Chapter Summaries

After taking control of Immortal Cave, Zhang Xing brought news of a fortune to the leaders on Mount Mangdang and persuaded them to consider raiding the Jiangdong fleet. The chapter ended with Boss Zhou, Boss Han, and Boss Lou unexpectedly vouching for the golden awl Zhang Xing presented.

• Zhang Xing overthrew Immortal Cave’s leadership, distributed its remaining valuables, and spread news of the wealth aboard the approaching fleet and Heaven-Reliant Sword’s overland move.
• Boss Zhou summoned Zhang Xing to the Hall of Righteous Gathering to test him, where Zhang Xing faced a threatening reception and demanded a Northern Lands Hand-Clasp.
• While clasping hands with Boss Wang, Boss Zhao, and Boss Han, Zhang Xing defended his betrayal of Boss Zhang and argued that the leaders should seize the fortune and let the idle men escape with what they could.
• Boss Lou questioned Zhang Xing’s information and suspected he was a spy, but Zhang Xing urged the leaders to verify his claims through their contacts.
• Boss Zhou asked about Heaven-Reliant Sword and the three thousand soldiers at Longgang, and Zhang Xing explained her plan before producing a golden awl as proof of his mission.
• Boss Zhou, Boss Han, and Boss Lou all unexpectedly vouched for the golden awl.

Zhang Xing secured Boss Zhou’s agreement to mobilize Mount Mangdang’s forces for the planned attack, then persuaded Du Pozhen to help him protect the grain by offering him a chance to take over the Whale Gang and support his impoverished brothers. The chapter ended with Zhang Xing publicly welcoming Du Pozhen and his men into his plan.

• Boss Han revealed that he served Chen Ling, while Boss Lou explained that First Master Zuo had sent him and possessed a golden awl.
• Zhang Xing urged the bosses to act within the two-day window, and Boss Zhou ordered the men to march toward Mount Ji while sending word to Fish-Head Mountain.
• Zhang Xing privately met Du Pozhen and explained that the grain had been collected from wealthy households and that its loss could leave ordinary people starving.
• Du Pozhen explained that poverty had driven his brothers to consider stealing the grain, and Zhang Xing offered him the chance to replace the Zuo family and take control of the Whale Gang.
• Du Pozhen agreed to cooperate with Zhang Xing, and Zhang Xing promised that the gang’s profits could support his brothers and other destitute men.
• Zhang Xing called for Du Pozhen and his brothers to follow him and make a fortune in the New Year.

Zhang Xing manipulated Mount Mangdang’s leaders into marching toward the Huan River, encouraging their suspicions and ambitions while keeping the army moving despite warning signs. When Headman Xu refused to let them cross, Zhang Xing urged the leaders onward, and Zhao Xingchuan led the charge that carried Mount Mangdang’s forces across the river and into Mount Ji.

• Zhou Yi led Mount Mangdang’s hastily assembled force southwest toward the Huan River after Zhang Xing rallied the leaders around the promise of wealth and a new foundation.
• Boss Lou confided his fears that Zhou Yi might establish himself on Mount Mangdang, and Zhang Xing persuaded him that he should become the mountain’s leader instead.
• Boss Han told Zhang Xing that his patron was General Chen Ling and that the golden awl had been made from dragon bone, but Zhang Xing dismissed the missing messenger and urged the army to march faster.
• Reports along the route appeared to confirm Zhang Xing’s claims about the convoy and the Heaven-Reliant Sword, and Zhou Yi and Boss Lou disregarded Boss Han’s warning that no reply had arrived from Longgang.
• Headman Xu refused to let Mount Mangdang cross the Huan River, so Zhang Xing urged the gathered leaders to proceed despite the risk.
• Zhao Xingchuan plunged into the river and called on the others to follow, and Mount Mangdang’s forces crossed over and seized Mount Ji before sunset.

