Recaps

Yang Ge’s forces wiped out most of the first wave of Eastern Isles ronin while Jiangzhe’s people thwarted efforts to discredit him. As a larger invasion approached, Yang Ge heard Wang Zeng’s account of his ties to Geng Jingzhong and Prince Ning, then offered him amnesty in exchange for helping gather the remaining pirates for a decisive attack.

• Yang Ge and Yang Tiansheng used the Bright Cult’s intelligence network to destroy nearly all of the two thousand-odd ronin who had first landed, while locals protected Yang Ge’s reputation from the Zhejiang Faction’s schemes.
• With the main Japanese Pirate force approaching and his forces stretched thin, Yang Ge decided to seek help from the Jiangzhe Regional Military Commission, but Wang Zeng arrived to meet him first.
• Yang Ge suspended his planned operations against Wang Zeng and heard his account of working with Prince Ning and Geng Jingzhong, including Geng’s use of Wang Zeng’s name to conceal attacks by genuine Japanese pirates.
• Yang Ge offered to seek amnesty for Wang Zeng and a Hundred-Household Commander post if he gathered the remaining pirate bands on Zhoushan or Shuangyu so their forces could destroy them together.
• Wang Zeng accepted Yang Ge’s terms, and Yang Ge spread out a map to plan the operation.

Yang Ge weighed Wang Zeng’s schemes and chose to set the ambush at Fierce Harbor while keeping Wang Zeng’s ambitions in check. Meanwhile, the Xiang Family’s young master decided to join Yang Ge and Yang Tiansheng in fighting Japanese pirates before challenging Yang Ge to restore his family’s honor.

• Yang Ge explained to Yang Tiansheng how Wang Zeng’s plans could benefit Wang Zeng, then decided to use Fierce Harbor because Shuangyu Port was too risky to attack and too valuable to destroy.
• Yang Ge told Yang Tiansheng that they should act for the people and do what they believed right, even if the Zhao Family could not hold the realm together.
• At the Flowing Cup Tavern, the Xiang Family’s young master rejected attacking the Bright Cult directly and proposed joining Yang Erlang’s campaign against the Japanese pirates before challenging him openly.
• The Xiang Family’s young master ordered Uncle Fu to bring all three hundred elite soldiers from Kuaiji to Hangzhou, where they would prepare to join Yang Erlang and Yang Tiansheng.

Prince Ning Zhao Liang arranged for the White Lotus Cult to target Yang Erlang and sought to recruit Wang Zhi, while Wei Heng and Shen Fa devised ways to manage Yang Ge’s actions in Jiangzhe without provoking him. The chapter left Wei Heng and Shen Fa arguing over whether Wei Heng would travel south to help contain the upheaval.

• Zhao Liang ordered Zheng Shiquan to add Liu Dongjun to the White Lotus Cult’s plan to kill Yang Erlang and to offer Wang Zhi the terms Geng Jingzhong had promised.
• Zhao Liang told Zheng Shiquan to keep officials patient while he waited for a better moment to claim the throne.
• Wei Heng confronted Shen Fa over the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s inability to control Yang Ge, and Shen Fa explained that they could not safely reprimand or restrain him.
• Shen Fa proposed letting Yang Ge act while they suppressed complaints in the capital, and Wei Heng suggested sending protection to the Welcome Inn and dispatching Yang Ge’s thousand Upper Right Office men to Jiangzhe.
• Wei Heng proposed intercepting the surviving officials from the Jiangzhe Three Offices and personally going south, but Shen Fa refused to let him leave alone.

As Jiangzhe’s competing forces gathered, Yang Ge used his growing influence and confidence to rethink the nature of martial cultivation and nearly fell into cultivation deviation. He discovered a new path centered on his own will, transformed Five Elements Returning to Origin Qi into the Five Directions Five Emperors Deity-Transforming Art, and left Yang Tiansheng and the Bright Cult stunned by the resulting golden tornado.

