Chapter Summaries

After waking in a ruined temple in an ancient world, Zhang Xing realized he had transmigrated and discovered that his Compass could guide him toward safety. He and Du Meng survived an earthquake by returning to the temple, only to witness a colossal dragon-like beast emerge from the mountains and fight something in the sky.

• Zhang Xing woke in a ruined temple, where Du Meng told him that Dongyi pursuers were nearby and urged him to flee.
• As the ground shook, Zhang Xing discovered he wore ancient armor and that icy True Qi coursed through his body, while Du Meng scolded him for refusing to abandon his Ice True Qi cultivation.
• Zhang Xing recognized the Compass he had bought before falling into a well and found that its needle pointed back toward the temple when he invoked Taishang Laojun.
• Zhang Xing persuaded Du Meng to carry him back into the temple, and they survived the earthquake when the building remained standing.
• Zhang Xing and Du Meng watched a gigantic dragon-like beast emerge from the mountain, soar into the clouds, and battle an unseen opponent as hail and burning stones fell.

After surviving the supernatural battle, Zhang Xing and Du Meng rested in a ruined Taoist temple, gathered supplies, and set out through the mountains. The temple collapsed behind them, and they continued toward a road as Zhang Xing’s Compass briefly spun out of control.

• Du Meng told Zhang Xing that the Mountain-Splitting Lord and the Sea-Averting Lord had fought above them, and that the mountain road had likely killed thousands of fleeing soldiers.
• Zhang Xing recovered enough to stand, and he and Du Meng collected flatbreads, weapons, helmets, and banners left behind by the other soldiers.
• Zhang Xing recognized the temple as a Taoist shrine connected to Taishang Laojun, and Du Meng resolved to build a family shrine in gratitude for their survival.
• Zhang Xing and Du Meng boiled water, ate softened flatbread, and spent the night in the temple as Zhang Xing accepted that he had transmigrated into an unfamiliar mythic world.
• The next morning, Zhang Xing and Du Meng left the temple and headed down the mountain, but the building collapsed over the cliff shortly after they departed.
• Du Meng bowed to the fallen temple and continued toward a road, while Zhang Xing failed to notice that his Compass needle had briefly spun wildly before settling.

Zhang Xing and Du Meng led a growing band of fugitives through days of rain and hardship until they reached a mountain village, where Du Meng killed a soldier who had threatened a widow. Du Meng then warned Zhang Xing that Han might be plotting to turn the group into bandits, leaving them wary of conflict among their fellow fugitives.

• Zhang Xing and Du Meng joined forces with Han and Wang, then continued through the mountains while Zhang Xing gave two flatbreads to a helpless, starving soldier they left behind.
• As the fugitives struggled through the rain, Zhang Xing regained some control of his legs and secretly managed to circulate Ice True Qi.
• Du Meng borrowed Zhang Xing's Compass and used its True Words to lead the dwindling group to a remote mountain village where they found shelter, food, and dry bedding.
• A fugitive tried to force a village widow to make his bed, so Du Meng dislocated the man's limbs and jaw before killing him with his saber.
• Du Meng told Zhang Xing that Han had proposed forming a bandit gang and warned him to avoid being alone with Han or Wang.

Zhang Xing killed the soldiers surnamed Wang and Han after they attacked him and Du Meng, and discovered that defeating Han gave him control of both cold and hot True Qi. Du Meng died from his wounds after asking Zhang Xing to take his body home, and Zhang Xing then noticed that this world had two moons.

• Zhang Xing woke to the soldier surnamed Wang entering his room and killed him in a desperate struggle, using his helmet and Ice True Qi.
• Zhang Xing found the soldier surnamed Han emerging from Du Meng's burning house and fought him until the two remaining routed soldiers arrived.
• Zhang Xing held Han in a True Qi deadlock, arguing with him to keep the routed soldiers from joining the fight, until Du Meng appeared alive and distracted Han.
• Zhang Xing killed Han and absorbed the man's scorching energy, gaining control of hot True Qi as well as cold True Qi.
• Du Meng revealed that Han had fatally wounded him, confessed that he had plotted to take Zhang Xing's family treasure, and asked Zhang Xing to carry his body home.
• After Du Meng died, Zhang Xing put away the Compass and noticed two moons in the sky.

