yefang back to Great Kang, while his son Li Honghan and a mysterious mentor feared that the move would fail and opposed surrender. The chapter ended with Li Tianheng and Li Honghan clashing over the decision before Yang Haoran pulled Li Honghan away.

• Li Tianheng offered Long Yefang the choice of suicide or returning to Great Kang, but Long Yefang could not bring himself to kill himself.
• Qi Jingcheng reported Li Tianheng’s plan to Li Honghan, who consulted his mentor, an old gardener, about its implications.
• The old gardener predicted that Li Tianheng intended to submit to Great Kang and warned that the Imperial Court might still refuse to spare him.
• Li Tianheng explained to Li Honghan that surrender could spare Western Sichuan from war, but Li Honghan rejected the plan and accused his father of indecision.
• Li Tianheng slapped Li Honghan and threatened to kill him, but Yang Haoran intervened and dragged Li Honghan out.

Yang Haoran persuaded Li Honghan that killing Long Yefang could prevent Li Tianheng from surrendering Western Sichuan to Great Kang. Li Honghan poisoned and killed the Prince of Zhou, then confronted his father, and their fight left Li Tianheng driven back as Western Sichuan faced rebellion.

• Yang Haoran urged Li Honghan to undermine Li Tianheng’s surrender plan by making Western Sichuan unforgivable to Great Kang.
• Li Honghan visited Long Yefang, tricked him into drinking poisoned wine, and killed him with his sword.
• Li Honghan brought Long Yefang’s severed head to Li Tianheng and declared that the surrender plan had lost its bargaining chip.
• Li Tianheng attacked Li Honghan, who evaded and countered his father’s blows with superior strength.

Li Honghan seized power in Western Sichuan after his master helped him kill Li Tianheng, and he concealed his role by blaming an assassin. As Western Sichuan faced renewed danger, Hu Xiaotian received news of the succession and then a letter from the princess delivered by Murong Zhan.

• Li Honghan demanded that Li Tianheng hand over the Tiger Tally Seal, but Li Tianheng poisoned him and prepared to kill him.
• Li Honghan's master struck Li Tianheng and guided Li Honghan's sword into his father's chest before disappearing.
• Li Honghan blamed Li Tianheng's death on an escaped assassin, and Yang Haoran promised to find treatment for his poison.
• Meng Guangxiong told Hu Xiaotian that Li Tianheng was dead and Li Honghan had become the new commander of Western Sichuan.
• Murong Zhan arrived in Yunyang and gave Hu Xiaotian a letter from the princess.

At court, Qiqi agreed to Great Yong’s requests to verify Long Xiyue’s identity and return the Eastern Luo Granary, then learned that Li Tianheng had been assassinated. Suspecting Li Honghan or another interested party, she ordered an investigation and her officials recommended Hu Xiaotian to handle it.

• Sun Weiyuan asked Qiqi to let palace servants identify Long Xiyue as Princess Anping, and Qiqi agreed.
• Sun Weiyuan demanded the return of the Eastern Luo Granary; after Wen Chenghuan confirmed the expired agreement, Qiqi promised to decree its return.
• Hong Beimo reported that Li Tianheng had been assassinated and that Western Sichuan blamed Great Kang; Qiqi denied the accusation.
• Qiqi dismissed most of the court and discussed who benefited from Li Tianheng’s death, naming Li Honghan as the likeliest suspect.
• Qiqi ordered an investigation, and Wen Chenghuan recommended that Hu Xiaotian lead it.

Qiqi and Wen Chenghuan arranged for Hu Xiaotian to travel to Western Sichuan as Great Kang’s envoy, with Murong Zhan accompanying him. Hu Xiaotian accepted the journey to investigate Li Tianheng’s assassination, and Meng Guangxiong volunteered to guide him through the earthquake-damaged route.

• Wen Chenghuan and Hong Beimo persuaded Qiqi that Hu Xiaotian could be enticed to Western Sichuan by offering to resolve the Great Yong dispute and negotiate Li Honghan’s surrender.
• Hu Xiaotian read Qiqi’s letter, questioned Murong Zhan about the mission, and learned that Murong Zhan would follow his instructions on the journey.
• Xiong Tianba and Hu Xiaotian’s advisers warned that Qiqi’s offer might be a trap, but Hu Xiaotian said he already intended to investigate Li Tianheng’s assassination.
• Hu Xiaotian decided to travel to the Western Prefecture with Murong Zhan as Great Kang’s envoy, despite his companions’ concerns.
• Meng Guangxiong volunteered to accompany Hu Xiaotian and guide him along the difficult route through the mountains.

