Chapter Summaries

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.

• Jia Huan finished killing the remaining death warriors, and Xu Jingchun and the guards of the Kirin Office and Vermilion Bird Office hailed him as Commanding Commissioner.
• Jia Huan offered protection to the factions that had not signed Jiang Wuyuan’s document, then ordered the other sects to pay higher taxes, surrender experts to the Imperial Prison, and provide disciples as constables.
• Jia Huan ordered the arrest of Jiang Wuyuan, Xuanyuan Zhigu, Pei Changqing, and other captured officials and martial-world figures.
• Jia Huan reached the Capital with Jiang Wuyuan shackled across a horse, while his family and the crowd saw that he had won.
• Jia Huan rode toward the Forbidden City, and Ouyang Jin raised his arms and declared that he did not regret supporting 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 ordered his trusted subordinates to guard Jiang Wuyuan and the other prisoners, forbidding anyone else from approaching the Imperial Prison.
• Jia Huan searched Jiang Wuyuan’s office and found compromising records on himself, Qin Zhong, and other subordinates.
• At the Court Deliberation, Yang Taiyue and the ministers supported promoting Jia Huan to Commanding Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
• The Retired Emperor ordered Jia Huan’s promotion and summoned officials of Fifth Rank and above to the Capital.
• Emperor Jingde refused to affix the Imperial Seal, declared his support for Qin Zhong, and said Jia Huan should assist him instead.

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.

• The Retired Emperor reviewed Jia Huan’s case files, and Xu Jingchun backed Jia Huan as the only choice to command the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
• The Retired Emperor ordered the Grand Secretariat to draft the recommendation, and Emperor Jingde reluctantly stamped the imperial edict appointing Jia Huan Commanding Commissioner.
• Jia Huan accepted the edict without thanking Emperor Jingde, then asked what would happen to his noble title.
• Jia Huan cited Emperor Jingde’s promise to grant him a marquis title if the Guard jointly submitted a memorial, and the ministers realized the ongoing purge would likely ensure unanimous support.
• Emperor Jingde dismissed the court in anger, while the ministers congratulated Jia Huan and anticipated that he would become a nineteen-year-old marquis.

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.

• Jiang Si warned Jia Huan that even the powerful Commanding Commissioner Quan Bing had been crushed by the Ancestral Hall after reaching for the throne.
• Jia Huan arrived at the Northern Commandant Office, where the Embroidered Uniform Guard welcomed him as Commanding Commissioner.
• Jia Huan told Xu Jingchun to recommend his trusted officers for promotion and arrange a joint petition seeking a noble title for Jia Huan.
• Jia Huan ordered every Guard Station to petition for Ouyang Jin to lead both the Southern Office and the Experiences Office, threatening anyone who objected.
• Jia Huan entered the prison alone, looked down at the crippled Jiang Wuyuan, and threw the execution edict before him.

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 questioned Jiang Wuyuan about Jiang Wuji, but Jiang Wuyuan refused to reveal the White Lotus Cult Leader’s location and threatened revenge before Jia Huan beheaded him.
• Jia Huan ordered Scholar Twin Whips and the others to interrogate the Jiang family’s relatives and several clans, but they found no information about Jiang Wuji’s hiding place.
• Jia Huan executed the remaining criminals and absorbed their Sin Value, breaking through to the Martial Exalted realm and receiving Sixteen Hundred Blades Crying in Unison, Fuxi Rain Curtain Saint Fist, and Classic of Mountains and Seas: Strange Beasts.
• Jia Huan resolved to eradicate the White Lotus Cult, gain enough Experience Points to become a land immortal, and help the Retired Emperor end Sun and Moon Shining Over Great Qian.
• Jia Huan suspected Emperor Jingde and the empress posed threats to him, then offered to help his subordinates advance with the Great Method of Absorbing Power.

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 warned his subordinates about the Great Method of Absorbing Power’s drawbacks, and they all agreed to learn it.
• Scholar absorbed the power of two tenth-layer Profound Insight Realm monks and broke through into the Profound Insight Realm before Jia Huan stopped him.
• Twin Whips absorbed the power of eight tenth-layer experts and reached the peak eighth layer of the Profound Insight Realm.
• Jia Huan ordered his remaining subordinates to absorb power from the other imprisoned martial artists and assigned Scholar to oversee the process and investigate their crimes.
• After Scholar reported that the work was finished, Jia Huan executed nearly twenty elders in the Imperial Prison and gained experience and strength from their deaths.

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 returned to Rongguo Mansion in a Purple Python Robe, where his family celebrated his appointment and worried about his defiance of the emperor.
• Jia Huan threatened Qin Zhong until the Azure Dragon Office signed a joint petition supporting his marquisate.
• Jia Huan presented the petition to Chief Grand Secretary Yang and proposed appointing Ouyang Jin to lead both the Southern Commandant Office and the Experiences Office.
• Jia Huan offered half the Experiences Office's silver to the national treasury, and the Grand Secretariat approved Ouyang Jin's appointment.
• Ouyang Jin received the decree on the third day, and by the ninth day officials and foreign envoys had gathered in the Divine Capital for the next day's Grand Court Audience.