Zhang Xing left the mountain village with Du Meng’s body and continued west, where he was admitted to a larger village for the night. A young villager then warned him that Qin Erlang had reported him as a deserter and officers might arrive at any moment.

• Zhang Xing spent four more days helping the mountain villagers bury the dead, repair homes, and restore damaged fields before setting out with Du Meng’s body.
• The villagers offered Zhang Xing and the two routed soldiers wives if they stayed; Zhang refused because he had promised to return Du Meng to his homeland, while the other soldiers chose to remain.
• Zhang Xing reached the plains and followed the Compass to a village, where Qin Bao and the guards stopped him before Aunt Liu offered him lodging for the night.
• Aunt Liu welcomed Zhang Xing and cared for him, but during the night a young villager warned that Qin Erlang had reported him as a deserter and the officers could arrive soon.

Zhang Xing escaped the village with Yuan Da, but Yuan Da and his men tried to rob him on the road, forcing Zhang Xing to kill them before continuing his journey with Du Meng’s body. Four or five days later, Bai Yousi of the Jing'an Directorate arrived to investigate the killings, while Zhang Xing remained on the road.

• Yuan Da helped Zhang Xing leave the village with Du Meng’s corpse, but the Compass warned Zhang Xing that Yuan Da had turned against him.
• Yuan Da and four armed men demanded Zhang Xing’s possessions, and Zhang Xing killed them after they tried to take his boots and dagger.
• Zhang Xing hid the bodies, gathered a few supplies, recovered the Compass, and continued toward Du Meng’s home while traveling by night.
• Four or five days later, Qin Bao, village elders, and county clerks waited at the murder scene for officials to investigate.
• Bai Yousi, a Vermilion-Sash Inspector of the Jing'an Directorate, arrived with her riders and asked to see the bodies.

Bai Yousi and the Brocade-clad constables investigated five deaths and concluded that a routed soldier had killed a band of robbers in legitimate self-defense. Though her companions favored leaving him alone, Bai Yousi decided to pursue him and establish the facts, and Qin Bao joined her.

• Constable Hu examined the bodies while Bai Yousi used her qi to confirm how the soldier had killed the five men.
• The constables identified the victims as a group of robbers and determined that the killer was a young routed soldier from the Upper Five Armies.
• Qin Bao explained why his village had sheltered the soldier, and Bai Yousi assured him that the village would not be punished for taking in a routed soldier.
• Bai Yousi concluded that the soldier had likely killed the robbers in self-defense but decided to catch up with him and clarify what happened.
• Bai Yousi sent Big Qian to verify details with Aunt Liu and Little Li toward the Eastern Capital, then set out with Constable Hu.
• Qin Bao asked to accompany Bai Yousi, and she agreed after learning that he could ride and had his own horse.

Zhang Xing reached a great river while carrying Du Meng’s body to Red Mountain, but the Compass would not guide him across. After a group of martial-world travelers questioned him and learned of his journey, they gave him horses and supplies, leaving him to find a ferry crossing downstream.

• Zhang Xing waited by the river after the Compass refused to guide him away from the bank, and he resolved to seek a crossing the next day if nothing changed.
• Two ferries unloaded a group of armed riders near Zhang Xing, who stayed by the tree with Du Meng’s body instead of approaching them.
• Li Shu, Xiong Bonan, and Xu Shiying questioned Zhang Xing and learned that he was carrying his fallen comrade home after the defeat at Fallen Dragon Shoal.
• Zhang Xing explained that Du Meng had saved his life and that he had promised to take him home to Red Mountain.
• Li Shu offered Zhang Xing horses, money, and supplies, and told him to travel downstream to find a ferry crossing.
• Zhang Xing accepted the gifts and remembered Xu Dalang’s name as he prepared to continue his journey.

Bai Yousi confronted Li Shu and his martial-world companions while investigating his alleged role in Yang Shen's rebellion, but had no warrant to arrest him. Zhang Xing returned the horses Li Shu and Xu Shiying had offered, then the two groups departed in tense peace.