• Yang Ge organized intelligence and military preparations across Jiangzhe as Prince Ning's Residence, the White Lotus Cult, martial wanderers, Japanese pirates, and Wang Zeng stirred the region.
• Yang Ge reasoned that martial cultivation should strengthen and express the self rather than let martial arts reshape the practitioner, then nearly succumbed to cultivation deviation while seeking the answer.
• Yang Ge realized that his martial way should follow what he wanted to cultivate, and his conviction transformed his metal true qi into a miniature image of himself.
• Yang Ge developed the Five Directions Five Emperors Deity-Transforming Art and drew in vast amounts of metal qi, creating a golden tornado around his room.
• Yang Tiansheng and Wei Xin watched the tornado in alarm as dozens of sabers flew from nearby rooms and planted themselves before Yang Ge's door.

After dispersing and restoring his cultivation, Yang Ge gained the ability to kill Wang Lin and reunited with Yang Tiansheng. He then met Wang Zeng and proposed an ambush at South Sand Bay to destroy the invading Japanese pirates.

• Yang Ge awakened after restoring his cultivation, demonstrated control over dozens of sabers, and told Yang Tiansheng that he could now kill Wang Lin.
• Yang Ge and Yang Tiansheng discussed the White Lotus Cult and arranged for Wang Zeng to meet them before Grain Rain.
• Yang Ge met Wang Zeng outside Hangzhou and showed him a map of Jintang Island and the surrounding reefs.
• Yang Ge proposed drawing the pirates to a deep-water shoal, landing them at South Sand Bay, and attacking from both land and sea.
• Wang Zeng accepted Yang Ge's plan and promised to make the arrangements for the ambush.

Yang Ge and Yang Tiansheng prepared the Bright Cult’s forces to face more than twenty thousand Japanese pirates, while a White Lotus Cult leader’s surprise visit turned into a fight. The chapter ended with the woman fleeing after claiming she knew Shen Fa, leaving Yang Ge to wonder whether he had beaten up Shen Fa’s wife.

• The eldest son warned his father that Yang Erlang was a dangerous opponent, but his father insisted on fighting him to break through to the grandmaster realm and told Sen'er to contact Liu Dongjun.
• Yang Ge assigned the Bright Cult’s troops, arranged medical supplies and provisions, and told Yang Tiansheng to build fortifications and traps against the Japanese pirates.
• Yang Ge planned to seek Red-Coat Cannons from the Jiangzhe Command Regional Military Commission, even if he had to threaten its officers.
• A woman in a lilac cloak entered the corridor, and Yang Ge insulted her before she attacked him with a Golden Whip.
• Yang Ge shattered her whip with Defy Snow and Frost and battered her through the ruins until she claimed she knew Shen Fa, then escaped while he held one of her shoes.
• Yang Tiansheng identified the woman as Liu Dongjun, the White Lotus Cult’s holy maiden, while Yang Ge wondered if she was Shen Fa’s wife and whether Shen Fa would seek revenge.

Yang Ge pressured Chen Du to reform the Jiangzhe Regional Military Commission’s corruption and help prepare for an impending Japanese pirate invasion. Chen Du agreed to transfer the commission’s cannons and provide two thousand recruited soldiers, but Yang Ge learned that many cannons were rusted and their ammunition damp.

• Yang Ge entered the Jiangzhe Regional Military Commission headquarters with Gu Tong and confronted Chen Du about corruption among the officers.
• Yang Ge ordered Chen Du to make amends for the commission’s abuses, warning that those who refused to act would die.
• Yang Ge urged Chen Du to mobilize troops against twenty thousand Japanese pirates, but Chen Du claimed regulations prevented him from doing so before they landed.
• Yang Ge proposed taking the commission’s Red-Coat Cannons to prepare for the invasion, and Chen Du agreed to transfer them and provide two thousand recruited soldiers.
• Yang Ge learned the commission stored seventy-eight Red-Coat Cannons and over two thousand cannonballs, but nearly half the cannons were rusted and the ammunition was damp.

