Chapter Summaries

Tang Wen prepared for Mo Heizi’s planned attack, then agreed to take Bai Guiyun and 582 refugees from Tiger Mountain Stronghold to Su Mei Island. As Tang Wen’s large party set out, Luo Kaimei warned Mo Heizi that the number of travelers could complicate the Blood Slaughter Hall’s attack.

• Tang Wen reviewed the hummingbird drone’s recording of Mo Heizi’s plans, strengthened his personal security, and ordered Dongfang Ming to install high-definition cameras to detect Blood Slaughter Hall experts.
• Tang Wen hosted Mo Heizi, Chen Chang Kong, and Luo Kaimei for dinner; Mo Heizi toured the Thousand-Leaf Workshop but found no evidence against Tang Wen.
• Wei Guang told Tang Wen that 583 refugees from Tiger Mountain Stronghold had arrived, and Tang Wen questioned their chief, Bai Guiyun, about the fighting and the refugees’ skills.
• Tang Wen offered wages and payments based on the refugees’ ages and cultivation ranks, then arranged food and transport so they could travel to Su Mei Island with him.
• After Tang Wen’s party set out at nine thirty, Luo Kaimei warned Mo Heizi that the crowd would make an attack difficult, but Mo Heizi dismissed the concern.

Mo Heizi and the Blood Slaughter Hall discussed Tang Wen’s escape, Chen Chang Kong’s innocence, and their plans to exploit Tang Wen’s wealth. On Su Mei Island, Tian Guiyun asked Tang Wen for separate land for his people, but Tang Wen challenged his trust in the family.

• Luo Kaimei explained that a large group of refugees armed with firearms had blocked the Blood Slaughter Hall from seizing Tang Wen.
• Mo Heizi learned Chen Chang Kong had confessed and approved recommending him as branch chief, while the assassins discussed getting Tang Wen’s money and treasured saber.
• Tian Guiyun and his people reached Su Mei Island, where Luo Yiwu showed them its facilities and Tang Wen arranged their lodging.
• After seeing the island’s dam and machinery, Tian Guiyun asked Tang Wen to set aside land for his people so he could protect them and honor his responsibilities as their leader.
• Tang Wen challenged Tian Guiyun’s request, asking why he should support people who still wanted a separate stronghold.

Tang Wen tested Tian Guiyun and Tian Hao’s strength before recruiting the Tiger Mountain Stronghold as Tang household servants. Their arrival gave Tang Wen enough Popularity to advance to the late stage of the Fifth Rank and unlock his thirteenth spacetime crossing.

• Tian Guiyun and Tian Hao challenged Tang Wen’s authority, so Tang Wen sent Gu Hanyan to test them.
• Gu Hanyan defeated Tian Hao and fought Tian Guiyun to a draw, after which Tang Wen appointed Tian Guiyun chief estate guard and Tian Hao and Qiao Xiao personal guards.
• Tian Hao and Qiao Xiao fought to a draw, and the people of Tiger Mountain Stronghold signed contracts to serve the Tang household.
• The Great Landlord Space awarded Tang Wen eight hundred streams of Popularity and expanded his land by two hundred qing.
• Tang Wen advanced to the late stage of the Fifth Rank, and the Great Landlord Space allowed him to initiate his thirteenth spacetime crossing.

Tang Wen gave Gu Hanyan five high-grade spirit stones after teasing her about money and face, then showed Tian Hao the nearly completed cave residence. That night, three intruders approached Tang Wen’s quarters and were surrounded by his guards, where one identified them as members of the Six Fan Gate.

• Tang Wen and Gu Hanyan argued over spirit stones, and Tang Wen tossed her five high-grade stones so she could improve her cultivation and challenge Tian Guiyun again.
• Tang Wen showed Tian Hao the cave residence, explaining how mirrors brought sunlight inside and that he planned to add spirit stones when he had more.
• Three skilled figures slipped into Tang Wen’s camp after midnight and approached his mobile prefab house.
• Tang Wen’s alarm and surveillance system alerted Gu Hanyan, who woke him, and he ordered Qiao Xiao, Tian Hao, and the others to prepare.
• Tang Wen used floodlights and armed guards to surround the intruders, and one of them announced that they were from the Six Fan Gate.