• Li Shu and Xu Shiying spotted Bai Yousi's Brocade-Clad Patrol Unit approaching and prepared to meet them.
• Bai Yousi recognized Xu Shiying and questioned Li Shu about Yang Shen's rebellion and his claim that Li Shu had been his chief strategist.
• Li Shu denied knowing of the rebellion and pointed out that Bai Yousi had no nationwide arrest warrant, then rode away with Xiong Bonan, Xu Shiying, and their followers.
• Bai Yousi warned Li Shu of danger on his journey, and he asked her to tell her father that he should restore peace to the realm.
• Zhang Xing returned the horses offered by Li Shu and Xu Shiying, explaining that his dead companion might resent accepting Li Shu's gift.
• Zhang Xing advised Xu Shiying to stop belittling himself, then returned to the tree as Xu Shiying and the others rode away.

Zhang Xing accepted Bai Yousi’s help after the Jing'an Directorate’s riders departed to report Li Shu and Xiong Bonan’s movements. Bai Yousi revealed her cultivation by flying across the river with Du Meng’s corpse, then carried Zhang Xing and Qin Bao over as well, leaving them to continue toward Red Mountain.

• Zhang Xing explained that Yuan Da had lured him into an ambush, and Bai Yousi accepted his account without pursuing punishment.
• Hu Yan warned Bai Yousi that Li Shu’s role in Yang Shen’s rebellion made letting him go dangerous, but Bai Yousi said her group could not defeat Li Shu and Xiong Bonan.
• Bai Yousi ordered Hu Yan and the other riders to report Li Shu and Xiong Bonan’s movements while she escorted Zhang Xing and Du Meng to Red Mountain.
• Qin Bao urged Bai Yousi not to abandon Zhang Xing, and Zhang Xing accepted her offer of help.
• Bai Yousi used her True Qi to preserve Du Meng’s corpse, flew across the river with him, and then carried Zhang Xing and Qin Bao over.
• Zhang Xing asked whether Bai Yousi was an immortal or a monster, and she replied that she was simply a living person with greater cultivation.

Zhang Xing reached Red Mountain with Du Meng’s corpse and carried it into the mountains to fulfill his promise to bury him at home. After Bai Yousi and Qin Bao left him at the foot of the mountain, he crossed landslides and rough terrain until two armed strangers appeared beside an enormous earthen mound, seemingly waiting for him.

• Zhang Xing learned that recent Blood Spring eruptions and landslides had cut off the mountain roads, but he resolved to carry Du Meng into the mountains anyway.
• Bai Yousi and Qin Bao supplied Zhang Xing with provisions and equipment, then left him to continue alone.
• Zhang Xing entered Red Mountain with Du Meng’s corpse and found ordinary terrain, though the damaged roads and sharp vegetation made travel arduous.
• Zhang Xing used the Compass to locate a valley blocked by landslides and rested there overnight after celebrating his progress with food and wine.
• Zhang Xing set out again in the rain and encountered a young man with a bow and a young woman with a sword standing beside an enormous earthen mound.

Zhang Xing reached the mound where Du Meng’s homeland had been destroyed, buried his companion, and learned more about the world’s cultivation ranks and the calamity behind the war. After accepting Bai Yousi’s offer to join her as a subordinate, he resolved to pursue cultivation and make a new life in this world.

• Zhang Xing found Bai Yousi and Qin Bao waiting beside the mound, then realized Du Meng’s homeland had been destroyed and collapsed under the weight of his grief.
• Zhang Xing buried Du Meng with Qin Bao’s help, and Bai Yousi explained that a mountainslide had struck the area during a distant cultivator’s use of a Blood Spring.
• Bai Yousi and Qin Bao told Zhang Xing about True Dragons, cultivation ranks, Position Attainment, and the rise of powerful cultivators during great calamities.
• Zhang Xing gave Bai Yousi his name and offered his services, and Bai Yousi accepted him as her subordinate in the bureau.
• Zhang Xing carved Du Meng’s epitaph into a door panel and decided to pursue cultivation rather than dwell on his lost past.

Zhang Xing joined the Eastern Pacification Office’s street patrol and was accepted by Banner Commander Feng’s men after explaining that he had survived the Upper Five Armies’ defeat. He returned to Xiūyè Ward and found a high-ranking procession blocking the gate.