Hu Xiaotian and Murong Zhan traveled through earthquake-ravaged Western Sichuan, where Hu Xiaotian revealed his theory that Feiyan’s father and Hu Buwei had arranged events around Feiyan’s journey. The chapter left Hu Xiaotian questioning Murong Zhan about his secret alliance with Old Hu.

• Hu Xiaotian took the mountain route to Qingluan, where his forces had already seized control of the city and nearby territory.
• Hu Xiaotian and Murong Zhan discussed power, family, and whether parents loved their children, each provoking the other with remarks about Feiyan and Hu Xiaotian’s father.
• Hu Xiaotian told Murong Zhan that Feiyan was safe in the Fragrant Kingdom and had found her mother, Su Yujin.
• Hu Xiaotian theorized that Feiyan’s father and Hu Buwei had worked together to guide Feiyan’s journey and reunite her with Su Yujin.
• Hu Xiaotian challenged Murong Zhan about being in cahoots with Old Hu, then said he should have recognized the many coincidences sooner.

Hu Xiaotian investigated Li Tianheng’s death and the Prince of Zhou’s whereabouts after arriving in Western Prefecture. His inquiries uncovered a possible Five Immortals Cult connection to the assassination and raised suspicions about the Fragrant Kingdom’s envoy, Zhou Mo.

• Hu Xiaotian and Murong Zhan entered Western Prefecture separately and agreed to assess the situation before offering condolences.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Zhou Wenju at Hundred Herbs Hall and learned that Li Honghan blamed Great Kang for Li Tianheng’s murder and had been poisoned with what was likely the Five Immortals Cult’s Bone-Softening Powder.
• Hu Xiaotian asked about the Prince of Zhou, but Zhou Wenju only knew that he lived in Autumn Splendor Palace.
• Meng Guangxiong reported that Li Honghan had empowered Yang Haoran, imprisoned peace advocates including Yao Wenqi, and received condolence envoys from several kingdoms.
• Hu Xiaotian became wary when he learned that Zhou Mo, his estranged friend and a suspected agent of Hu Buwei, had arrived as the Fragrant Kingdom’s envoy.

Hu Xiaotian met with Huo Ge at the Hundred Flavors Restaurant to discuss Great Kang’s mission in Western Sichuan and the disputed circumstances of Li Tianheng’s assassination. They ended with Hu Xiaotian questioning whether Li Honghan had falsely blamed Great Kang for the killing.

• Hu Xiaotian invited Huo Ge to meet privately after Huo Ge arrived in Western Prefecture to investigate its political turmoil for Shajia.
• Hu Xiaotian and Huo Ge exchanged toasts and discussed Shajia’s delegation attending Hu Xiaotian’s wedding.
• Huo Ge questioned why Hu Xiaotian had come to Western Sichuan despite being a Great Kang prince while Li Tianheng was believed to have been killed by a Great Kang assassin.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed that Great Kang had sent him to pay respects to Li Tianheng and posthumously confer a princely title on him.
• Hu Xiaotian argued that the killer might have framed Great Kang or said nothing about who sent him, and he asked Huo Ge what kind of person Li Honghan was.

Huo Ge and Hu Xiaotian suspected Yang Haoran of helping Li Honghan consolidate power after Li Tianheng’s murder and discussed a possible alliance against Western Sichuan. At Distant Prayer Hall, Zhou Mo told the dying Xiao Tianmu that Great Kang had sent the Third Brother as its Imperial Envoy to confer Li Tianheng’s posthumous title.

