Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xing assigned commanders and duties as the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s meeting prepared the Second Eastern Expedition, while outsiders reacted to its open decision-making. The army then marched east, rapidly taking control of much of three commanderies and moving toward Sucheng.

• Wang Xiongdan and Ma Ping'er told Zhang Xing that Sha Datong and other Huaiyou Alliance members had been killed or imprisoned after trying to break away and rebel.
• Zhang Xing appointed Wang Xiongdan to command his personal guard, assigned Ma Ping'er to work with Bai Yousi, placed Wang Zhen among his core troop commanders, and entrusted Wang Zhuo with the southern front.
• A bald Daoist from the Bashu Thirteen Vajras decided to join the Exorcising the Dragon Army after Zhang Xing shared chilled sour plum soup with him.
• Zhang Xing halted the expanding deliberations, and the army set out from Lihu the following day; Wang Shuyong, Wang Zhen, and Meng Ghost-Eater returned to their fronts.
• By the fifteenth day of the sixth month, Zhang Xing reached Yuncheng as the army captured county seats, towns, crossings, mines, temples, and strongholds across three commanderies, while implementing relief and local policies.
• On the seventeenth day, Wang Zhen's force defeated the Golden Lance Army and executed one in five of its captured troops; on the twenty-first, Zhang Xing advanced from Yuncheng toward Sucheng as the campaign continued east.

The Exorcising the Dragon Army’s rapid advance left too few troops available for its next campaign, so Zhang Xing chose to keep consolidating control over local strongmen while opening the Ji River route with a limited force. After entering Lu Commandery, he encountered a couple fleeing hardship and ordered their households’ land tax eased.

• Xu Shiying, Wang Shuyong, Wei Xuanding, Bai Yousi, Dan Tonghai, Niu Da, and Zhang Xing debated how many troops had been tied down maintaining order across the three commanderies.
• Zhang Xing explained that controlling local strongmen and resources mattered as much as advancing, then ordered ten thousand troops under Wang Shuyong to secure the Ji River route and link up with the Putai Army and Cheng Zhili.
• Zhang Xing assigned Dan Tonghai to Feicheng and announced that he would enter Lu Commandery to assess its strongmen and await Heavenly King Xiong’s report on the Righteous Army groups.
• On June twenty-sixth, Wang Xiongdan brought Zhang Xing a middle-aged couple detained by scouts while the army crossed the Wen River.
• The man explained that he and the woman were fleeing failed harvests, tax pressure, and fear of conscription; Zhang Xing learned they came from Liangfu and promised to ask Master Lin to grant their households a reprieve on that year’s land tax.

Zhang Xing confronted Bing Yuanzheng over his handling of local magnates and explained how the Exorcising the Dragon Gang should recruit and govern local talent. After Liu Fan was killed for resisting the gang, Tang Bairen arrived with Lin Chang’s head and asked to join Zhang Xing’s cause.

• Zhang Xing sent a letter asking Master Lin to reduce or waive the land tax for two struggling households, then wrote to trusted associates urging them to notice local talent.
• Bing Yuanzheng admitted that he had released miners after Liu Fan offered surety, and Zhang Xing challenged him to distinguish principled recruitment from the Great Wei court’s appeasement of local worthies.
• Bing Yuanzheng led three hundred soldiers to Liu Fan’s home, where Wang Xiongdan restrained Liu Fan and Bing Yuanzheng killed him after he refused to cooperate.
• Zhang Xing decided to promote suitable local candidates, and Tang Bairen arrived after killing Lin Chang, bringing his head and offering to enter the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s service.
• Tang Bairen told Zhang Xing that the gang’s laws and its support for the weak had persuaded him to join, and Zhang Xing received his declaration.

Zhang Xing offered Tang Bairen a leadership position in exchange for helping secure the eastern territories, and Tang volunteered to sow discord among the forces in Dengzhou. As Zhang Xing managed the expanding occupation of Lu Commandery, Xie Minghe unexpectedly arrived and reunited with him.

• Zhang Xing promised Tang Bairen a leader's position after the Second Eastern Expedition if he helped secure Liangfu peacefully, and Tang offered to earn the post through service.
• Tang proposed buying grain through the Turtle Mountain Army's connections, then agreed to travel to Dengzhou and sow discord among the Sun, Gao, and Wang forces.
• Tang asked Zhang Xing to write Know-the-World Wang Hou a letter proposing an alliance against Sun and Gao, and Zhang stamped it with the governor's seal.
• Wang Xiongdan and Bing Yuanzheng reported that wealthy households had fled toward eastern Lu, while Zhang Xing continued appointing officials and responding to unrest across Lu Commandery.
• After receiving word that Xiong Bonan had returned, Zhang Xing encountered Xie Minghe, who revealed himself as Zhang's sworn brother and praised his writing.