Tang Wen captured three men who claimed to belong to the Six Fan Gate and used the incident to summon officials from Jiangzhou Prefecture and Yanling Commandery. Tie Wenjing and Yang Yun arrived at Su Mei Island together, and Tie Wenjing demanded that the prisoners be handed over to Jiangzhou Prefecture.

• Tang Wen rejected Wu Jingyi, Zhan Biao, and Fan Liang's identification tokens, had them beaten, and ordered their interrogation about the pirates' lair.
• Tang Wen sent an urgent report to Jiangzhou Prefecture and arranged torch and fishing-boat patrols that forced the escaped Luo Kaimei to swim to White Tiger Island.
• Qin Botong ordered Tie Wenjing to collect the prisoners before Zhang Hongjiang's men could reach Su Mei Island.
• Tang Wen withdrew his guards to let Luo Kaimei return and report, while Tie Wenjing and Yang Yun arrived at the camp the next morning.
• Tie Wenjing told Tang Wen that Qin Botong had ordered him to hand the prisoners over to Jiangzhou Prefecture.

Tang Wen faced competing demands from Jiangzhou Prefecture, Yanling Commandery, and Six Fan Gate over the prisoners he had captured. He refused to release the three men until he had questioned them, even after Mo Heizi confirmed their Six Fan Gate affiliation, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• Tie Wenjing and Yang Yun argued over which authority should take Tang Wen's prisoners, citing their officials' ranks and jurisdictions.
• Mo Heizi arrived and claimed the prisoners for Six Fan Gate, overruling Tie Wenjing and Yang Yun.
• Tang Wen refused to hand over the prisoners until he had questioned them about the attacks on him and learned the pirates' hideout.
• Wu Jingyi and the other prisoners claimed they were Six Fan Gate investigators and accused Tang Wen of torturing them, while Tang Wen called their identification badges fake.
• Mo Heizi stopped Tang Wen's guards from whipping the prisoners and confirmed they belonged to Six Fan Gate's Blood Killing Branch Hall.
• Tang Wen refused to release the men despite Mo Heizi's testimony, arguing they had trespassed in his residence and challenging Mo to seize them by force.

Tang Wen settled his clash with Mo Heizi’s men and negotiated with Deputy Commander-in-Chief Jiang Xuan over a new shipment of military tents. He gifted Jiang Xuan the powerful Coiling Dragon saber and received one thousand military merits, while Mo Heizi suspected someone had leaked his failed operation.

• Mo Heizi struck Zhan Biao and apologized to Tang Wen, but Zhan Biao kicked Qiao Xiao, so Luo Yiwu shot him in the legs before Mo Heizi carried him away.
• Zhan Biao threatened to drench Su Mei Island in blood, while Mo Heizi rebuked him and dismissed Wu Jingyi’s suspicion that someone had leaked their plans.
• Tie Wenjing returned with Jiang Xuan, who asked Tang Wen to supply more military tents; Tang Wen offered them at a reduced price in exchange for military merit.
• Tang Wen presented Jiang Xuan with the Coiling Dragon saber, which cut through iron and training posts with ease.
• Jiang Xuan accepted the saber and ordered one thousand military merits credited to Tang Wen.

Tang Wen sold tents, champagne, and cola to Jiang Xuan and Tie Wenjing, then secured Jiang Xuan’s promise to help if Mo Heizi troubled him. When Jiang Xuan described the dangers of his coming assignment escorting provisions to the northwest, Tang Wen demonstrated bulletproof armor that could protect him on the battlefield.

