Chapter Summaries

After Liu Daxia died in prison, Qin Lie publicly accused Emperor Chen and the court officials of murdering him, then died by striking his head against a pillar. In Lanzhou, Liu Ben learned of his father’s death and left for the capital with eighteen guards, while rumors there portrayed Liu Daxia as a corrupt criminal.

• Cui Yizhong and Tong Huan urged Emperor Chen to punish Liu Daxia’s household, but Qin Lie objected and demanded an investigation into Liu Daxia’s death.
• Emperor Chen struck Qin Lie with a paperweight; Qin Lie denounced him before the court and killed himself by charging into a pillar.
• Liu Ben learned that his father had died and vowed to return to the capital, despite Ling Wenyue warning him that the trip could be a trap.
• Liu Ben knocked Ling Wenyue unconscious, then rode toward the capital with eighteen black-clad guards.
• Rumors spread through Luoyang that Liu Daxia had been corrupt and that Qin Lie had also killed himself after trying to defend him.

Cui Yizhong ordered Bi Yunfei to control the investigation and deal with Liu Ben if he returned to the capital. Meanwhile, Li Tiefu led an ambush against Liu Ben’s approaching riders, but the armored horsemen proved far more dangerous than expected and began cutting down the ambushers.

• Cui Yizhong praised Bi Yunfei’s work, warned him to curb his ambition, and ordered him to contain the investigation and public attention.
• Bi Yunfei warned Cui Yizhong that Liu Ben might return to the capital, and Cui told him to make sure Liu Ben never left if he came back.
• Li Tiefu and his men waited in ambush on an ancient road, having been compelled by a young man to attack their target.
• Liu Ben and a dozen riders approached through a cloud of dust, and Li Tiefu’s arrows killed one rider but failed to pierce the others’ Golden-Thread Soft Armor.
• The rider leading the group charged into the ambush and killed several men, cleaving Pang Long in two.

Li Tiefu and Thunder Leopard fled Liu Ben’s pursuit but rode into an ambush by the Soaring Dragon Army, where both were killed. The story then shifted to a raid on Great Chen’s Scout Battalion, where Gu Qingzhou and He An fought Western Liang soldiers while Wurigendalai watched for an opening.

• Liu Ben’s guards overwhelmed Li Tiefu’s outlaws, and Li Tiefu escaped on horseback with Thunder Leopard.
• Li Tiefu and Thunder Leopard reached a woodland where Soaring Dragon Army archers killed Thunder Leopard and mortally wounded Li Tiefu.
• Liu Ben and his men charged the woodland as armored soldiers emerged and battle began.
• Gu Qingzhou fought Western Liang soldiers, and He An saved him from a deadly saber strike before cutting down nearby attackers.
• Wurigendalai watched the fighting and recalled that the Western Liang Red Dragon Army had raided the Great Chen Scout Battalion because its scouts had repeatedly exposed their movements.

Wurigendalai infiltrated Great Chen’s camp during the raid, killed an old soldier, and attacked Fan Dazhi, who burned and froze him while escaping. Meanwhile, Liu Ben reached the outskirts of Luoyang after surviving ambushes and began to suspect that powerful figures, possibly even Emperor Chen, had plotted to kill him.

• Wurigendalai fled the fighting at the scout camps and slipped into Great Chen’s rear camp, where he killed an old soldier and took his head.
• Wurigendalai found Fan Dazhi in the kitchen and attacked him with a saber.
• Fan Dazhi unleashed a burst of flame that burned Wurigendalai’s face, then escaped and left him impaled by icicles as he chased after him.
• Liu Ben recalled how ambushers and the Soaring Dragon Army had killed twelve of his eighteen personal guards while trying to destroy his group.
• Liu Ben wondered whether Emperor Chen or someone else had ordered his death as he neared Tianjin Bridge and Duan Gate outside Luoyang.