Xie Minghe described Jiangdong’s worsening unrest and explained how the Medicine King had attained Great Grandmaster status, while Zhang Xing considered how turmoil and collective fortune shaped cultivation. Xiong Bonan then admitted that his assessment of the righteous armies had left him troubled, and Zhang Xing prepared to hear him out.

• Xie Minghe told Xiong Bonan and Zhang Xing that Jiangdong’s people were being heavily exploited and that righteous armies and government forces were locked in a prolonged struggle.
• Xie Minghe explained that the Southern Ridge Holy Mother, First Madam, and the Medicine King constrained the government forces, then recounted how the Medicine King gained influence by spreading medical knowledge and helping people.
• Zhang Xing reflected that attaining a Great Grandmaster’s position involved influence over a collective, while Xie Minghe linked the rise of Condensing the Core experts to growing fortune and unrest.
• Xie Minghe suggested that the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s prospects would improve as it gained influence, and Zhang Xing asked whether he had come to test that idea.
• Xiong Bonan said his recent assessment of the righteous armies had left him increasingly apprehensive, and he sought Zhang Xing’s advice.

The Exorcising the Dragon Army debated how to balance occupying the three commanderies with advancing its campaign, and Zhang Xing ordered Wang Shuyong to lead ten thousand troops along the Ji River corridor. As Zhang Xing moved into Lu Commandery, he encountered a couple fleeing tax pressure and conscription, and promised to ask for more time to pay their land tax.

• Xu Shiying, Wei Xuanding, and the other leaders debated why fifteen thousand troops were tied down maintaining order and controlling local magnates across the three commanderies.
• Zhang Xing explained that bringing local magnates under control was essential to securing revenue and supporting the army, while military operations still needed to continue.
• Zhang Xing ordered Wang Shuyong to lead ten thousand troops along the northern bank of the Ji River, join the Putai Army and Cheng Zhili, and advance the campaign.
• Zhang Xing decided to enter Lu Commandery to assess its magnates and wait for Heavenly King Xiong, while Dan Tonghai went to Feicheng and Xu Shiying remained at Sucheng.
• On June twenty-sixth, Wang Xiongdan brought Zhang Xing a couple whose flight from Liangfu had been mistaken for suspicious behavior by mounted scouts.
• The man explained that they had fled because they could not meet the coming land-tax demand and feared conscription, and Zhang Xing promised to ask Master Lin to grant their household more time.

Zhang Xing addressed local abuses and explained his approach to recruiting local talent while confronting Bing Yuanzheng over his handling of a gold mine. After Liu Fan was killed, Tang Bairen arrived with Lin Chang’s head and asked to join the Exorcising the Dragon Gang.

• Zhang Xing sent a letter to Master Lin asking him to collect land levies according to actual farmland and consider relief for impoverished families, then wrote trusted associates to seek local talent.
• Bing Yuanzheng confessed that he had released the men who rioted at Gongqiu’s gold mine after Liu Fan offered goodwill, and Zhang Xing challenged his reliance on local magnates.
• Zhang Xing urged Bing Yuanzheng to welcome local talent into the gang while distinguishing allies from enemies and valuing both ability and virtue.
• Bing Yuanzheng and Wang Xiongdan confronted Liu Fan, who refused to surrender the mine or return the troublemakers, so they killed him and seized gold.
• Zhang Xing decided to seek local candidates for governance, and Tang Bairen arrived with Lin Chang’s head, explaining that he had killed Lin Chang and wished to serve the Exorcising the Dragon Gang.

Zhang Xing negotiated with Tang Bairen over Liangfu’s peaceful handover and sent him to undermine the forces in Dengzhou, while managing the disorder and appointments spreading through Lu Commandery. The chapter ended with Xiong Bonan arriving as Xie Minghe, an old acquaintance and renowned Jiangnan expert, came to visit Zhang Xing.

• Zhang Xing promised Tang Bairen a leader’s position if he handled Liangfu properly, and offered him a choice of assignments.
• Tang Bairen volunteered to infiltrate Dengzhou and divide the Sun, Gao, and Wang factions, so Zhang Xing wrote a letter to Know-the-World Wang Hou proposing an alliance.
• Wang Xiongdan and Bing Yuanzheng reported that wealthy households had fled toward Turtle Mountain Army territory, and Zhang Xing ordered the autumn harvest protected.
• Zhang Xing dealt with unrest and appointments across Lu Commandery, then sent Bing Yuanzheng to secure Liangfu after Tang Bairen fled east with his men.
• Xiong Bonan arrived to meet Zhang Xing, and Xie Minghe appeared, recognized Zhang Xing, and asked whether he had written another poem.