Zhang Xing’s Golden Awl Stratagem drew the Mount Mangdang bandits into an ambush, while he maneuvered his allies away from the fighting and tried to limit the bloodshed. After Sima Zheng praised his role, Sima promised to restrain Chen Ling and secure the fleet’s passage.

• Zhang Xing denounced Zhao Xingchuan and Wang for their greed, then proposed pooling thirty percent of the spoils and distributing the rest among the bands; the leaders accepted.
• After scouts reported that Longgang remained quiet and the convoy had hurried onward, Zhou Yi led the bandit army to intercept it, while Zhang Xing took his assigned flank route southeast.
• When fighting erupted near the Wo River, Zhang Xing warned Du Pozhen to flee downstream and told the Immortal Cave bandits to follow; Fan the Cook rejected Zhang’s offer of help and fled with his remaining men.
• Zhang Xing and Qin Bao confronted the fleeing Zhao Xingchuan, briefly attacked him, and let him escape; Sima Zheng then arrived and credited Zhang with the stratagem.
• Zhang Xing warned Sima Zheng that Chen Ling might slaughter witnesses or let bandits escape, so Sima arranged protection for Zhang and Qin before returning to supervise Chen and safeguard the fleet’s route.

After the grain convoy reached the Eastern Capital, Zhang Xing reported the journey’s affairs with Bai Yousi and Sima Zheng, then criticized Cao Lin’s limited response to the people’s suffering. He returned home for the New Year, where Fenniang’s ordinary concerns drew him back into family life.

• Zhang Xing and his companions saw Han’s head displayed at Mount Ji, then attended Chen Ling’s victory feast, where Chen presented golden awls to Sima Zheng and Zhang Xing.
• The convoy reached the official canal at Chenliu, and the Brocade-Clad Patrol Unit and Crouching Dragon Guards completed their escort mission before riding to the Eastern Capital.
• Bai Yousi dismissed the exhausted patrolmen for the New Year, but Sima Zheng called Zhang Xing to the Black Tower to report to Cao Lin.
• After Cao Lin promised to deal with Chen Ling and the Longwhale Gang, Zhang Xing told Bai Yousi and Sima Zheng he was disappointed that Cao had ignored the causes of popular unrest.
• Zhang Xing returned home, listened to Fenniang describe rising firewood prices and household news, then offered to buy flour and meat for New Year’s fried foods.

Zhang Xing spent New Year amusing himself around the ward before sharing a late-night drink with Bai Yousi, who explained her transfer plans and invited him to join the Crouching Dragon Guard. He agreed to travel with her, leaving them set to finish dealing with the Longwhale Gang before pursuing their transfers.

• Zhang Xing handed out food and wrote fortune characters at the communal shrine, then returned home and trained while reflecting on Qin Bao’s combat ability.
• Zhou Xingfan visited Zhang Xing, Qin Bao, and Yue Niang, and stayed for two meals.
• Bai Yousi told Zhang Xing that Chen Ling would be transferred to the northwest and that she planned to complete the Longwhale Gang affair before transferring to the Crouching Dragon Guard.
• Bai Yousi invited Zhang Xing to join the Crouching Dragon Guard, explaining that he could qualify through merit and later travel to the Huai Region.
• Zhang Xing accepted Bai Yousi’s plan, and she said they would travel together longer.

Zhang Xing learned that rumors about his exploits had made him a figure of interest, so he tried to keep a low profile, only to find the seven fiscal reporting officials from Jiangdong had brought him and Qin Bao a huge repayment. The gifts left Zhang Xing wondering how much silver was hidden among them and whether accepting the fortune would bring him trouble.

• Little Gu told Zhang Xing that the Black Sashes had spread Intendant Cao's description of him as a man who could slay dragons, and the rumors had grown after they read the journey reports.
• Zhang Xing worried that the praise tied him to powerful figures in the Southern Office, obtained sick leave, and hurried home through the snow.
• Zhang Xing found the seven fiscal reporting officials from Jiangdong waiting outside his home with wagons of gifts, including seven hundred bolts of silk and silver for Qin Bao.
• Zhang Xing reluctantly accepted the gifts after the officials explained their gratitude, then gave a hundred bolts of silk to Little Guan to distribute to the poor and local households.
• Yue Niang discovered that the customary gifts included fifteen chests containing fifteen hundred taels of silver, leaving Zhang Xing alarmed by the size of the fortune.