• Zhang Xing patrolled Xiūyè Ward with Wang and Zhao, who then brought him to Banner Commander Feng’s tavern on Water Street.
• Zhang Xing asked about Feng’s old nickname, Sugar-Wrapping Hand, before meeting Feng and the other men upstairs.
• Zhang Xing told Feng that Yang Shen’s rebellion had cut off the army’s grain and that the Upper Five Armies had been destroyed.
• Feng accepted Zhang Xing, gave him a share of the usual Water Street proceeds, and told him he no longer needed to report every evening.
• Zhang Xing listened as the men discussed the coming crisis, then returned alone to Xiūyè Ward and found a high-ranking procession blocking the gate.

Zhang Xing advised Qin Bao on handling exclusion in the capital, and Qin Bao explained his family’s Eastern Qi background and resolve to build his own standing. After Qin Bao left, Xiao Zhao arrived to take Zhang Xing to Water Street to collect two months’ customary dues.

• Zhang Xing learned from Ward Chief Liu that Minister Zhang’s procession had passed through the ward and that a visitor was expected before the gates closed.
• Qin Bao visited Zhang Xing, who shared sour hangover soup with him and advised him to endure or build capital through favors, authority, and ability.
• Qin Bao revealed that his family had once been part of Eastern Qi’s official class and said he wanted to earn distinction for his mother by strengthening himself.
• Zhang Xing told Qin Bao he would not seek revenge over Red Mountain or approach the court until he had become powerful enough.
• After Qin Bao left, Zhang Xing studied and exercised until Xiao Zhao arrived with word that the banner chief had sent two months’ customary dues to help him settle in.
• Zhang Xing agreed to go with Xiao Zhao to Water Street.

Zhang Xing and Xiao Zhao met Commander Feng, who asked them to suppress illicit businesses in his four wards before political turmoil worsened. After returning to Xiūyè Ward, Zhang Xing grew suspicious of Ward Chief Liu because of the calluses on his hand, but eventually dismissed his fears and fell asleep.

• Commander Feng gave Zhang Xing money and explained that he feared the defeat against Dongyi and the unrest over rebel Yang would bring a sweeping crackdown.
• Feng asked Zhang Xing and Xiao Zhao to target illicit businesses across the wards, starting with the Green Fish Gang, so he could protect his official standing and pressure the gangs to lie low.
• Xiao Zhao agreed to help in exchange for Feng giving him Xiao Yu and freeing her from slave registration, and Zhang Xing also accepted the assignment.
• Zhang Xing returned to Xiūyè Ward and confronted Ward Chief Liu about how Commander Feng knew he liked reading, then asked how long Liu had been ward chief.
• Zhang Xing recalled that Liu's hand had calluses like his own and worried that Liu might have a hidden past, but dismissed the concern and fell asleep in his courtyard while Liu silently left outside the wall.

Zhang Xing and Junior Officer Zhao led a mass crackdown on illegal businesses in Xiūyè Ward, using the gathered hangers-on to raid gambling dens and brothels. When Wei Liouzi offered to surrender his establishments and money, Zhang Xing learned that the brothels had recently bought refugees’ children and faced a decision about what to do next.

• Zhang Xing and Junior Officer Zhao led dozens of hangers-on into Xiūyè Ward and raided a gambling den, where Zhao beat the owner after he invoked Junior Banner Officer Han.
• Zhang Xing and Zhao took two pieces of silver and arranged for the rest to be guarded and divided among the hangers-on as the crackdown continued.
• The hangers-on overwhelmed even a True Qi cultivator by trapping and beating him, while Zhang Xing reflected on how little advantage Meridian Opening cultivation gave its practitioners.
• Zhang Xing learned that the remaining unlicensed brothels belonged to Wei Liouzi and that the establishments were clustered together because of their location in the ward.
• Wei Liouzi met the officers with money and the women from his brothels, offering to close his businesses and let the hangers-on enjoy themselves.
• Junior Officer Zhao explained that Wei Liouzi had recently spent his money buying children sold by refugees displaced by Yang Shen’s rebellion, and Zhang Xing asked Wei Liouzi to confirm it.

Zhang Xing confronted Wei Liouzi over his exploitation of the girls at his illicit brothel and left the alley after arranging a feast for the local hangers-on. His use of force established his authority, while Captain Xiao Zhao departed in frustration.