Yang Ge brought cannons and government troops to South Sand Bay to prepare for an ambush against twenty thousand Japanese pirates. After Zhou Fu exposed flaws in Yang Ge’s plan and proposed a stronger deployment, Yang Ge entrusted him with commanding the seven thousand defenders as the pirates approached.

• Yang Ge requisitioned thirty-five Red-Coat Cannons, over six hundred cannonballs, and two thousand soldiers, then marched to South Sand Bay before dawn on Grain Rain.
• Yang Ge learned that the Japanese pirates would land at noon and ordered Zhou Fu to prepare the soldiers while Old Qin surveyed the terrain for cannon positions.
• Yang Ge described his defensive plan, but Zhou Fu warned that pirate artillery could break through the narrow passage and recommended meeting the first assault at the shore.
• Zhou Fu proposed drawing the pirates into a melee, sinking their ships, and then having his troops take over the passage and slopes to encircle the invaders.
• Yang Ge appointed Zhou Fu to command the seven thousand defenders and promised to petition the Court to reward him after the battle.
• Yang Tiansheng started to mention joining the Bright Cult if the battle went badly, but Yang Ge covered his mouth before he could finish.

Yang Ge and the Bright Cult ambushed the Japanese pirate fleet as its forces landed, while Wang Lin joined the battle disguised among the pirates. Yang Ge clashed with Wang Lin on the beach, and their fight began as the landing battle raged around them.

• Yang Ge and Yang Tiansheng joked with the Bright Cult members on the hillside, easing their tension before the Japanese pirates arrived.
• Wang Lin ordered Wang Sen to lead their men in the first landing wave and told him to retreat to Luanzhou if the battle could not be turned around.
• After nearly ten thousand pirates had landed, Yang Ge signaled the ambush, and Yang Tiansheng led the Bright Cult charge down onto the beach.
• Yang Ge leaped into the pirates and cut down large numbers of them, then returned cannonballs to a pirate ship, triggering an explosion.
• A bronze-fisted Wang Lin struck Yang Ge and drove him backward, but Yang Ge countered with Braving Frost and Dew.
• Yang Ge and Wang Lin identified each other and sprang into the air, attacking with saber and fist.

Yang Ge defeated Wang Lin and Wang Sen, then ordered Liu Dongjun to help kill the Japanese pirates while he recovered. As reinforcements led by Xiang Wudi and two other groups charged onto the beach, Yang Ge rallied them to fight.

• Yang Ge and Wang Lin fought to a stalemate until Yang Ge provoked Wang Lin into charging and killed him with No Return.
• Wang Sen led White Lotus Cult followers toward the escape boats, but Yang Ge killed him with the Cold Moon Saber and the remaining followers scattered.
• Liu Dongjun teased Yang Ge about his exhaustion, then agreed to kill Japanese pirates after he invoked Shen the Second.
• Yang Ge surveyed the battle and saw a Japanese pirate expert break through the recruits’ formation at the strait entrance.
• Xiang Wudi led his troops in a countercharge, followed by two more groups of reinforcements, and Yang Ge rallied the fighters to destroy the pirates.

Yang Ge and the five allied forces annihilated the Japanese pirate invasion, then gathered with their leaders to celebrate victory and discuss the grudges still waiting after the feast. The chapter ended with Yang Ge warning Liu Dongjun that he might target the White Lotus Cult, while the uneasy alliance shared drinks by the bonfires.

• The five forces, joined by Fang Ke and nearly a thousand Strongmen from the Upper Right Office, routed and slaughtered the Japanese pirates until dusk.
• Wang Zeng watched the pirates' defeat from offshore, then sent men to retrieve their corpses so he could prove the Five Peaks fleet had helped.
• The victors celebrated together on the beach, and Yang Ge introduced the leaders of the six forces before proposing a toast to victory.
• Yang Ge urged the leaders to set aside their conflicts for the night, but Li Jincheng's remarks about Xiang Wudi's father prompted laughter and a challenge from Xiang Wudi.
• Yang Ge refused to apologize for killing Xiang Feilong and warned Liu Dongjun that the White Lotus Cult might not escape his attention.

