Chapter Summaries

After the Western Inspection Tour crossed into Hedong, Zhang Xing delivered the sovereign’s gifts to Great Grandmaster Zhang Bofeng and learned about a missing Grandmaster, Liu Wenzhou. He left South Slope Academy with a report to send to the Jing'an Directorate and new questions about Zhang Bofeng’s chance of Position Attainment.

• After Ma Hong died, the sovereign ordered the tour east to Hedong and threatened to kill anyone who deserted at Pujin Ferry.
• Niu He assigned Zhang Xing to deliver gifts to Zhang Bofeng, and Zhang Xing met the elderly Great Grandmaster at South Slope Academy.
• Zhang Bofeng explained that Great Grandmasters needed virtue and merit to advance beyond their rank, and that towers measured their influence on the world.
• Zhang Bofeng asked Zhang Xing to report that Liu Wenzhou had stolen records about Lord Black Emperor and fled, fearing the Grandmaster might target immortals and True Dragons.
• Zhang Shijing said Zhang Bofeng had built his academy away from the Zhang ancestral seat because a divination told him to distance himself from Zhang and erect a tower.
• Little Zhou reported that the academy had students from the Zhang clan, eminent clans, and humble families, and Zhang Xing judged that Zhang Bofeng might still have a chance of Position Attainment.

During the Western Inspection Tour, Zhang Xing reflected on Zhang Shijing’s narrow ambitions and questioned Li Ding and Bai Yousi about the histories and origins of the Human, Witch, and Demon races. His questions about whether the races evolved from animals and whether new races might emerge unsettled the others, leaving the group without answers about humanity’s distant past.

• Zhang Xing considered how Zhang Shijing had remained bound by clan and region despite having the chance to teach widely, then traveled with the party to Linfen and rejoined the Western Inspection Tour entourage.
• Zhang Shijing received the sixth-rank post of Deputy Commissioner of Fenyang Palace, while Zhang Xing turned to studying the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic and asking Li Ding questions about the three races.
• Li Ding explained the races’ different physiques and cultivation, and Bai Yousi described the Hongshan people’s resemblance to the Witch Clan and the Demon Race’s origins in the vital energy of heaven and earth.
• Zhang Xing and Li Ding discussed how the Three-One Orthodox Church had purged earlier records and helped unify the three races, then speculated about the Three Luminaries and the world’s history.
• Zhang Xing asked whether humans and the hundred races had evolved from ordinary animals and whether new races could arise, prompting Li Ding to leave in frustration and warn Bai Yousi to keep Zhang Xing in line.

Zhang Xing and the Western Inspection Tour endured cold, rain, illness, and executions as the emperor forced the entourage north to Fenyang Palace. During a ceremony there, a vast flock of crows passed over Heavenly Lake and defecated into it, leaving the emperor furious and unwilling to drink its water.

• Zhang Xing dreamed of his hometown and discussed the dream, his uncertain future, and gratitude with Bai Yousi.
• Autumn rain delayed the entourage in Taiyuan, but the emperor resumed the journey north when the weather cleared.
• At Jingle, the emperor executed dozens of attendants, eunuchs, and Jinwu Guard officers, then forced the entourage to continue through cold rain as illness and desertions spread.
• Wang Daiji met the weakened entourage at Fenyang Palace with medicine, tents, clothing, and supplies.
• During the ceremony for Lord Black Emperor, Zhang Xing and Li Ding identified a huge flock overhead as crows.
• The crows circled Heavenly Lake, defecated into it, and flew away, after which the emperor refused to drink water from the lake or the Fen River.

The author discussed how Shao Song was written, where its structure and updates faltered, and why he supported commercial, industrialized creative work and comic adaptations. He welcomed Shao Song’s new Tencent Animation comic and ended by thanking Weiweiweiweidu for becoming an Alliance Leader.