Zhang Xing left for Huaiyang with Bai Yousi’s party to settle matters involving Chen Ling and the Longwhale Gang, after meeting Wang Daiji, a Ministry of War official whose methods resembled his own. During a storm in Huaiyang, Zhang reflected on his future and his place in the upheavals he expected to come, then exchanged poetry with Wang beneath the veranda.

• Zhang Xing donated his remaining silk to the Black Emperor Temple and gave Yan Qing the paintings and calligraphy to sell before departing for Huaibei.
• Li Ding told Zhang Xing that Ministry of War Assistant Director Wang Daiji shared his talent for paperwork and advancement but was more calculating and cautious.
• At the eastern gate, Zhang Xing publicly welcomed Wang Daiji as the Ministry of War’s “Timely Rain,” and the two bonded over their similar reputations and circumstances.
• Zhang Xing, Bai Yousi, and their party set out for the Huai Region, then stopped at a relative’s estate in Huaiyang to rest before continuing to Chengfu.
• During a spring storm, Zhang Xing pondered his future, the coming age of contention, and whether he would remain a subordinate or become a player in events.
• Zhang Xing met Wang Daiji beneath the veranda and recited lines about thunder and grief, prompting Wang to praise the poetry and ask for the rest.

Zhang Xing and Wang Daiji shared a candid conversation during a storm, then the Patrol Group traveled to Chengfu to summon Chen Ling about his reassignment. Chen Ling agreed to take the northwest post, and Zhang Xing asked him to help Bai Yousi capture the Three Zuo Brothers.

• Zhang Xing and Wang Daiji discussed their ambitions and frustrations beneath the thunder, each revealing some of his true thoughts.
• After resting at the Zhang Estate, Zhang Xing left a poem on the wall under the alias Recluse Du Zimei of Huaiyang.
• Bai Yousi led the group to Chengfu, where they waited for Chen Ling and wagered on whether he would accept his new appointment or resign.
• Wang Daiji bet that Chen Ling would accept the appointment, while Zhang Xing explained that the group was prepared to handle either choice.
• Chen Ling arrived in Chengfu and said he would obey the imperial command and take the northwest post.
• Zhang Xing asked Chen Ling to use his family's knowledge to help Bai Yousi capture the Three Zuo Brothers, and Chen Ling welcomed the request.

Zhang Xing and Li Qingchen met Longwhale Gang leader Zuo Caihou at Huankou Town while investigating the Huan River region. Zhang Xing publicly promised to address local injustices, while Li Qingchen declared that the gang was already marked for destruction, leaving Zuo Caihou demanding to know whether that was true.

• The Second Patrol Team split up, and Zhang Xing and Li Qingchen led a small group downstream toward the Huanshui Estuary.
• The chapter recounted how Zuo Caihou built the Longwhale Gang, Zuo Caijiang became the feared Midnight Sun Sword, and Zuo Caixiang entered government service in Xiapi.
• Zuo Caihou welcomed Zhang Xing and Li Qingchen near Xucheng, and Zhang warned him to stay vigilant because the patrol team would investigate the gang.
• Li Qingchen and Zhang Xing challenged Zuo Caihou over the gang's dependence on public resources and its treatment of boat haulers.
• At the Longwhale Gang headquarters, Zhang Xing addressed the gathered townspeople and invited them to bring complaints to him and Zuo Caihou.
• Li Qingchen told Zuo Caihou that the court had ordered the patrol team to sweep away the Longwhale Gang, and Zhang asked why Zuo Caihou had not corrected his mistaken gang name.

Zhang Xing negotiated with Zuo Caihou over the Longwhale Gang’s future, but became suspicious when Caihou insisted on terms the court would never accept. He sent Caihou away to consult his second brother, Zuo Caijiang, leaving the planned attempt to draw him back unresolved.