After the victory at Zhoushan, Yang Ge mourned the fallen, arranged compensation for their families and comrades, and led the survivors back to Hangzhou in a public procession. Their reception turned the leaders into the celebrated Zhoushan Five Heroes, while Wang Zeng regretted not opening fire during the battle.

• Yang Ge honored the 2,494 fallen by kneeling and calling on the survivors to wish them a peaceful journey.
• Yang Ge negotiated with Wang Zeng over the spoils and ordered half the proceeds reserved for the fallen fighters’ widows, with the rest divided among the disabled, wounded, and battle participants.
• Zhou Fu and the other leaders accepted Yang Ge’s distribution plan, and Yang Ge called for the fallen and wounded to be carried back to Hangzhou with banners flying.
• The survivors marched through Jiangzhe, where residents gradually welcomed them with food and drink before crowds greeted them in Hangzhou.
• The people named Yang Erlang, Yang Tiansheng, Xiang Wudi, Li Jincheng, and Zhou Fu the Zhoushan Five Heroes, and Yang Tiansheng angrily blamed Yang Ge for the attention.
• Wang Zeng heard the news at sea and regretted not having opened fire during the Binhai Battle.

After returning to Hangzhou, Yang Ge decided to kill Prince Ning for the deaths in Jiangzhe, despite Fang Ke and Yang Tiansheng warning him of the consequences. He sent Fang Ke away to protect him and began preparing for the confrontation, while keeping Yang Tiansheng and the Bright Cult out of it.

• Yang Ge confronted Yang Tiansheng for publicizing the Five Heroes of Zhoushan and learned that the Bright Cult had been negotiating with the Court for amnesty.
• Yang Ge told Fang Ke to leave, but Fang Ke refused and warned him against acting recklessly after realizing he intended to kill Prince Ning.
• Yang Ge explained that Prince Ning deserved to die for the many deaths in Jiangzhe and rejected the idea that imperial blood gave him the right to live.
• Fang Ke suggested hiding Yang Ge's identity to reduce the consequences for Shen Fa and the Upper Right Office, and Yang Ge agreed to consider it.
• Yang Ge urged Fang Ke to leave and asked him to look after the Liu father and son and Little Yellow; Fang Ke departed after they exchanged farewells.
• Yang Ge refused to let Yang Tiansheng join him, then told him to finish the accounts and summon Xiang Wudi for their fight.

Xiang Wudi arranged a duel with Yang Ge to avenge Xiang Feilong, while Yang Ge prepared for a possible pursuit by the Court and met Xiang Wudi at the Qiantang River. Their fifty-move contest left Xiang Wudi’s spear skills impressing Yang Ge, who asked to test a new move.

• Xiang Wudi set his duel with Yang Ge for three days later outside the city and acknowledged the danger of fighting someone as formidable as Yang Ge.
• Fang Ke returned to Road Pavilion with seventy-nine coffins, and Yang Ge, Yang Tiansheng, and Li Jincheng saw him off at Hangzhou’s docks.
• Yang Ge asked Yang Tiansheng and Li Jincheng to prepare hidden safe houses and supply boats in case the Court hunted him; they agreed to arrange them.
• Yang Ge and his friends traveled to the Qiantang River, where he and Xiang Wudi agreed to fight for up to fifty moves.
• Yang Ge and Xiang Wudi exchanged powerful saber and spear techniques until Xiang Wudi’s attack sent Yang Ge flying and knocked the Cold Moon Saber into the river, but Yang Ge landed without injury.
• Yang Ge retrieved his saber, praised Xiang Wudi’s original spear combination, and asked him to test a new move after their duel had reached forty-five moves.