• Hu Xiaotian argued that Li Honghan likely relied on a powerful adviser to keep Western Sichuan’s army orderly, and Huo Ge suspected Yang Haoran.
• Huo Ge asked whether Great Kang planned to attack Western Sichuan, and Hu Xiaotian said Great Kang lacked the strength for such a war.
• Huo Ge and Hu Xiaotian jokingly agreed that Huo Ge would take Xiezhou if they ever conquered Western Sichuan.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Huo Ge to look into the Prince of Zhou and the Fragrant Kingdom’s delegation, and Huo Ge agreed to share any news.
• Xiao Tianmu told Zhou Mo that he felt trapped and might not live long, then asked whether Zhou Mo had made contact.
• Zhou Mo revealed that Great Kang had sent an Imperial Envoy to confer Li Tianheng’s posthumous title, and Xiao Tianmu guessed it was the Third Brother.

Xiao Tianmu and Zhou Mo discussed their guilt and the possibility of fighting Hu Xiaotian, while Hu Buwei tried to force Long Xuanjiao to support his expansion into Redwood River. The chapter ended with Hu Buwei threatening Long Xuanjiao and her son, leaving her powerless to oppose him.

• Xiao Tianmu told Zhou Mo that Great Kang was bluffing and that Hu Xiaotian had become too powerful to treat as the brother they once knew.
• Zhou Mo asked what Xiao Tianmu would do if they had to fight Hu Xiaotian, and Xiao Tianmu vowed to show no mercy.
• Hu Buwei demanded that Long Xuanjiao cancel the grain agreement with Hu Xiaotian and revealed he had assembled troops to seize Redwood River.
• Hu Buwei claimed Li Honghan was a puppet and suggested he could have Li Honghan killed, while Long Xuanjiao accused him of orchestrating Li Tianheng’s death.
• Long Xuanjiao refused to let Hu Buwei use Fragrant Kingdom troops, but he slapped and choked her before warning that he controlled the palace and could kill Long Yue.
• Hu Buwei spared Long Xuanjiao, threatened her not to tell Su Yujin, and ordered her to remain Empress Dowager and leave state affairs to him.

Hu Buwei and Xu Fengmei discussed their plans to control the Fragrant Kingdom and support Western Sichuan, while Hu Xiaotian learned that the Fragrant Kingdom had agreed to lend Western Sichuan grain. Hu Xiaotian then tried to turn Murong Zhan against Hu Buwei by revealing the secret of the blue, transparent skull, but Murong Zhan declared that he and Hu Xiaotian were not on the same path.

• Hu Buwei met Xu Fengmei at the Yuqing Treasure House, and they discussed the Old Madam, their influence over the Fragrant Kingdom, and their plans to aid Western Sichuan.
• Hu Xiaotian met Murong Zhan, who told him that the Fragrant Kingdom had agreed to lend grain to Western Sichuan without interest.
• Murong Zhan reported that one captured assassin claimed to have been sent by Great Kang's Heavenly Secrets Bureau to attack Li Honghan.
• Hu Xiaotian told Murong Zhan that Hu Buwei had sent him to steal a blue, transparent skull from the Clear Mystery Monastery in exchange for Feiyan's safety.
• Murong Zhan reacted to Hu Xiaotian's revelations but ended their exchange by saying he was not on the same path as Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian and Murong Zhan visited the Spirit Hall to pay respects to Li Tianheng, where Hu Xiaotian’s encounter with Li Honghan exposed the Young Marshal’s hostility and poor conduct. Li Wuyou and her sisters welcomed Hu Xiaotian, and the chapter left him offering a warm greeting to the unexpectedly arrived Zhou Mo.

• Hu Xiaotian and Murong Zhan arrived at the Marshal's Residence, where Qiu Yuanchang led them to the Spirit Hall after Hu Xiaotian said he had come privately to pay his respects.
• Li Honghan challenged Hu Xiaotian at the Spirit Hall, but Li Wuyou and her three elder sisters came forward to welcome him and knelt to receive his condolences.
• Hu Xiaotian offered incense to Li Tianheng and spoke kindly with Li Wuyou, asking her to call him Big Brother Hu.
• Li Honghan accused Hu Xiaotian of seizing Western Sichuan lands and murdering Li Tianheng, while Murong Zhan questioned whether Li Honghan could control the region.
• Huo Ge and Zhou Mo arrived; Huo Ge greeted Hu Xiaotian warmly, and Hu Xiaotian approached Zhou Mo and called him Big Brother.