• The author announced that the Shao Song comic had launched on Tencent Animation and urged readers to check it out.
• The author recounted how Shao Song began with little preparation, described naturally emerging storylines, and identified the Jiangnan journey in Volume Five as where the novel’s structure broke down.
• The author explained how serial updates, exhaustion, and public backlash affected Shao Song and changed his approach to writing and interacting with readers.
• The author argued that online literature could bring new creators into commercialized creative industries and that the literature of the age might emerge in film, television, or games.
• The author supported comic adaptations as independent creative works and expressed anticipation for Li Xiaonan and the Hometown team’s new Shao Song comic.
• The author thanked Weiweiweiweidu for becoming an Alliance Leader and wished the comic success.

Zhang Xing reflected on Great Grandmaster Zhang’s failure to transcend clan and regional limits, then spent the journey north probing Li Ding and Bai Yousi about the peoples, their history, and the world’s origins. His questions about whether the hundred peoples evolved from ordinary animals unsettled everyone, and he ended by asking whether new peoples could emerge in an age of abundant primal energy.

• Zhang Xing considered how Great Grandmaster Zhang had missed a chance to teach beyond his clan and region, then traveled with the party to rejoin the Western Inspection Tour procession.
• Zhang Shijing received the post of Deputy Commissioner of Fenyang Palace, while Zhang Xing turned to studying and asking questions during the procession’s stop in Taiyuan.
• Li Ding and Bai Yousi explained how Humans, Witches, and Demons differed in cultivation and physique, and how the Three-One Orthodox Church had purged earlier histories and unified belief.
• Zhang Xing summarized the succession of powers and questioned whether the Three Luminaries would become real through the Three-One Orthodox Church, prompting Bai Yousi to praise his question.
• Zhang Xing asked whether humans and the hundred peoples might have evolved from ordinary animals, making Li Ding and Bai Yousi uneasy.
• Zhang Xing wondered whether primal energy could create a hundred-and-first people from wild boars, and Li Ding stormed out, urging Bai Yousi to keep Zhang Xing in line.

Zhang Xing dismissed warnings of a Wu Clan invasion after Li Ding convinced him that Dulan Khagan had no reason to attack, until messengers confirmed that 150,000 Wu Clan troops were crossing the Sea of Bitterness. As the imperial procession fled toward Yunnei, Zhang Xing picked up a little princess and rode after the emperor.

• Li Ding explained why an eastern Wu Clan invasion would be costly and unlikely, and Zhang Xing accepted his reasoning after the Compass showed no danger.
• At Wuzhou Mountain, Zhang Xing noticed Wu Clan riders arriving, but Li Ding assured him that border tribes commonly defected across the frontier.
• Duan Wei reported that at least 200,000 eastern Wu Clan people were crossing the sea, and the emperor initially refused to believe him.
• A messenger brought word that Dulan Khagan had mobilized 150,000 men to seize the emperor, prompting the emperor to flee toward Yunnei City.
• Wei Chi urged the emperor to ride east to Yunnei instead of returning to Fenyang Palace, and Zhang Xing picked up a little princess and followed him on Qin Bao's horse.

Zhang Xing watched Great Wei’s court flee to Yunnei and prepare for Dulan Khagan’s siege, then saw the Wu Clan’s overwhelming army attack the city. Dulan’s assault humiliated the sovereign and left him weeping as his defenders realized the campaign was driven by vengeance and political reckoning, not military gain.

• The sovereign fled to Yunnei, where Sima Changying organized the city’s defenses and the court issued emergency orders.
• The Wu Clan vanguard reached Yunnei before dawn, and Zhang Xing later escorted Xiao Yu to inspect the vast enemy army surrounding the city.
• Xiao Yu learned that Dulan had brought roughly 150,000 warriors to target the sovereign, while the ministers warned that Yunnei might fall and reinforcements were needed.
• The sovereign rejected Sima Changying’s proposal to break out and chose to wait for a chance to negotiate with Dulan.
• Dulan burned the dismantled Wind-Observing Traveling Palace, then attacked the walls with massed cavalry and a coordinated cultivator strike that pierced Duke Niu’s defenses.
• Bai Yousi deflected the great arrow aimed at the sovereign, but Dulan’s forces mocked him from beyond the walls, and the sovereign broke down in tears as Zhang Xing understood the attack was an act of vengeance.