Yang Ge defeated Xiang Wudi with a saber strike shaped by his memories of South Sand Bay, ending their enmity and leaving Xiang to reflect on cultivating oneself before martial arts. Aboard the skiff, Yang Ge discussed Chain Wharf’s uncertain future with Li Jincheng and Yang Tiansheng, then revealed his plans after killing Prince Ning and hinted at a possible voyage to the Eastern Isles.

• Yang Ge’s half-move overwhelmed Xiang Wudi’s spear strike, split the embankment, and sent Xiang’s spearhead falling into the crack.
• Yang Ge told Xiang Wudi that his spearwork was nearing true mastery, then made him take responsibility for repairing the embankment; Xiang declared their enmity settled.
• Spectators praised Yang Ge and discussed how his deeds and character had shaped his martial arts, while Xiang reflected on the idea of cultivating oneself before martial arts.
• Aboard the skiff, Li Jincheng said his injured father had only four or five years left, and Yang Ge warned that an ordinary return to the true practitioner might not protect Chain Wharf.
• Yang Ge told his companions that the emperor might negotiate with him if he gained the power to threaten the throne, and said he could flee to the Eastern Isles if necessary.
• Yang Tiansheng and Li Jincheng eagerly asked to join Yang Ge on a future voyage to the Eastern Isles, where they could seek riches together.

Yang Ge traveled to Ninghai and secretly prepared to assassinate Prince Ning, while Shen Fa learned of Yang Ge’s likely target and feared the consequences. The chapter left Shen Fa convinced that Prince Ning was in grave danger.

• Li Jincheng ordered Uncle Wang Er to keep three hundred capable men in Hangzhou on standby before returning to the wharf.
• Yang Tiansheng gave Yang Ge intelligence about Prince Ning’s residence, and Yang Ge revealed that his hometown was the same as Gan Ning’s.
• Yang Ge traveled in disguise to Ninghai and hid in an abandoned house while studying the residence and waiting for a chance to strike Prince Ning.
• Shen Fa intercepted Fang Ke and questioned him about Yang Ge’s whereabouts, then whipped him for returning without Yang Ge.
• Fang Ke told Shen Fa that Yang Ge had mentioned Prince Ning and laughed coldly three times, leading Shen Fa to realize Yang Ge might be going after him.

Yang Ge disguised himself as a foreign sailor and staged a public lecture about the wider world to draw Prince Ning out. At the market, he recognized the graying man who had stopped beside him as the target he had been trying to lure into meeting him.

• Yang Ge decided against attacking or sneaking into Prince Ning's Residence and planned to lure Prince Ning out with knowledge of foreign lands.
• After meeting two foreign sailors, Yang Ge realized he could pose as an overseas returnee and attract Prince Ning's attention.
• Yang Ge stole a Spanish captain's clothes, disguised himself as a foreigner, and returned to Ninghai County.
• Yang Ge delivered a public lecture about geography, foreign powers, maritime trade, and Great Wei's ban on seafaring, then asked the crowd for traveling money.
• A burly, graying man stepped on a coin beside Yang Ge, and Yang Ge recognized him from Prince Ning's portrait.

Yang Ge revealed himself to Prince Ning, killed him and his guards, and completed his new saber technique, which he named Eternal Vastness. He left the scene carrying Prince Ning’s severed head as the second volume ended.

• Zhao Liang introduced himself as Prince Ning and tried to recruit Yang Ge, but Yang Ge revealed his identity and stabbed him with a guard’s saber.
• Prince Ning offered Yang Ge wealth and status to spare his life, but Yang Ge demanded the dead famine victims and Zhoushan warriors be brought back to life.
• Yang Ge cut Prince Ning into four pieces, then used his metal true qi to rain the guards’ sabers down on the attacking crowd.
• Yang Ge killed one of the three Return to the True experts and drove the other two to flee.
• Yang Ge realized his new saber technique had taken shape, named it Eternal Vastness, and cut off Prince Ning’s head.