• Qin Bao told his companions that the Jing'an Directorate’s guards were keeping them under watch while they waited for Zuo Caihou’s younger brothers.
• Zhang Xing questioned Zuo Caihou about the Longwhale Gang’s role at Mount Mangdang and warned him that the court could destroy the gang and the Zuo Family.
• Zuo Caihou rejected the court’s proposed relocation and military service, demanding that his family keep its ancestral holdings, the Longwhale Gang’s business, and Zuo Caijiang’s freedom to pursue cultivation.
• Zhang Xing realized that Zuo Caihou’s demands and confidence did not fit the danger facing his family, and offered to discuss their fundamental interests directly after Caihou consulted Zuo Caijiang.
• Li Qingchen challenged Zhang Xing’s decision to depart from their plan, and Zhang Xing said Zuo Caihou’s unusually firm response had made him suspicious.

Zhang Xing and Li Qingchen pressured the Zuo Brothers to surrender the Longwhale Gang, but the brothers stalled while awaiting their second brother. After Li Qingchen left to bring troops, Zhang Xing secretly offered Vice Gang Leader Fan Shiyong his support as Huankou Town’s new master.

• Zuo Caixiang sided with his elder brother and refused to yield, so Li Qingchen and Zhang Xing agreed to wait briefly while preparing to take over the Giant Whale Gang and deploy troops.
• Zhang Xing suspected the Zuo Brothers were guarding the gang for someone else, but he and Li Qingchen agreed to bring in three hundred armored soldiers and continue pressuring them.
• Li Qingchen publicly accused the Zuo Brothers of resisting the law and left Huankou to join the troops, putting the town and Longwhale Gang on alert.
• Fan Shiyong secretly entered Zhang Xing’s room and asked whether the court intended to punish the Zuo Brothers or the Longwhale Gang.
• Zhang Xing said the court intended to punish both but needed a new gang to manage river transport, then offered to support Fan Shiyong as Huankou Town’s new master.

Zhang Xing used the execution of Flying Cloud Palm Han Yun to break the Longwhale Gang’s resistance and proposed a Jianghuai Assembly to select a new gang that would control the Huan River’s transport business under Jing'an Directorate oversight. The Longwhale Gang’s deputy leaders accepted his plan, while Zuo Caihou and Zuo Caixiang withdrew and Zhang Xing took temporary control of the gang’s hall and organization.

• Zhang Xing ordered the Longwhale Gang to suspend its activities and submit its records, but notices of his order were torn down across Huankou Town.
• Steward Wang identified Flying Cloud Palm Han Yun as the man who tore down the notice at the gang’s main gate, and Chief Banner Officers Liu and Ma arrested him with witnesses and evidence.
• Zhang Xing executed Han Yun in the Longwhale Gang’s hall, then warned the assembled members against resisting the court and urged them to lower their weapons.
• Zhang Xing proposed an assembly to elect a new gang, explained how it would be chosen and supervised, and named Inspector Bai as its backing; Deputy Gang Leader Fan Shiyong and the other leaders agreed to hold it.
• Zuo Caihou and Zuo Caixiang left after accusing Zhang Xing of maneuvering against them, and Zhang Xing took temporary control of the gang’s premises and organization to oversee the investigation and assembly.

As the Jianghuai Assembly approached, Zhang Xing managed escalating gang feuds, assessed the factions competing to replace the Longwhale Gang, and explained to Qin Bao why he valued independent judgment and trusted comrades. During the Longevity Festival, Zhang Xing presided over the Dragon Contest and postponed a message brought by Zuo You, leaving its contents unknown.