• Jiang Xuan bought two hundred tents, a thousand bottles each of champagne and cola, and received gifts from Tang Wen.
• Tang Wen offered Jiang Xuan and Tie Wenjing commissions for introducing wine and cola to their friends.
• Tie Wenjing told Jiang Xuan that Mo Heizi was causing trouble for Tang Wen, and Jiang Xuan gave Tang Wen a command token and promised assistance.
• Jiang Xuan explained that he would escort money and provisions from Linghai Province to the northwest and feared the dangers of military life.
• Tang Wen had Luo Yiwu demonstrate bulletproof armor, and Jiang Xuan tested the vest and helmet with a saber.

Tang Wen gained merit for donated military equipment and arranged cannons to protect Su Mei Island before turning his attention to expanding the island’s infrastructure. After the Crouching Dragon Lake dam was completed and the great ebb tide exposed the seabed, he ordered plans for bridges to the mainland and White Tiger Island, leaving his household questioning how he would pay for the ambitious construction.

• Tang Wen promised Jiang Xuan bulletproof equipment, gifted Tie Wenjing a set, and received nearly a thousand merit points for his donations.
• Jiang Xuan offered to obtain ten cannons for Tang Wen to defend Su Mei Island from pirates, with Tang Wen agreeing to pay for them.
• After more than eight months of work, Tang Wen inspected the completed Crouching Dragon Lake dam and ordered it to begin storing water.
• Zhan Dongwen measured the exposed seabed between Su Mei Island and the mainland, and Tang Wen decided to build bridges to both the mainland and White Tiger Island.
• Tang Wen endorsed Li Quan’s idea of eventually connecting Divine Turtle Island as well, while his advisers questioned the enormous cost of the bridge projects.

Tang Wen launched plans to build three bridges, bought construction supplies and equipment, and arranged a bulk order of treasure sabers. He then met Zhang Zhongjing’s senior fellow disciple Wan Yixing and revealed his superior strength in a handshake test.

• Tang Wen persuaded Ge Ziyun and Luo Yiwu to pursue building three bridges and sent Luo Yiwu to investigate ownership of Divine Turtle Island.
• Zhan Dongwen’s workers surveyed bridgehead sites and began preparing the ground while Tang Wen returned to Yunhai City and used the gold proceeds to buy silver, construction materials, and heavy equipment.
• Tang Wen bought protective gear through Afghanistan’s underground arms market and ordered five thousand treasure sabers from Song Qingyang at a reduced price.
• Tang Wen met Zhang Zhongjing’s senior fellow disciple Wan Yixing at Qingcheng Martial Arts Hall and overpowered him in a handshake strength test.

Tang Wen discussed modern martial arts sects with Wan Yixing and sold the Qingcheng Sect a large order of pills and treasure swords. He left the Qingcheng Martial Arts Hall with two hundred thousand taels of silver.

• Wan Yixing explained that real martial arts sects and supernatural peoples existed, then invited Tang Wen to join the Qingcheng Sect as a core elder, but Tang Wen declined.
• Wan Yixing asked to buy pills, and Tang Wen negotiated prices after learning silver had risen sharply and gold had fallen.
• Wan Yixing ordered thousands of low-grade pills and additional middle-grade pills for the Qingcheng Sect.
• Tang Wen showed Wan Yixing a high-grade treasure sword, and Wan Yixing tested it by slicing through a table.
• After sending a video to the sect, Wan Yixing ordered five swords, and Tang Wen left with two hundred thousand taels of silver.

Tang Wen installed Wind Turbines and started road and bridge preparations on Su Mei Island, then discovered that popularity could manifest as tiny figures revealing people’s emotions, though using the ability strained him. After learning that Divine Turtle Island belonged to the Haiwen Earl, he traveled to Jiangzhou to inspect the Mei Residence.