As Yunnei City endured the Wu Clan’s siege, Zhang Xing watched the court promise sweeping rewards to raise morale and learned more about his newly opened Chong Meridian. When Qin Bao volunteered for a dangerous mission to seek reinforcements, Zhang Xing decided to accompany him and went to find Duke Niu.

• Zhang Xing reassured Eunuch Yu and the others that the Wu Clan would have to retreat if the siege lasted until northern reinforcements arrived.
• At the council, Sima Changying urged the court to raise morale, and His Majesty promised Sixth Rank to defenders, pardoned Dongyi, and considered pardoning the Wu Clan and Dulan Khagan.
• Zhang Xing learned from Li Ding that the battle had opened his Chong Meridian and that its true qi effects might emerge only in combat.
• Qin Bao told Zhang Xing he had volunteered to carry a message toward the Youzhou army and had already accepted the assignment and its reward.
• Zhang Xing agreed to go with Qin Bao, displayed a sudden surge of cold true qi, and ordered him to take him to Duke Niu.

Zhang Xing and Qin Bao fought their way through a mountain pass, helped two captive women escape, and continued toward the Youzhou reinforcements. At Huairong, Qin Bao discovered that the cavalry commander Luo Shu was his uncle, complicating Zhang Xing’s formal meeting with the general.

• Zhang Xing used Ice True Qi to fire a guided arrow that frightened the Wu Clan riders, then crossed a makeshift ice bridge with Qin Bao and attacked the lightly guarded camp at the pass.
• Zhang Xing and Qin Bao freed two women from Hunyuan, gave them supplies, and urged them to hide in the eastern mountains before traveling south when it was safe.
• Zhang Xing and Qin Bao held the pass against returning Wu Clan warriors, then rode east to meet the reinforcements from Youzhou.
• Zhang Xing and Qin Bao reached Huairong and met Luo Shu, the Youzhou force’s commander, who asked to inspect their imperial decree.
• Qin Bao recognized Luo Shu as his uncle, and Luo Shu introduced his son Luo Xin, while Zhang Xing awkwardly waited to discuss their mission.

Zhang Xing and Luo Shu planned to use local support and a show of force to drive off the Wu Clan and earn merit for Qin Bao and Luo Xin. After Xiong Bonan angrily confronted Zhang Xing, Zhang Xing recognized him as the man who had saved his life and let him leave; Luo Shu then secured Daoist Gao’s agreement and the magistrate’s promise to open the granaries.

• Zhang Xing and Luo Shu discussed His Majesty’s recent crisis, Luo Shu’s military career, and the difficulty of earning recognized merit by relieving Huairong.
• Zhang Xing advised Luo Shu to send Qin Bao and Luo Xin into the city with supplies, then advance ahead of Youzhou’s main army to frighten away the Wu Clan.
• Luo Shu named two influential local men surnamed Gao, and Zhang Xing chose the wealthy Daoist over the salt smuggler as a more useful ally for their show of strength.
• When Daoist Gao and the magistrate arrived, Xiong Bonan recognized Zhang Xing and denounced him as the court’s hunting hound; Zhang Xing identified Xiong Bonan as his former rescuer and escorted him out of camp.
• Zhang Xing let Xiong Bonan depart, explaining to Qin Bao that the times could change; back in camp, he found that Daoist Gao had agreed to help and the magistrate had promised to open the granaries.

Zhang Xing left crowded Yunnei to spend the night outside the city, where he discussed the coming hardships with Li Ding. Inside, the emperor and his ministers settled the defenders’ rewards, while Wei Chi rode north to attack the retreating Wu Clan army; Zhang Xing ended the night discovering that the laborers had sent him venison beneath the pork skin.