• Zhou Xingfan led the Brocade-clad Patrol Cavalry to break up a fight between Sha Datong and Zhang Hong’s men; the clash left three dead and four injured, and Zhang Hong was beheaded.
• Li Qingchen returned with three hundred armored soldiers, and Zhang Xing split them between a garrison outside Huankou Town and the Longwhale Gang Headquarters; Du Pozhen’s Huai Prosperity Gang registered before the deadline.
• Qin Bao reported that six major factions were competing for influence, while Zhang Xing identified Li Zida’s registration as a way to disrupt the three factions split from the Longwhale Gang and help Du Pozhen win leadership.
• Zhang Xing told Qin Bao that he wanted him to follow his own judgment, and Qin Bao agreed that he, Zhang Xing, and Inspector Bai should remain friends despite their differences.
• Zhang Xing tested his Compass for signs of Zuo Caijiang, then presided over the Longevity Festival and announced the Dragon Contest.
• Zuo You arrived with a message for Zhang Xing, but Zhang Xing asked him to wait until after the festival rites and sent him away to enjoy the celebration.

After condemning the gang leaders’ lavish sacrifice feast and their treatment of the common people, Zhang Xing negotiated with Zuo You over Zuo Erlang’s role in the Longwhale Gang and the court’s demands. Zuo You left to relay Zhang Xing’s ultimatum: Zuo Erlang had to appear publicly and negotiate, or risk losing the gang and his family’s foundations.

• Zhang Xing watched the common people scramble for dragon soil and berated Yue for resisting his suggestion to provide them with buns or rice.
• Zhang Xing met Zuo You, who conveyed that Zuo Erlang wanted the Longwhale Gang’s foundations preserved and hoped to delay serving the court while he completed his visualization.
• Zhang Xing rejected Zuo You’s proposed compromise, insisting that the court’s terms required Zuo Erlang to come forward and that the gang had already been dismantled.
• Zhang Xing revealed that Li Zida had registered under his own banner, leaving Zuo Erlang with the choice of openly negotiating or attacking his way out and abandoning his family’s lands and people.
• Zhang Xing suggested that Zuo You was a Dongyi spy and urged him to advise Zuo Erlang to take the peaceful path; Zuo You then agreed to carry Zhang Xing’s message.

Zhang Xing bluffed Eldest Zuo into revealing the Zuo family’s history and negotiated to secretly spare Third Zuo in exchange for help identifying Midnight Sun Sword. The chapter ended with Zuo You confirming that he was the real Midnight Sun Sword and planning to use a disguised subordinate to preserve the family’s position.

• Zhang Xing went to confront Eldest Zuo after learning from Zuo You that the Zuo family’s second brother had supposedly died, and he claimed he had already met Third Master Zuo.
• Zuo Caihou revealed that the Dongyi people had helped build the Longwhale Gang and that the family’s ambitions had collapsed after their second brother’s death.
• Zhang Xing ordered Zhou Xingfan to summon the inspector, then admitted he had bluffed Eldest Zuo and offered to spare Third Zuo if Eldest Zuo helped capture Midnight Sun Sword.
• Zuo Caihou confirmed that the man Zhang Xing suspected was Midnight Sun Sword, and Zhou Xingfan escorted him back to the Longwhale Gang headquarters.
• Zuo You appeared at the courtyard and told his brothers he would arrange for a subordinate to pose as the younger brother and help preserve the Zuo family’s holdings and one of the nine seats.

Zhang Xing helped arrange Du Pozhen’s election as leader of the Huaiyou Alliance while Second Master Zuo accepted a settlement with the court. Just after the election, a mistaken identity was exposed, and the real Zuo You seized Zhang Xing and fled down the Huai River with a pursuer close behind.

• Zhang Xing told Zuo You to have Second Master Zuo target Diwu Zhaoming, and asked him to recover the remains of General Guo from Fallen Dragon Shoal.
• Zuo Caijiang attacked Diwu Zhaoming, and Second Master Zuo later agreed to stop fighting in exchange for the Zuo family retaining its standing and Zuo Caijiang entering military service within three years.
• Zhang Xing presided over the Jianghuai Assembly, where Du Pozhen won all nine votes and the new alliance was named the Huaiyou Alliance.
• A white-clad swordsman arrived at the docks, but a middle-aged man killed him and warned Zhang Xing that he had been tricked and that the dead man was not Second Zuo.
• Zhang Xing identified Zuo You as the real Midnight Sun Sword, but Zuo You seized him with sea-blue true qi and fled down the Huai River as the middle-aged man pursued them.