Xie Minghe described Jiangdong’s growing unrest and explained how upheaval and public influence shaped cultivation, while Xiong Bonan sought Zhang Xing’s counsel about the righteous armies’ degeneration. The meeting ended with Xie still weighing his purpose and Zhang preparing to hear Xiong’s concerns.

• Xie Minghe told Zhang Xing and Xiong Bonan that Jiangdong’s people were being crushed by the court’s demands and that its righteous armies were locked in a recurring struggle with government forces.
• Xie Minghe explained that the Southern Ranges’ Holy Mother, First Madam, and the Medicine King constrained government campaigns, then revealed that the Medicine King had attained Great Grandmaster status by spreading medical knowledge and helping people.
• Zhang Xing reasoned that Great Grandmaster cultivation reflected influence over a group, while Xie Minghe connected the Eastern Territories’ surge in Condensing the Core experts to the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s growing fortune.
• Zhang Xing asked Xie Minghe whether he had come to test his ideas, then turned to Xiong Bonan and asked why he had requested their meeting.
• Xiong Bonan said that assessing the righteous armies had left him increasingly uneasy, and that his recent journey through Eastern Lu, Southern Lu, and Langya had deepened his confusion.

Zhang Xing secured Tang Bairen’s cooperation in a plan against the rebel forces at Dengzhou while managing unrest and administration in Lu Commandery. After Xiong Bonan returned, Xie Minghe unexpectedly appeared and greeted Zhang Xing as his sworn brother.

• Zhang Xing promised Tang Bairen a chieftain’s position and the right to recommend appointments if he helped transfer Liangfu peacefully.
• Tang Bairen offered to use his ties to the Know-the-World Army and agreed to sow discord among the Sun, Gao, and Wang factions in Dengzhou.
• Zhang Xing wrote Tang Bairen a letter to Know-the-World Wang Hou proposing an alliance against Sun and Gao and promising Langya to the Know-the-World Army.
• Wang Xiongdan and Bing Yuanzheng reported that wealthy households had fled toward Eastern Lu after Liu Fan’s execution, and Zhang Xing continued arranging local administration and harvest protection.
• As unrest, troop movements, and administrative demands multiplied across Lu Commandery, Zhang Xing waited for Xiong Bonan’s return.
• Xie Minghe arrived at the County Office, praised Zhang Xing for condensing his core, and asked whether he had written another poem.

Zhang Xing advanced east with the Exorcising the Dragon Army, reorganizing civil administration and ordering severe punishment for rebel forces that plundered civilians. After Ying County’s rebels were punished and surrenders spread, Zuo Caixiang knelt before Zhang Xing and revealed their prior connection.

• Zhang Xing appointed civil administrators across the occupied commanderies, issued orders for the eastern campaign, and led troops toward Ying County.
• After seeing the devastation and deserted villages, Zhang Xing ordered executions for plundering rebels, offered surrender terms to Qi Commandery forces, and told Xu Shiying to contain northern Langya.
• Zhang Xing learned from Wang Xiongdan and Xie Minghe that many refugees had fled east to Dongyi, where they would face a harsh social status.
• On July fifth, Zhang Xing had Ying County’s seven rebel leaders beheaded and executed one in fifty of their followers, prompting some rebel forces to flee and others to resist.
• Jia Wugen agreed to surrender to Zhang Xing, while Fan Bao hesitated and the Zuo Clan army unexpectedly requested unconditional surrender.
• Zuo Caixiang knelt before Zhang Xing outside Ying County and said the Zuo Clan had intended to answer his call from the beginning; Zhang Xing recognized him as Third Master Zuo.

Zhang Xing received Jia Wugen and Fan Bao’s surrender, then proposed abandoning the gradual occupation of Qi Commandery to launch a swift joint attack on Dengzhou before the autumn harvest. After the leaders agreed, he questioned Xu Shiying about killing his brother-in-law and began suggesting a new husband for Xu Shiying’s sister, ending with the gathered leaders turning their attention to Xiong Bonan.

• Zhang Xing publicly accepted Jia Wugen and Fan Bao’s surrender and welcomed their forces into the Exorcising the Dragon Gang.
• Cheng Zhili, Xiong Bonan, Bai Yousi, Xu Shiying, Dan Tonghai, and other leaders gathered at Zhang Xing’s fruit feast, where Zhang proposed an immediate attack on Dengzhou with the newly surrendered troops.
• Xu Shiying and the other leaders supported Zhang Xing’s plan to converge beneath Linzi in three days and strike before the autumn harvest.
• After the troop commanders departed, Zhang Xing asked Xu Shiying whether he had killed his brother-in-law and obtained the grain, and Xu confirmed both.
• Zhang Xing offered to help find Xu Shiying’s sister a new husband, suggested Cheng Zhili, Jia Wugen, and Fan Bao, then drew everyone’s attention to Xiong Bonan as another possible match.