• Zhang Xing accepted Chen Ling’s two Golden Awls, arranged for Chen Ling to profess loyalty to Duke Niu, and left the overcrowded commandery offices with sick men and Little Zhou.
• Zhang Xing’s group encountered a cold, hungry infant, and Little Zhou arranged bedding, firewood, and millet for the child.
• Zhang Xing told Li Ding that many Huairong laborers planned to leave, while others stayed to seek freedom or official rank; they discussed the suffering in the siege and the dangers ahead for the region.
• The emperor and his ministers agreed to return to the Eastern Capital via Taiyuan, cancel the promised sixth-rank promotions, and grant other awards; Duan Wei and Wei Chi were sent to pursue the Wu Clan army.
• Wei Chi rejected Duan Wei’s suggestion to quit and rode north to attack the Wu Clan’s main force, declaring that he would risk his life for the Previous Emperor’s kindness.
• Zhang Xing discovered a piece of venison hidden beneath the pork skin the laborers had given him, after Li Ding had already eaten much of the pork skin.

Zhang Xing helped Luo Shu’s forces advance toward Yunnei City while managing hastily assembled laborers and supply stations as reinforcements converged on the besieged city. After entering Yunnei, Zhang Xing watched officials and generals rush to reach the emperor and questioned the suspiciously convenient timing of their arrivals.

• Zhang Xing accompanied Luo Shu’s army west as Qin Bao and Luo Xin led three hundred cavalry ahead toward Yunnei City.
• Luo Shu changed plans and advanced with his cavalry while Zhang Xing led the laborers across the Sanggan River to establish camps and supply stations.
• Zhang Xing spotted lights from forces approaching from Taiyuan, and Luo Shu hurried forward after the reinforcements spurred him on.
• Qin Bao reported that Luo Shu had fought a small engagement near Yunnei City and that the Wu Clan had broken camp; Zhang Xing stayed behind to protect the exhausted laborers.
• Li Li and other troops raced past Zhang Xing’s supply stations toward the city, leaving many exhausted or injured riders behind.
• Zhang Xing entered Yunnei City, saw Wang Daiji rush in with supplies, and met Chen Ling, whose sudden arrival prompted him to question how all the reinforcements had arrived at once.

Zhang Xing and the Prince of Qi encountered abandoned Taiyuan volunteer soldiers who had turned to banditry, and Zhang Xing urged the prince to take responsibility for them. As the party traveled south through a region in disorder, Zhang Xing approached another armed group and agreed to join them, ending in a handshake as freezing air spread around them.

• Zhang Xing questioned the Taiyuan volunteer army bandits and blamed the Prince of Qi for leaving them without rewards or support.
• Zhang Xing proposed that the Prince of Qi return to Taiyuan and rally the abandoned troops, but Cao Ming refused, and the bandit leader let the party pass.
• Zhang Xing advised the bandits to avoid further plunder and return home to form a local security force if they could.
• The Prince of Qi led the party south along the Hutuo River, where they encountered another bandit group guarding a fortified village.
• Zhang Xing offered to join the bandits and accepted their demand to kill or lure out the village's defender, the Wave-Breaking Blade, as proof of loyalty.
• Zhang Xing proposed sealing their agreement with a handshake, and the bandit leader clasped his hand as freezing air spread around them.

Zhang Xing exposed how the court’s neglect had driven Taiyuan’s volunteer soldiers to become highwaymen, but the Prince of Qi refused to rally them. As the party traveled south through a land of scattered soldiers and refugees, Zhang Xing approached another bandit group and agreed to help them deal with a stubborn defender.

• Zhang Xing learned that the Taiyuan volunteers had been abandoned without rewards or a commander, and convinced the first bandits to let the party pass.
• Zhang Xing urged the Prince of Qi to return to Taiyuan and gather the stranded troops, but Cao Ming rejected the idea and rode on.
• Zhang Xing questioned the first bandits about their supplies and suggested they avoid further crimes and eventually return home.
• The Prince of Qi took a smaller route south as straggling soldiers and refugees filled the roads and towns refused them entry.
• Zhang Xing offered to join a second bandit group and accepted its leader’s demand to deal with the Wave-Breaking Blade, sealing their agreement with a handshake.

Zhang Xing seized a bandit stronghold, then arranged for Hong Changya to organize Taiyuan’s volunteers under the Jing'an Directorate’s authority. After meeting Zhang Bofeng, he warned Cao Ming that the realm was nearing chaos and urged him to consider restoring the dynasty, but Cao Ming angrily rejected the suggestion.