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.

• Concubine Zhao and Wang Xifeng left Rongguo Mansion for the palace ceremony while Jia Huan prepared for his audience.
• Jia Huan rode through cheering crowds to the Forbidden City, where officials and foreign envoys watched him enter the court.
• Jia Huan approached the Golden Throne Hall, where Emperor Jingde sat beside the pleased Retired Emperor and the imperial princes.
• The Retired Emperor ordered the Imperial Edict read, and the Chief Seal-Eunuch proclaimed Jia Huan’s promotion to Commanding Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
• Several Feudal Princes left and returned with a purple jade tray bearing the Golden Python Flying Fish Uniform.

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 donned the Golden Python Flying Fish Uniform, accepted the official seal, and received the court officials' and assembly square's bows of respect.
• Jia Huan swore to defend the realm, then went to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility before returning to receive his marquis investiture and accompany the emperor to the Ancestral Hall.
• Jia Huan greeted Empress Yin, but when she stayed silent, he threatened to summon an imperial physician and investigate the Six Palaces.
• Empress Yin replied that she was well, and Jia Huan stopped Jia Mu from making Concubine Zhao kneel.
• Jia Huan swore to safeguard the lives and security of Great Qian's subjects and departed as the noblewomen bowed to him.

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.

• Emperor Jingde invested Jia Huan as Marquis of Dingwu and awarded him a thousand gold.
• Jia Zheng carried Jia Huan’s Mandate Scroll and ceremonial cap as Jia Huan departed for the Ancestral Hall.
• Chief Grand Secretary Yang recited Daoist Memorials, and eunuchs burned them before the Ancestral Hall opened.
• Jiang Liu presented Jia Huan’s portrait, and Jia Huan entered the hall, where eight aged Jiang Family Guardians stood watch.
• Jia Huan used a Purple Pole to hang his portrait beside those of past Commanding Commissioners as Emperor Jingde and the Retired Emperor watched.

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.

• At the Ancestral Hall, Emperor Jingde condemned former Commanding Commissioners Quan Bing and Nangong Ping'an, then asked Jia Huan how an enemy of imperial power should be punished; Jia Huan declined to answer.
• The Retired Emperor ordered the Ancestral Hall guardians to consult him before acting, and Jiang Yi warned Jia Huan not to defy the emperor.
• Jia Huan ordered Ouyang Jin and Xu Jingchun to assign major cases to Yan and Zhang and to dismantle Jiang Wuyuan's intelligence network, putting Water Skimmer in charge.
• At Rongguo Mansion, Concubine Zhao and Wang Xifeng recounted Jia Huan's palace ceremony as the women admired his Golden Flying Fish Uniform.
• Concubine Zhao asked Jia Huan to have Qin Keqing brought into his household, and he agreed.

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.

• Jiang Wuji removed his Silver Mask, mourned his brother Jiang Wuyuan, and vowed to ruin Jia Huan and everything he had.
• Jiang Wuji and the White Lotus Elder attacked the Jiangnan Imperial Textile Bureau, killed its guards and officials, and burned the silk warehouse and government office.
• Jiang Wuji sent word that he would keep killing until Jia Huan left office, and ordered secret letters sent to the Directorate of Ceremonial.
• Jiang Wuji led nine hundred White Lotus warriors against the Jiangnan Thousand-Household Guard Station, where they killed 1,486 Embroidered Uniform Guards and left only one alive.
• Jiang Wuji beheaded Thousand-Household Commander Zhuge and wrote a threat in blood demanding Jia Huan's removal.
• The next morning, officials found the blood-written notice and learned that the Jiangnan Imperial Textile Bureau had been burned down with no survivors.

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.

• Water Skimmer told Jia Huan that the White Lotus Cult had slaughtered all 1,487 guards at the Jiangnan station, burned the Imperial Textile Bureau, and threatened further bloodshed unless Jia Huan lost his authority.
• Jia Huan ordered his officers to report for duty and asked An Xuan'er to summon Misty Rain Tower’s foremost experts to protect the Rongguo Mansion.
• At the emergency court audience, Emperor Jingde blamed Jia Huan for failing to prevent the massacre and called him an incompetent Commanding Commissioner.
• Two Censors urged Jia Huan to step down to prevent further deaths, but Jia Huan threatened to send them to the Imperial Prison.
• Jia Huan condemned any compromise with the White Lotus Cult as a violation of Emperor Taizu’s ancestral precepts, and the Retired Emperor ordered guards to seize the two Censors.

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.