• Zhang Xing offered Wei Liouzi money to improve the girls’ clothing and meals, but Xiao Zhao warned that Wei Liouzi would exploit them again.
• Zhang Xing pressed Wei Liouzi to honor the offer, then severed one of his hands when he resisted and used Ice True Qi to cool the bloody basin.
• Zhang Xing declared that Wei Liouzi had brought the punishment upon himself for running an unlawful brothel and warned him against defying his authority again.
• Xiao Zhao challenged Zhang Xing’s decision, but Zhang Xing rebuked him, and Xiao Zhao left after conceding.
• Zhang Xing gave his share of the money to a hanger-on to fund three days of feasts, and the crowd followed him toward a pottery yard.

Zhang Xing and Officer Xiao Zhao were sent to deliver Feng Yong’s invitation to Sun Wogua, but Xiao Zhao disappeared after going ahead to the Green Fish Gang. Zhang Xing used the Compass to locate him in Shangshan Ward and went home to wait, leaving Xiao Zhao’s fate unresolved.

• Zhang Xing and Officer Xiao Zhao received Feng Yong’s praise for bringing Xiuwen Ward and Jingshan Ward’s gray-market businesses into submission, and Feng Yong asked them to deliver an invitation to Sun Wogua.
• Zhang Xing argued with Xiao Zhao and detoured to his lodging in Xiūyè Ward to retrieve the Compass, while Xiao Zhao went ahead to deliver the invitation.
• Zhang Xing tried the Compass but could not get its needle to settle, and when he left his lodging, he learned Xiao Zhao had gone on alone.
• Zhang Xing returned to Feng Yong’s tavern after Xiao Zhao failed to appear, and Feng Yong said they would muster men the next day to investigate his disappearance.
• After seeing a distraught Xiao Yu, Zhang Xing retrieved the Compass again and used it at a street junction, where its needle pointed toward eastern Shangshan Ward.
• Zhang Xing concluded Xiao Zhao was probably being held at the Green Fish Gang and returned home to wait for the next day.

Feng Yong led the Street-Cleaning Tigers and Jinwu Guards to storm the Green Fish Gang compound after Xiao Zhao vanished inside, and Zhang Xing joined the rescue. They learned that Xiao Zhao had died from injuries, leaving Feng Yong and the others stunned.

• Zhang Xing joined Feng Yong and the armed officials after witnesses confirmed that Xiao Zhao had entered Sun Wogua's compound and never come out.
• Feng Yong confronted Sun Wogua at the compound gate and accused him of holding or killing Xiao Zhao.
• Sun Wogua rallied his warriors to resist, but Deputy Gang Leader Shen opened a side gate and let the Street-Cleaning Tigers enter.
• The officers and Jinwu Guards overwhelmed Sun Wogua's men and seized control of the compound.
• Deputy Gang Leader Shen told Feng Yong that Xiao Zhao had died after his injuries worsened, shocking Feng Yong, Zhang Xing, and the Jinwu Guard unit leader.

After learning that Xiao Zhao had died from injuries inflicted by the Green Fish Gang, Zhang Xing took part in the gang’s bloody destruction and struggled to understand his feelings about killing. The Compass then pointed him toward Feng Zongqi’s Water Street tavern as the true culprit behind Xiao Zhao’s death, leaving Zhang Xing shaken by the implication.

• Deputy Gang Leader Shen told Feng Yong and Zhang Xing that Green Fish Gang fighters had injured Xiao Zhao, who died overnight, and Feng Yong ordered a grand funeral for him.
• Feng Yong had Ding Quan promise to testify, killed Sun Wogua, and ordered his men to execute the gang’s captured fighters and members.
• Zhang Xing shot a fleeing gang member with a crossbow and killed him, then felt the true qi from the kill gather in his body as the massacre continued.
• At the ward wall, Zhang Xing told Brother Liu about his battlefield experiences and his reaction to Xiao Zhao’s death, and Brother Liu helped him see that he valued his comrades’ and innocents’ lives.
• Zhang Xing used the Compass to investigate Xiao Zhao’s death, and after renewing his question, its needle pointed toward Feng Zongqi’s tavern on Water Street as the true culprit’s location.