Zhang Xing discussed the reasons behind centralization with Bai Yousi before leading the Exorcising the Dragon Army’s full-scale advance into Dengzhou. At Linzi, after its defender demanded a senior chief’s position in exchange for surrender, Zhang Xing ordered his arrest and execution under the law.

• Zhang Xing explained to Bai Yousi that the push for unification and centralization had repeatedly shaped the world, while concentrated power also required safeguards.
• Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi discussed her work arranging adoptions for orphans, then shared a quiet moment together.
• The Exorcising the Dragon Army advanced east with more than forty thousand troops, and many Dengzhou detachments fled or surrendered as Zhang Xing’s forces converged on Linzi.
• Zhang Xing arrived beneath Linzi’s walls and asked Cheng Dalang to offer the city’s defender lenient terms for surrender.
• After the defender demanded a senior chief’s position, Zhang Xing ordered Bai Yousi, Xiong Bonan, Cheng Zhili, and six other Core Condensation experts to seize and execute him.

Zhang Yuanqing woke after a troubling episode and spent the morning at his grandparents’ home, where his grandmother stopped him from accompanying Jiang Yu'er on her blind date. A package from Lei Yibing arrived containing a mysterious black card and a letter saying Zhang Yuanqing might be able to master it.

• Zhang Yuanqing worried that his medication was losing effectiveness, then got up when his grandmother threatened to splash him awake.
• Zhang Yuanqing ate breakfast with Jiang Yu'er and his grandmother, and learned that Jiang Yu'er planned to take him along to disrupt her blind date.
• Zhang Yuanqing tried to leave for the date, but his grandmother ordered him back inside, so he told Jiang Yu'er he could not join her.
• Zhang Yuanqing accepted a parcel addressed from Hangcheng and opened it to find a black card and a letter from Lei Yibing.
• Lei Yibing wrote that he could not master the item and gave it to Zhang Yuanqing, believing his friend could handle it.

Water-Fearing Grenade addressed an accusation that he had sexually harassed someone through an alternate account, denied it, and described his police report and plans to pursue legal action. He ended by asking the accuser to stop spreading claims and apologize, while saying his lawyer would handle further contact.

• Water-Fearing Grenade denied the Zhihu user's claims and called them an attack on his character and reputation.
• He said he had reported the matter to the police, submitted additional evidence, and hired a lawyer to pursue a private legal action.
• He demanded that the accuser stop publishing false or misleading information and issue a public, sincere apology accepted by him and his wife.
• He explained that the accuser's possible deception by a third party was separate from the harm done to him and his family.
• He described the personal and financial cost of pursuing the case and said he had no alternate accounts.
• He thanked supporters and urged readers to be cautious online.

Zhang Yuanqing spent the morning with his grandmother and aunt, then received an unexpected parcel from his friend Lei Yibing. Inside was a mysterious black card and a letter suggesting Zhang Yuanqing might be able to control it.

• Zhang Yuanqing worried that his medication was losing its effectiveness, then got up when his grandmother threatened to splash him awake.
• At breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing teased Jiang Yu'er and learned she was heading out on a blind date arranged by their grandmother.
• Zhang Yuanqing tried to sneak out and accompany Jiang Yu'er, but his grandmother stopped him, so he messaged his aunt that she would have to go alone.
• A courier delivered Zhang Yuanqing a parcel from Hangcheng, and he opened it to find a metal black card and a letter from Lei Yibing.

Zhang Yuanqing spent a spring morning with his family, worrying that his medication was losing its effect while his grandmother tried to keep him from disrupting his aunt’s blind date. A mysterious parcel from Lei Yibing arrived, containing a black card and a letter that described it as something Yuanqing might be able to control.

• Zhang Yuanqing woke after a strange episode and worried that his special medication was losing its effectiveness.
• Zhang Yuanqing ate breakfast with Jiang Yu'er and his grandmother, who was arranging a blind date for Jiang Yu'er.
• Jiang Yu'er left for her blind date, while Zhang Yuanqing’s grandmother stopped him from following her.
• Zhang Yuanqing received a parcel from Hangcheng containing a metal black card and a letter from Lei Yibing.
• Lei Yibing’s letter said the card was an interesting object he could not control and offered it to Zhang Yuanqing as a gift.