• Han Yuzhong read Jiang Wuji’s letter claiming Jiang Qi was innocent and Jia Huan had framed him.
• Jia Huan dismissed Jiang Wuji’s oath as the words of a deranged killer and argued that the court had jointly decided Jiang Qi’s fate.
• Yang Taiyue urged the court to focus on eradicating the White Lotus Cult, and Jia Huan promised to lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard against it.
• Emperor Jingde demanded a military pledge, and Yang Taiyue, the senior ministers, the Prince of Zhennan, and the Retired Emperor agreed Jia Huan should make one.
• Jia Huan pledged to kill the White Lotus Cult Leader or resign, and Emperor Jingde ordered the pledge recorded in an edict and sealed by both emperors.
• Emperor Jingde asked Jia Huan how long he would take to fulfill 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.

• Emperor Jingde gave Jia Huan one month to destroy the White Lotus Cult or surrender his authority and retire.
• The Retired Emperor demanded that Jia Huan receive Jiangnan’s Military Tally, but Emperor Jingde said the Jiangnan Great Army would act only after the Central Court reviewed each request.
• Jia Huan realized he could not rely on the Jiangnan Great Army, while the Retired Emperor and officials recognized the danger of withholding military authority.
• A eunuch reported that Jiang Wuji had been accompanied by the cult’s former leader, whose gold-and-jade arms marked him as a master on par with an Ancestral Hall Guardian.
• The Prince of Zhennan recognized the former leader as Jiang Wuyuan, a living Martial Venerable whose power far exceeded Jia Huan’s.

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.

• Emperor Jingde rejected the eunuch's proposal to send the Ancestral Hall guardians to help Jia Huan and warned against raising it again.
• Jia Huan declined to ask for anything further, then left the Golden Throne Hall alone as the ministers watched him go.
• The Retired Emperor asked the Prince of Zhennan to send troops from the Southern Borderlands, but the Prince said they could not leave the frontier.
• The Retired Emperor ordered Wang Ziteng to send eighty thousand Capital Camp troops south, but Wang refused, citing risks to the Capital and the difficulty of commanding the troops.
• Wang Ziteng promised to send reinforcements if Jia Huan requested them and Jiangnan's troops refused his authority, while privately intending not to help him.
• The Retired Emperor concluded that Jia Huan faced certain death against the old White Lotus Cult Leader and could fail to find Jiang Wuji before his one-month deadline.

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.

• Yang Taiyue and the Grand Academicians received reports that the Huizhou Hundred-Household Guard Station and Lin'an Prefecture Yamen had been massacred, and Yang Taiyue went to the Imperial Study.
• Wang Ziteng told Jia Baoyu and Madam Wang that Jia Huan would likely lose his post after failing his one-month military pledge, and the two rejoiced at his expected downfall.
• Jia Huan asked Scholar whether the major Jianghu factions’ core disciples had arrived in the Capital Region, and Scholar confirmed they had been waiting on Mang Mountain.
• Jia Huan ordered Scholar and Twin Whips to remain in the Divine Capital and seek help from the Retired Emperor, expose threats publicly, or secretly detain the Empress’s two Imperial Princes if his family were threatened.
• Jia Huan resolved to exterminate the White Lotus Cult, gain sin value, and return stronger before confronting the guardian of the Ancestral Hall.

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 rejected calls to mobilize forty thousand guards or empty local stations, and assigned Xu Jingchun and Ouyang Jin to hold the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office.
• Jia Huan ordered the martial artists of the Experiences Office to guard the capital’s nine gates and report any disturbance.
• Jia Huan told Concubine Zhao, Lin Daiyu, Wang Xifeng, and Xue Baochai he was leaving, and An Xuan'er told him the Misty Rain Tower would send two experts after several days.
• Jia Huan rode out of the Divine Capital with seven thousand mounted Embroidered Uniform Guards as the court and nation watched.

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 forced more than two thousand Jianghu talents to swallow poison pills and follow his orders.
• Thousand-Household Commander Wu offered Tianjin’s Embroidered Uniform Guard to Jia Huan, but Jia Huan ordered them to remain on duty.
• Water Skimmer reported massacres across the region as Jia Huan’s force rode south, while people grew fearful and resentful of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
• Water Skimmer discovered signs of a possible White Lotus Cult attack near the Yangzhou River Transport Government Office, so Jia Huan split his forces and sent five hundred Jianghu talents to investigate.
• Near Jinling, fewer than four thousand White Lotus Cult followers ambushed Jia Huan’s more than eight thousand riders, and a single slash decapitated 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.

• Jia Huan led his followers in destroying the White Lotus Cult force outside Jinling and took several hundred survivors prisoner.
• Jia Huan tortured the prisoners, learned they had never seen Jiang Wuji, and killed many of them before ordering a new intelligence network to be established.
• Flower Devotee warned Jia Huan that Zhian Ward contained traitors, and Jia Huan promised to investigate in secret.
• Jia Huan searched government offices for clues, but the White Lotus Cult committed no atrocities for five days and he found no useful leads.
• Officials gathered at the Kang'an Ward Government Office, but Jia Huan refused to receive them as they recognized the Cult leader intended to wait out his military pledge and destroy his reputation.