Liu Ben and his guards were ambushed on Tianjin Bridge by Xin Wuming, chief of the Dragon Gate Academy's Martial Arts Hall. Just as Xin Wuming prepared to kill Liu Ben, an unknown man rescued him.

• Liu Ben urged his exhausted guards to leave him, but they vowed to accompany him into the capital.
• A red-robed stranger attacked Liu Ben and his guards with a red umbrella, killing several and overwhelming the rest.
• The stranger revealed himself as Xin Wuming and told Liu Ben he would avenge his dead father by killing him.
• Xin Wuming incapacitated Liu Ben and raised his palm to deliver the final blow.
• An imposing stranger appeared and carried Liu Ben away, leaving Xin Wuming striking the bridge stones.

Wei Zhilin defeated Xin Wuming on the stone bridge and rescued the gravely wounded Liu Ben. He then met with the Knowledge and Practice Institute’s members, who faced the growing turmoil at court.

• Wei Zhilin arrived to protect Liu Ben and confronted Xin Wuming on the stone bridge.
• Xin Wuming attacked with Ice Baleful Energy Needles and an ice spear, but Wei Zhilin blocked his strikes.
• Wei Zhilin used his Disciplinary Ruler and the Three Character Classic to disorient and beat Xin Wuming, breaking one of his ribs.
• Xin Wuming released his Cold Nether Blood Serpent and attacked Wei Zhilin, who crushed the serpent and sent Xin Wuming flying into the river.
• Wei Zhilin helped Liu Ben off the bridge, then met with Zou Zheng and the others at the Knowledge and Practice Institute to discuss the court’s tangled situation.

The Knowledge and Practice Institute closed its gates after Wei Zhilin ordered preparations for a crisis, while Emperor Chen chose not to force his way inside and instead ordered the confiscation of monastic lands and the conscription of young monks. At the frontier, Ling Wenyue tasked Fang Yizhi with investigating a secret passage into Qin Prefecture City.

• Wei Zhilin ordered the institute to stock grain, activate its protective arrays, and patrol at night while keeping classes in session, then secretly bled into a copper basin.
• The institute closed its gates, and Zhao Guozhong returned to the palace after failing to deliver the imperial decree.
• Emperor Chen refused Cui Yizhong's request to search the institute, citing its closure as a time of quiet cultivation for his teachers Wei and Cheng.
• Emperor Chen ordered the court to confiscate monastic lands and require monks under forty to return to secular life or face conscription.
• Ling Wenyue told Fang Yizhi that scout Ma Yuan had discovered a secret passage into Qin Prefecture City and asked him to investigate it with capable men.

Fang Yizhi led He An, Feng Chun, Gu Qingzhou, and Fan Dazhi into Western Liang to find the missing scout Ma Yuan and investigate a secret passage into Qin Prefecture City. While the group gathered information in Jinchuan Town, Fan Dazhi woke late and came face-to-face with Western Liang soldiers.

• Fang Yizhi and his companions traveled along the Gan-Liang Ancient Road toward Jinchuan Town, where Ma Yuan had sent his last message.
• Fang Yizhi studied the map and said the group needed to find Ma Yuan or the clues he had left behind to locate the secret passage into Qin Prefecture City.
• In Qin Prefecture City, Han Zhan praised Qin Kelan for her plan and said she deserved the chief credit for their success.
• The group spread out in Jinchuan Town to gather information, with He An posing as a peddler, Fang Yizhi listening at an inn, and Gu Qingzhou visiting Spring Beauty Tower.
• Fan Dazhi slept through the morning, then left the inn hungry and encountered two armed Western Liang soldiers in the street.

Fan Dazhi got caught in a street dispute over a sesame flatbread and fled Western Liang soldiers who mistook him for a Great Chen spy. After Ma Yuan killed the soldiers and saved him, Fan Dazhi learned that the stranger was also from Great Chen.

