Arc 13Chapters 301–325
No recap yet.
No recap yet.
After defeating Jiang Wuyuan at Mang Mountain, Jia Huan won the allegiance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and imposed harsh terms on the martial world’s factions. He returned to the Capital in triumph, where the sight of Jiang Wuyuan in chains confirmed his victory, and Ouyang Jin celebrated his support for him.
After Jia Huan defeated Jiang Wuyuan, he secured the prisoners and evidence while the court gathered to decide who would lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The ministers and Retired Emperor backed Jia Huan’s promotion, but Emperor Jingde refused to seal the appointment and insisted Qin Zhong remain in charge.
Jia Huan secured the post of Commanding Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard after the Retired Emperor forced Emperor Jingde to approve the appointment. He then invoked the emperor’s earlier promise about a marquis title, leaving the court expecting his promotion to nobility as well.
Jia Huan received a warning from the Ancestral Hall eunuchs about challenging imperial authority, then consolidated his influence in the Embroidered Uniform Guard by ordering petitions for his title and Ouyang Jin’s appointments. He entered the prison and presented Jiang Wuyuan with the Retired Emperor’s execution edict.
Jia Huan executed Jiang Wuyuan and the other prisoners, then broke through to the Martial Exalted realm and gained powerful new martial arts. He planned to find Jiang Wuji, eliminate the White Lotus Cult, and eventually challenge Emperor Jingde’s rule.
Jia Huan used the Great Method of Absorbing Power to help his subordinates consume the cultivation of imprisoned martial arts experts, with Twin Whips displaying exceptional talent. After ordering the remaining prisoners processed, Jia Huan executed nearly twenty elders and gained another increase in strength, bringing him closer to becoming a land immortal.
Jia Huan forced the Azure Dragon Office to join a petition supporting his marquisate and secured Ouyang Jin's appointment to lead two departments by offering half the Experiences Office's silver to the treasury. With the Grand Court Audience set for the next day, the emperor faced mounting pressure over Jia Huan's growing power and plans.
Jia Huan entered the Imperial City for his appointment as Commanding Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, celebrated by the people and honored by officials and foreign envoys. The Imperial Edict was read, and the Golden Python Flying Fish Uniform was presented as the emperor’s anger simmered beneath the ceremony.
Jia Huan was formally appointed Commanding Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and received the Golden Python Flying Fish Uniform and official seal, then faced Empress Yin's deliberate silence at the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. He left after forcing her to answer and swearing to protect the people of Great Qian.
Jia Huan was invested as Marquis of Dingwu for his service in Northern Liang, then accompanied the emperors to the Ancestral Hall. He hung his portrait among the honored Commanding Commissioners, becoming the only youthful face there.
After Jia Huan’s promotion to Commanding Commissioner, Emperor Jingde tested whether he would defy imperial authority, while the Ancestral Hall guardians warned him to obey. Jia Huan took charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and returned to Rongguo Mansion, where Concubine Zhao began arranging for Qin Keqing to join his household.
After learning that his brother Jiang Wuyuan was dead, Jiang Wuji launched a bloody campaign in Jiangnan to force the court to remove Jia Huan. He left the Imperial Textile Bureau in flames and annihilated the Jiangnan Thousand-Household Guard Station, while officials discovered the destruction and faced the threat of further slaughter.
After the White Lotus Cult massacred the Jiangnan Thousand-Household Guard Station and destroyed the Imperial Textile Bureau, Jia Huan faced blame and pressure to surrender his command. He invoked Emperor Taizu’s ancestral precepts to silence calls for compromise and had two Censors arrested, while the crisis in Jiangnan remained unresolved.
In the Golden Throne Hall, Emperor Jingde used Jiang Wuji’s letter to renew his accusations against Jia Huan, but Jia Huan defended his actions and the court turned to the White Lotus Cult crisis. Jia Huan pledged to kill the cult leader or resign, and Emperor Jingde demanded a deadline for the pledge.
Jia Huan was ordered to eradicate the White Lotus Cult within a month, but Emperor Jingde withheld direct military authority over Jiangnan’s army. The court then learned that the cult’s former leader, Jiang Wuyuan, might be a Martial Venerable whose strength could overwhelm Jia Huan.
After Emperor Jingde refused to send the Ancestral Hall guardians to aid Jia Huan, Jia Huan left court alone with the burden of suppressing the White Lotus Cult in Jiangnan. In the Eastern Palace, the Retired Emperor failed to secure troops from either the Southern Borderlands or Wang Ziteng, leaving Jia Huan's mission without reliable support.
Urgent reports of massacres in Huizhou and Lin'an pushed Yang Taiyue to seek an audience with the emperor, while Jia Huan prepared for his campaign against the White Lotus Cult and arranged protection for his interests in the capital. Wang Ziteng, Madam Wang, and Jia Baoyu celebrated Jia Huan’s apparent impending downfall, as Jia Huan left Scholar and Twin Whips with orders to defend the Embroidered Uniform Guard and his family.
Jia Huan prepared to confront the White Lotus Cult in Jiangnan with only seven thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards, while leaving the capital’s defenses intact. After reassuring his allies and family, he rode out from the Divine Capital under the pressure of a one-month deadline.
Jia Huan gathered Jianghu talents and led the Embroidered Uniform Guard south as the White Lotus Cult ravaged the region. Near Jinling, his forces were ambushed, and a single devastating slash killed hundreds of Black-Robed Death Warriors.
Jia Huan annihilated the White Lotus Cult force outside Jinling, but torture produced no information about Jiang Wuji, so he began rebuilding the intelligence network and investigating possible traitors. The Cult then disappeared for five days, while its leader’s plan to ruin Jia Huan after his military pledge expired became clear.
In Jiangnan, Jia Huan found a possible way to locate Jiang Wuji by seeking a feng shui master who could identify places rich in yin energy, while Empress Yin visited the Rongguo Mansion and mocked Jia Huan’s apparent lack of progress. The chapter left Jia Huan pursuing his plan and Empress Yin confident that his deadline would end in failure.
Empress Yin sent wedding gifts for Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and Jia Tanchun that were meant for a ghost marriage to the dead Jiang Qi, while Jia Huan awaited news of the White Lotus Cult. Feng Shui Master Cui Heyun returned with a map identifying the Yinyu River Grand Canyon as the cult’s likely hideout, leaving Jia Huan certain he had found their base.
Jia Huan devised a deceptive mobilization to secretly converge on the White Lotus Cult's stronghold in Jiangnan before its leaders could flee. In the capital, Emperor Jingde prepared to strip Jia Huan of command and crush his family after the deadline, while Empress Yin offered to find a charge against him.
Empress Yin recruited Madam Wang and Jia Baoyu to help carry out a ghost wedding and stage a coffin-bearing remonstrance, promising them titles and posts in return. In the Eastern Palace, the Retired Emperor and the Prince of Zhennan prepared to support Jia Huan at the court audience five days later, while trusting he would survive the White Lotus Cult’s threat.
Jia Huan secretly dispatched eight hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards and traveled alone to confront White Lotus Cult Leader Jiang Wuji at the Yinyu River Grand Canyon. After Jiang Wuji ordered an attack on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the two enemies met face-to-face, with Jia Huan taunting him about his elder brother.