• Tang Wen installed two Wind Turbines and moved construction supplies and heavy equipment to the bridge sites and rough roads.
• Tang Wen saw a bashful popularity figure above Gu Hanyan, tested the ability on others, and learned that prolonged use caused severe mental strain.
• Luo Yiwu reported that Divine Turtle Island was the fief of the Haiwen Earl, Xiao Gai, prompting Tang Wen to travel to Jiangzhou.
• Tang Wen arrived in Jiangzhou with Luo Yiwu and Qiao Xiao and headed to the Mei Residence, a vast, overgrown property they found imposing.

Tang Wen and his party inspected the long-abandoned Mei Residence, cleaned and equipped a surviving courtyard, and spent their first night there amid reports of a ghost. The next morning, they left for the imposing Count's Residence of Xiao Gai to meet the Third-Rank Earl.

• Tang Wen entered the overgrown Mei Residence with his party and found most buildings ruined, but discovered a well-preserved rear courtyard where they could stay.
• Tang Wen's workers installed wiring, lights, bathrooms, and a water system, and the party settled into the cleaned courtyard by evening.
• Li Quan woke everyone after claiming he saw a green ghost outside his window, and Tang Wen later felt something brush his face but found no explanation.
• Tang Wen slept until morning and brushed off Gu Hanyan's teasing about his nighttime fright.
• Tang Wen's party visited the Count's Residence of Xiao Gai, where the gatekeepers admitted them and they saw the estate's elaborate gardens and artificial lake.

Tang Wen visited Xiao Gai and won his interest with cigarettes, a lighter, and imported snacks, but left without discussing Divine Turtle Island. He explained to his companions that acquiring the island was essential to protecting and expanding their islands, so he still intended to secure it.

• Tang Wen met Xiao Gai, joked with him about Gu Hanyan, and offered him a cigarette from the Western Lands.
• Xiao Gai eagerly tried Tang Wen’s cigarette and lighter, then exchanged gifts by offering pastries in return.
• Tang Wen had Gu Hanyan serve canned foods and packaged snacks, which Xiao Gai enjoyed before the two drank wine together.
• After the visit, Luo Yiwu asked why Tang Wen had not discussed their business, warning that the low tide might end before the bridge piers were finished.
• Tang Wen told Luo Yiwu and Li Quan that he needed to acquire Divine Turtle Island so it could support the other islands and provide a fallback against pirates.

Tang Wen tried to win Xiao Gai’s support for Divine Turtle Island by treating him to fine food and wine, then joined Xiao Gai and his friends for another evening of drinking. When Tang Wen mentioned that he lived in the Mei Residence, his companions revealed that they believed it was haunted.

• Tang Wen decided to cultivate Xiao Gai’s taste for fine food and wine before using his cravings to negotiate over Divine Turtle Island.
• Xiao Gai enjoyed Tang Wen’s modern dishes, while Tang Wen later felt something pinch him in the night and asked for cameras to be installed.
• Tang Wen brought wine and canned food to Xiao Gai’s gathering and met Li Zitong, Wei Kang, Li Kongfan, and Sun Tianjun.
• The young men praised Tang Wen’s champagne and grape wine, and Wei Kang revealed that champagne sold for five taels of gold per bottle.
• When Tang Wen said he lived at the Mei Residence, Sun Tianjun reacted uneasily and Li Kongfan called it a haunted house.

Tang Wen used his lighter’s heat-sensitive picture to amaze Xiao Gai and the others, then offered Western goods in exchange for an island. The men rushed to offer islands and property, with Sun Tianjun proposing his family’s Heart Moon Manor.

• Li Zitong, Li Kongfan, and Wei Kang told Tang Wen that the Mei Residence was rumored to be haunted, but Tang Wen and Xiao Gai dismissed the stories.
• Xiao Gai showed off his lighter and smoke rings, and Tang Wen revealed a different lighter bearing a beauty.
• Tang Wen heated the lighter’s picture with his cigarette, making the beauty’s outer robe disappear and astonishing the men.
• Xiao Gai and the others asked for lighters, cigarettes, wine, and champagne, and Tang Wen said he would trade his goods for an island.
• Li Kongfan offered one of his family’s islands, Wei Kang offered Provincial Capital residences, and Sun Tianjun offered Heart Moon Manor and its island.