• Fan Dazhi discovered he had no money for flatbreads, paid with his last gold nugget, and argued with the stallholder when the man refused to return his change.
• The stallholder accused Fan Dazhi of robbery, and Fan Dazhi knocked him into a post while trying to break free from the Western Liang soldiers.
• Fan Dazhi escaped the soldiers and ran out of town, where they cornered him near a ruined hut and attacked him with spears.
• Fan Dazhi used Tortoise and Serpent Stillness but fled instead of killing the soldiers, who chased him toward a straw stack.
• A black-clad man sprang from the straw and killed both Western Liang soldiers, then told Fan Dazhi that he was from Great Chen and his name was Ma Yuan.

Fan Dazhi reunited with Ma Yuan, who revealed the location of the secret passage into Qin Prefecture. At the ruined Mountain God Temple, the group uncovered the passage entrance behind a statue.

• Fan Dazhi brought the wounded Ma Yuan to Fang Yizhi and the others, and Ma Yuan explained how he had obtained and memorized a map of an underground passage.
• Ma Yuan said the passage entrance was at the Mountain God Temple thirty li south of Qin Prefecture City, and Fang Yizhi arranged for the group to investigate.
• Ma Yuan guided Fang Yizhi, Gu Qingzhou, Feng Chun, He An, and Fan Dazhi to the ruined temple in the mountains.
• Fan Dazhi sensed something hidden behind the statue, while He An recognized the layout of a side room from memories of his uncle.
• Fan Dazhi tried to lift the incense burner, triggering a mechanism that turned the statue and revealed a dark opening.

Fang Yizhi led the group into the secret passage, where he exposed their guide Ma Yuan as the impostor Mo Tinghe, a subordinate of Han Zhan. Mo Tinghe fled up the tunnel wall, but Fan Dazhi sensed his position as a youth leaped to attack him.

• Fang Yizhi tested the secret passage with a rabbit before leading the group inside, while Han Zhan and Qin Kelan waited outside the Mountain God Temple for their trap to unfold.
• Gu Qingzhou raised concerns about leaving the passage entrance unguarded, but Fang Yizhi decided the group should stay together and asked Ma Yuan for his view.
• Fang Yizhi confronted Ma Yuan over his suspicious familiarity with the passage, and Ma Yuan attacked the group with hidden blades and his saber.
• Fang Yizhi joined the fight with a short spear and overwhelmed Ma Yuan, who admitted he was Mo Tinghe and that the real Ma Yuan was dead.
• Mo Tinghe whistled, climbed the tunnel wall, and vanished into the darkness, but Fan Dazhi detected him above as a youth leaped into the air with a saber.

Dong Daxing, a former powerful eunuch exiled to quarry stone at Mount Mang, recalled the fall of the Former Dynasty and the upheavals that followed. He died in the fourth year of Great Chen’s Continuing Peace reign, leaving Little Shitou grieving as the quarry workers soon forgot him.

• Little Shitou brought medicine to the frail Dong Daxing and returned to work at the quarry.
• Dong Daxing remembered his rise in the Former Dynasty’s palace and how the emperor’s pursuit of immortality helped bring the kingdom to ruin.
• Dong Daxing recalled the rebels’ victory, the founding of Great Chen, and the later deaths and conflicts that destabilized the realm.
• Dong Daxing reflected that a good emperor should understand the people’s suffering, then called out to Little Shitou as the rain fell.
• Dong Daxing died on the Awakening of Insects in the fourth year of Continuing Peace, and Little Shitou cried out while the quarry workers soon forgot him.

He An and his companions pursued Mo Tinghe through an ancient lamp-lit passage after He An severed Mo Tinghe’s legs, but Li Bie killed the wounded man before they arrived. The group fought Li Bie, who was wounded by He An’s blade and escaped down the passage.