After Yang Ge killed Prince Ning and exposed his crimes, Emperor Xiping ordered a nationwide hunt for Yang Erlang while privately regretting losing such a valuable ally. Shen Fa and Wei Heng realized the emperor’s wording left room to spare Yang Ge and planned to protect the Welcome Inn as the chapter ended with Wei Heng accidentally revealing that he had taught Yang Ge the Golden Bell Shield.

• Yang Ge displayed Zhao Liang’s head on Ninghai’s western wall, warned Zhao Hao and his troops away, and stayed on the battlements until the next dusk.
• News of Prince Ning’s crimes and Yang Erlang’s actions spread across Jiangzhe and beyond, turning the public against Zhao Liang and praising Yang Erlang.
• Emperor Xiping ordered a wanted notice for Yang Erlang, a reward of one hundred thousand taels, and a coordinated effort to capture him within three months.
• Emperor Xiping read Yang Ge’s memorial about opening one’s eyes to the world and lamented that he had to punish the man who had killed Prince Ning.
• Shen Fa and Wei Heng interpreted the emperor’s decree as targeting Yang Erlang rather than Yang Ge and resolved to protect the Welcome Inn while avoiding a direct confrontation.
• Wei Heng accidentally revealed to Shen Fa that he had taught Yang Ge the Golden Bell Shield.

After Yang Erlang killed Prince Ning, the Court ordered a joint manhunt, and Fang Ke hurried to protect Yang’s friends and relatives in Road Pavilion. Fang Ke confronted Eastern Factory agent Ying Baili, while Gu Tong escorted the Liu family and the old innkeeper toward safety by boat.

• A Northern Pacification Office messenger told Fang Ke that the Court had ordered Eunuch Huang to lead a three-month search for Yang Erlang.
• Fang Ke went to the Welcome Inn and told Liu Mang that the Eastern Factory would target Yang’s associates, then arranged to evacuate Liu Mang, his family, Little Yellow, and the old innkeeper.
• Fang Ke drove an ox cart toward the East City Gate, but Ying Baili and Eastern Factory eunuchs blocked his way and accused him of harboring Yang’s associates.
• Two hundred Upper Right Office Strongmen surrounded Ying Baili’s group, and Fang Ke demanded that the Eastern Factory produce proper paperwork before inspecting the cart.
• Gu Tong and Wu Eryong escorted the Liu family and the old innkeeper to the wharf, where they prepared to take them to safety by boat.

Shen Fa and Wei Heng accompanied Huang Jin as the Eastern Factory searched Yang Ge’s home for him, unaware that Yang Ge had already chosen Black Wind Stronghold for a decisive battle. After the agents uncovered an empty grave bearing Yang Ge’s name, Shen Fa and Wei Heng fled, while Huang Jin ordered the search to continue and the Yang family to be investigated.

• Shen Fa and Wei Heng defused a confrontation between the Eastern Factory and the Upper Right Office, then exposed Fang Ke’s carriage as containing prostitutes rather than an imperial fugitive.
• Huang Jin led officials and Eastern Factory agents to Firewood Gate Street to search Yang Ge’s home.
• Guo Zhongtang showed Shen Fa a report stating that Yang Ge had defeated the Five Ghosts of Jiangdong and seized Black Wind Stronghold; Shen Fa realized Yang Ge was waiting there for his pursuers.
• Eastern Factory agents ransacked Yang Ge’s home and dug up a grave whose inscription listed Yang Ge, but found the grave empty.
• Shen Fa and Wei Heng hurried away, while Huang Jin ordered the agents to dig three feet deep and investigate the entire Yang family.