Tang Wen traded Western goods for Xiao Gai’s Divine Turtle Island and ten thousand taels of gold, then arranged to bring supplies and equipment to the provincial capital. After Gu Hanyan finished adjusting the surveillance equipment, she challenged Tang Wen to defeat her in a fight before she would sleep with him.

• Tang Wen and Xiao Gai negotiated a trade, and Xiao Gai agreed to give him Divine Turtle Island and ten thousand taels of gold for the goods.
• Gu Hanyan angrily spilled wine on Tang Wen after he joked that wives were like clothes, then stormed off and kicked apart a flower bed.
• Xiao Gai handed Tang Wen gold notes and a receipt, and Tang Wen secured the island deed through a contract.
• Tang Wen told Qiao Xiao to bring wine, champagne, canned food, freezers, fighters, and nets from Su Mei Island.
• Gu Hanyan finished testing and adjusting the surveillance equipment, and Tang Wen praised her before she challenged him to beat her in a fight.

Tang Wen visited Ridge-Sea Academy to meet his younger brother, Tang Hao, while Qiao Xiao was drawn into a challenge against the academy’s Sixth Senior Brother, Tie Gu. The students gathered at the Heroes’ Platform, where Tang Hao greeted Tang Wen and introduced him as his baron older brother.

• Gu Hanyan brought Tang Wen a costly medicinal soup and urged him to strengthen his weak body.
• Tian Hao escorted the shipment from Su Mei Island, which Xiao Gai’s men received and carried away.
• Tang Wen, Luo Yiwu, and Gu Hanyan arrived at Ridge-Sea Academy to visit Tang Hao.
• Tie Gu and Qiao Xiao prepared to fight after Chu Army stirred up a crowd and directed them to the Heroes’ Platform.
• Tang Hao met Tang Wen at the academy and proudly told Li Zitong and a female student that Tang Wen was his baron older brother.

Tang Wen’s companions learned that he had become a First-Rank Earl before Tang Hao could pass the Martial Jinshi examination. At the crowded academy arena, Qiao Xiao prepared to face Tie Gu while Tang Wen secretly advised him to exploit Tie Gu’s injured left side.

• Tang Wen confirmed that he had risen from Third-Rank Baron to First-Rank Earl, and Luo Yiwu credited his achievements against pirates.
• Tang Hao expressed disappointment that Tang Wen had earned a title before him, and Tang Wen encouraged him to pass the Martial Jinshi examination.
• Tie Gu made a dramatic entrance at the arena, where Mo Yungang arrived and provoked Qiao Xiao’s challenger into appearing.
• Qiao Xiao identified himself, knelt before Tang Wen, and asked permission to fight.
• Tang Wen secretly told Qiao Xiao to attack elsewhere first, then strike Tie Gu’s injured left side when an opening appeared.

Qiao Xiao defeated Tie Gu in the arena, but Mo Yungang demanded another fight and forced Tang Wen to face him. Tang Wen used a hidden weapon to shoot Mo Yungang in the limbs, then left after warning him not to provoke him again.

• Qiao Xiao endured Tie Gu's attacks and knocked him out of the arena by ramming his waist, winning the match.
• Mo Yungang accused Qiao Xiao of injuring Tie Gu and demanded a fight, rejecting Li Zitong's plea to let the matter end.
• Mo Yungang kicked Qiao Xiao out of the arena and challenged Tang Wen, while Tang Hao, Gu Hanyan, and Tian Hao tried to intervene.
• Tang Wen ordered his companions down and got Mo Yungang to agree that Tang Wen could use a weapon while Mo Yungang would not.
• Tang Wen shot Mo Yungang in the legs and arms with his hidden weapon, then warned him to seek treatment on Su Mei Island and not provoke him again.