• He An overwhelmed Mo Tinghe with a powerful slash and severed both his legs, but Mo Tinghe escaped using a Shadowless Talisman.
• He An, Fang Yizhi, Feng Chun, Gu Qingzhou, and Fan Dazhi pursued Mo Tinghe through a passage lined with ancient oil lamps.
• Li Bie killed Mo Tinghe, smeared blood over himself, and warned the arriving group that they might not escape alive.
• He An, Feng Chun, and Gu Qingzhou attacked Li Bie together while Fang Yizhi protected Fan Dazhi.
• Li Bie unleashed the Burning Wood Blade Technique, but He An struck his left arm and wounded him.
• Li Bie challenged He An to settle who was stronger, then fled by climbing the wall and flying back down the passage.

Fang Yizhi and his companions discovered a vast cavern and its hidden mechanisms, but their search for an exit was interrupted by Ancestor Tianhe. After Tianhe crippled Feng Chun with a single finger, Fang Yizhi identified him and prepared to face him.

• Fang Yizhi urged the group onward, warning that Mo Tinghe had lured them into a trap and ordering He An and Gu Qingzhou to bring Feng Chun and Fan Dazhi back alive.
• The group entered a spectacular limestone cavern, where Fang Yizhi realized its stone chambers could help Qin Prefecture City move troops and supplies.
• Fan Dazhi pulled a pixiu carving and triggered a stone door, but Fang Yizhi and He An rescued him before it crushed him.
• Ancestor Tianhe appeared with a boy recording his boastful account of the encounter, and Feng Chun charged him despite Fang Yizhi's warning.
• Tianhe broke Feng Chun's hand with one finger, and Fang Yizhi recognized him as Ancestor Tianhe of Western Kunlun and readied his short spear.

Ancestor Tianhe overwhelmed He An, Fang Yizhi, Gu Qingzhou, and their companions in the underground cavern, forcing them to flee toward a secret chamber. Fan Dazhi tried to hold him back with earth-formed chains and Vajra Warriors, but Ancestor Tianhe broke free and struck at him as the group escaped.

• Fang Yizhi explained that Ancestor Tianhe had betrayed the Earth Spring Sect, fled to Western Kunlun, and allied with Western Liang.
• Ancestor Tianhe unleashed a devastating punch, shattering Gu Qingzhou's sword and hurling Fang Yizhi, He An, and the others aside.
• Fang Yizhi and Gu Qingzhou attacked together, but Ancestor Tianhe wounded Fang Yizhi and broke Gu Qingzhou's Treasure Sword.
• Fan Dazhi bound Ancestor Tianhe with earth-formed chains and summoned two Vajra Warriors while He An ordered the others to flee toward the secret chamber.
• Ancestor Tianhe destroyed the Vajra Warriors and chains, then pursued Fan Dazhi and struck at him with a blue palm print.

He An and his companions faced Ancestor Tianhe as he attacked them in the cavern, and Feng Chun risked his life to protect Gu Qingzhou. He An returned to the fight and, aided by Fan Dazhi’s divine sense, wounded Ancestor Tianhe, who then turned on the white-robed boy.

• He An found Fan Dazhi apparently unharmed after Ancestor Tianhe’s palm strike, and brought him and the wounded Fang Yizhi into the chamber.
• Ancestor Tianhe dragged Gu Qingzhou and Feng Chun toward him; Feng Chun shielded Gu Qingzhou, used a forbidden technique, and fought back despite severe wounds.
• He An sealed Gu Qingzhou, Fan Dazhi, and Fang Yizhi inside the chamber with the Dragon-Severing Stone, then went back out to help Feng Chun.
• He An struck Ancestor Tianhe with the Immortal-Slaying Finger, while Fan Dazhi sent his divine sense through the stone door and briefly immobilized him with Tortoise-Snake Stillness.
• He An’s attack pierced Ancestor Tianhe’s abdomen, and Ancestor Tianhe broke the white-robed boy’s lower spine with a palm strike.

He An and Feng Chun fought Ancestor Tianhe in the cavern, but Feng Chun died detonating his dan foundation and He An was captured by Han Zhan. Fan Dazhi woke behind the stone door and told Gu Qingzhou that He An had been taken and Feng Chun had died.