After a dream of his late grandfather, Yang Ge left Black Wind Stronghold and headed northwest, while Li Jincheng and Yang Tiansheng each resolved to support him against the Court’s move to arrest him. Yang Tiansheng prepared to act with the Yang Family and Bright Cult, though his father planned to consult the Cult Leader first.

• Yang Ge dreamed of his grandfather, woke in tears as sabers across Black Wind Stronghold rang out, and ordered the bandits to surrender or abandon their crimes before leaving northwest.
• Li Jincheng told Li Changjiang he intended to stand with Yang Ge, and Li Changjiang encouraged him to act while he still could.
• Yang Tiansheng demonstrated that he had mastered the third level of the Blazing Sun Divine Skill, then learned that the Court was targeting Yang Ge and his family.
• Yang Tiansheng argued that the Yang Family and Bright Cult should not yield to the Court and said he would go help Yang Ge even alone.
• Yang Yinghao agreed to consult the Cult Leader, then told Yang Tiansheng he would help hold up the sky alongside him.

Emperor Xiping realized Huang Jin’s attack on Yang Ge’s family grave could drive Yang Ge to retaliate against the Court, while Shen Fa and Wei Heng feared they could no longer talk him down. As the Court’s Six Offices sailed south, Chain Wharf repeatedly attacked the Eastern Factory’s force, and Li Jincheng gained reinforcements just as the fleet confronted his Iron-Chain Boats.

• Emperor Xiping learned that Huang Jin had provoked Yang Ge by exposing his family’s empty grave and set out to stop Yang Ge from reaching the Capital City.
• The Six Offices’ fleet reached Suzhou Wharf, where a fire destroyed the Eastern Factory’s five ships, and Shen Fa and Wei Heng suspected Chain Wharf was responsible.
• Shen Fa explained that Yang Ge had created the grave as his last reason to keep living and feared he would cut his way to Huang Jin.
• Chain Wharf obstructed the fleet with Iron-Chain Boats at Huai'an, and Huang Jin ordered the Eastern Factory to charge.
• Li Jincheng prepared to face the Eastern Factory until a masked man arrived with a large force of red-scarved fighters, and the two exchanged playful shouts.

Yang Ge attacked the government fleet after learning the Eastern Factory had dug up his grandfather’s grave, killing hundreds and terrifying the other agencies. When a Grandmaster from the Imperial Horse Office confronted him, Yang Ge refused to stop, and the two prepared to fight.

• Yang Tiansheng told Yang Ge that the Eastern Factory had dug up his ancestral grave, so Yang Ge charged the Eastern Factory ships.
• Yang Ge killed two Return to the True experts and destroyed the Eastern Factory fleet, slaughtering more than five hundred agents.
• Yang Ge attacked the Censorate and Ministry of Justice ships while Shen Fa and Wei Heng tried to avoid confronting him.
• A gray-haired Imperial Horse Office Grandmaster fought Yang Ge and struck him into the river.
• Yang Ge emerged from the river with five-colored pillars of light, rejected the Grandmaster’s offer to end the conflict, and raised his saber to fight.

Yang Ge defeated the purple-robed elder in a devastating clash on the river, forcing the Court’s forces to retreat and collapsing the joint operation. His attack on the Court’s power reshaped Great Wei’s political climate, while his family returned to Luting County and Little Yellow continued waiting for him.

• Yang Ge and the purple-robed elder unleashed their strongest attacks, and both were gravely wounded when their strikes collided.
• Wei Heng ordered the government forces to retreat, while Yang Ge urged Chain Wharf to press its attack before collapsing from his injuries.
• The Court abandoned serious attempts to capture Yang Erlang, and fear of his retaliation eased factional conflict and helped Wang Jiangling’s Single Whip Law take effect.
• Emperor Xiping celebrated the projected tax revenue from the new law and planned three palaces, while officials across Great Wei became more cautious about exploiting the people.
• In early June, Shopkeeper Liu’s and the Deng family returned to Luting County and resumed their businesses, as Little Yellow waited for Yang Ge to come home.