Zhang Xing and Zuo Youxian were trapped aboard a fishing boat while Bai Yousi and Wu Jingfeng negotiated for Zhang Xing’s release. When Zuo Caihou attacked Zuo Youxian, Zhang Xing joined the fight and killed him, then emerged to announce their victory to the Huaiyou Alliance.

• Zuo Youxian fled with Zhang Xing and took refuge aboard a fishing boat, where he held Zhang Xing hostage as Wu Jingfeng waited outside.
• Zhang Xing and Zuo Youxian discussed their chances of survival as the Huaiyou Alliance gathered on the river and Bai Yousi promised to let Zuo Youxian leave if he released Zhang Xing.
• Zuo Caihou brought food aboard and attacked Zuo Youxian with a Dragon-Bone Golden Awl, while Zhang Xing joined the struggle with his own awl and true qi.
• Zhang Xing pierced Zuo Youxian’s chest with the awl, defeating him, while Zuo Caihou died from his injuries.
• Zhang Xing emerged from the boat and announced that he and Eldest Zuo had killed the Midnight Sun Sword, drawing astonished reactions from the gathered crowd and tears from Bai Yousi.

After killing Zuo Caihou and settling the Huai River case, Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi returned to the Eastern Capital, where Bai learned her father had been made Duke of Ying. Bai then announced she was joining the Crouching Dragon Guard, and Zhang Xing and several colleagues chose to follow her.

• Zhang Xing left the Huai River with Bai Yousi after telling Du Pozhen to spare Third Zuo if he was caught and to send Zuo Youxian’s cremated remains to the Eastern Capital.
• Du Pozhen thanked Zhang Xing for helping establish the Huaiyou Alliance, and Zhang urged him to run it independently and treat its trackers better.
• Bai Yousi transferred the case and soldiers to the Pengcheng authorities, then led the Patrol Cavalry back to the Eastern Capital.
• A Ministry of Works official told Bai Yousi that her father had become Duke of Ying after the Bright Hall was completed, while the Heaven-Piercing Tower remained the only active construction project.
• Bai Yousi announced that she had accepted a position with the Crouching Dragon Guard and invited colleagues to join her; Zhang Xing, Qian Tang, Zhou Xingfan, and Qin Bao agreed, while Li Qingchen chose to consider it.
• Bai Yousi ordered the colleagues staying behind to arrest several young gallants who were harassing a carriage procession, then led her own group away with Zhang Xing.

At the Jing'an Directorate, Cao Lin praised Zhang Xing for his work in the Huai Region and offered to adopt him as his son. Zhang Xing was stunned by the proposal, while Bai Yousi and the others had yet to grasp what Cao Lin intended.

• Xue Liang told Bai Yousi that Cao Lin had gone to the Southern Office and wanted to handle her handover in person, then asked Zhang Xing to stay because Cao Lin wanted to question him about the Longwhale Gang.
• Bai Yousi, Zhang Xing, and the others waited until Cao Lin returned, then went upstairs and encountered Sima Zheng and Zhang Changgong, who were there to arrange the handover.
• Cao Lin told Bai Yousi, Sima Zheng, and Zhang Changgong to settle the handover among themselves and report it later, then summoned Zhang Xing.
• Cao Lin admitted he disliked Zhang Xing's disregard for rules but admired his talent, vision, and work in Jiangdong and the Huai Region.
• Cao Lin asked Zhang Xing whether he had acted with Du Pozhen's help and whether he had formed the Huaiyou Alliance without Bai Yousi's presence; Zhang Xing admitted both actions.
• Cao Lin said Zhang Xing's accomplishments had convinced him of his potential and offered to adopt him as his son, leaving Zhang Xing stunned.