• Feng Chun fought Ancestor Tianhe at close range, set off a Mother-and-Child Thunderclap Bomb, and detonated his dan foundation to bring the old cultivator down with him.
• He An rushed toward the rubble, but Han Zhan and Qin Kelan arrived; Han Zhan struck He An down and ordered his guards to seize him.
• Han Zhan's guards dug Ancestor Tianhe out of the rubble, barely alive, and carried him away along with the wounded Li Bie while taking He An prisoner.
• Fan Dazhi fainted behind the stone door, then awoke with his head in Gu Qingzhou's lap and told him that He An had been captured and Feng Chun had died.

Gu Qingzhou, Fan Dazhi, and the wounded Fang Yizhi searched their sealed stone chamber for a way out while worrying about He An’s capture. Little Black Cat summoned a crowd of burrowing and other animals, who bowed before him, leaving the group astonished.

• Gu Qingzhou vowed to rescue He An and avenge Feng Chun, while Fang Yizhi explained that He An was being held as bait and urged them to seek Marshal Ling’s help.
• Fang Yizhi gave Gu Qingzhou and Fan Dazhi Essence Nurturing Pills, and the three searched the chamber but found no exit or usable mechanism.
• Fan Dazhi discovered Little Black Cat in his robes and told him there was no way out of the chamber.
• Little Black Cat dug into the ground and gave a powerful roar that shook the chamber.
• Rats and many other animals emerged from the walls and floor, then fell silent and prostrated themselves when Little Black Cat meowed.

Fan Dazhi, Gu Qingzhou, and Fang Yizhi escaped through an underground passage, while Han Zhan learned that Sahami had come to demand his daughter Han Chanjuan marry Prince Kan Yong. Han Zhan rejected the proposal and, after Sahami threatened his position, erupted in anger, determined not to endure the prince’s demands.

• Little Black Cat ordered the animals to dig a tunnel, and Fan Dazhi, Gu Qingzhou, and Fang Yizhi traveled through it to escape.
• Fan Dazhi emerged safely after a day and night underground and worried about Xiao An.
• Han Zhan considered how to deal with He An, and Qin Kelan advised imprisoning him as leverage against the Knowledge and Practice Institute and the Great Chen court.
• Sahami arrived and announced that Prince Kan Yong intended to marry Han Chanjuan, claiming the Heavenly Khan had approved the match.
• Han Zhan refused the proposal, and Sahami warned that Qin Prefecture City could face blame for recent military losses before leaving.
• Han Zhan smashed the table and chair, declaring that he would not endure the prince's attempt to take Han Chanjuan as a wife.

Emperor Chen consulted Tong Huan and Cui Yizhong about Western Liang, military intelligence, and the court’s shortage of funds. Tong Huan proposed extorting Luoyang’s wealthy households through a staged demolition order, and Emperor Chen appeared to settle on Cui Yizhong as the minister to carry it out.

• Tong Huan refused to speculate to Cui Yizhong about whether Emperor Chen planned to wage war against Western Liang.
• A Dragon Hidden Guard reported that someone wanted a hundred thousand dou of black gold ore, and Emperor Chen ordered it given to him so he could test whether the recipient could swallow the sick lion.
• Tong Huan presented Emperor Chen with a Heaven-and-Earth Longevity Pill, and Emperor Chen accepted it and rewarded him with a Jade Ruyi.
• Emperor Chen told Tong Huan and Cui Yizhong that Ling Wenyue’s scouts had found a secret route into Qin Prefecture but suffered heavy losses in a Western Liang ambush; Lu Aping said only someone like National Preceptor Li could alter a nation’s destiny.
• Cui Yizhong reported that one million dan of grain had reached the capital, but Emperor Chen said the funds and supplies remained inadequate amid war preparations and flood-control needs.
• Tong Huan proposed that Emperor Chen order wealthy residents’ homes enclosed for an imperial retreat, then demand silver to spare them; Emperor Chen praised the plan and fixed his gaze on Cui Yizhong.