• Zhang Xing used his Ice True Qi to capture the bandit commander, disarm his followers, and take control of the stronghold with the Crouching Dragon Guards.
• Hong Changya arrived, killed a local collaborator, and told Zhang Xing that Taiyuan’s volunteers lacked leadership because the court suspected the Prince of Qi.
• Zhang Xing gave Hong Changya a Jing'an Directorate appointment and prepared blank appointments and copied credentials so volunteers could keep order in their home villages.
• Cao Ming passed Taiyuan without entering, then brought Zhang Xing and Qin Bao to visit Zhang Bofeng on the Southern Slope.
• Zhang Bofeng criticized the emperor’s handling of the siege and discussed the strange rise of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi during troubled times.
• At a post station, Zhang Xing told Cao Ming that Zhang Bofeng had hinted the realm was nearing collapse and urged him to become a reforming emperor, but Cao Ming dismissed him.

After returning to the capital, Zhang Xing reflected on the choices people faced, visited Yan Qing, and saw how badly Xiūyè Ward had deteriorated. Bai Yousi then described the dangers her acquaintances had faced and heard Zhang Xing suspect that her father had been maneuvering against the Sage; the chapter ended with Zhang Xing joking about becoming a commandery governor, and Bai Yousi dismissing the idea.

• Zhang Xing reread the final volume of Biography of the Heroine Li Yue, then woke late and arranged for firewood to be delivered during the snow.
• Zhang Xing visited Yan Qing, warned that he might leave the capital, and offered to introduce him at the Bai residence if he continued preparing for the Imperial Examinations.
• Zhang Xing crossed into Xiūyè Ward, saw the decline of his former neighborhood, and found an unlicensed brothel operating openly on a street-facing property.
• Bai Yousi told Zhang Xing that she had helped Du Zhi Xiao Lin reach the Western Pass after recovering some of her money, and that Wu Jingfeng had openly raised a rebellion in Nanyang.
• Zhang Xing guessed that Bai Yousi's father sought the Taiyuan post and questioned whether he had helped the Sage's political purges as part of a larger contest; Bai Yousi recognized the implication.
• Zhang Xing asked whether he could become a commandery governor, and Bai Yousi told him he wished.

After receiving a merit promotion, Zhang Xing tried to buy a commandery governorship in Hebei but Yu Changji refused, citing the political risks and Zhang Xing’s connections. Zhang Han then warned that the Great Golden Pillar would be put into use the next day and urged Zhang Xing to go home and await a decree.

• Zhang Xing learned that he had received a Special Merit and been promoted to Subordinate Fifth Rank, then decided to seek a post in Hebei.
• Zhang Xing brought four hundred taels of gold to Yu Changji’s residence and asked to buy a Hebei commandery governorship.
• Yu Changji refused the appointment after Zhang Xing revealed what he knew about an incident between Chancellor Sima and His Majesty, but gave Zhang Xing a sealed piece of calligraphy instead.
• Yu Changji told Yu Changnan that he would remain loyal to His Majesty and accept whatever fate followed, while Yu Changnan worried about the family’s future.
• Zhang Han told Zhang Xing that the Great Golden Pillar would be put into use the next day and advised him to return home and await a decree.

Zhang Xing witnessed the sage use the Great Golden Pillar’s ceremony to announce a third campaign against Dongyi, then watched Imperial Uncle Cao wager his retirement against the campaign’s success. Back home, Zhang Xing explained the sage’s motives to Bai Yousi and dismissed the others’ alarm as New Year’s Eve arrived.

• Zhang Xing reflected on his anger toward Zhang Han and questioned whether people could be blamed for the collapse of Great Wei.
• The sage led a grand procession to the Great Golden Pillar, where Daoists’ formation produced a radiant spectacle that drew officials and commoners to their knees.
• The sage announced that he would personally lead a third campaign against Dongyi in the spring, stunning the assembled crowd.
• Su Wei suggested settling the Jin Region first, and the sage said the Duke of Ying would stabilize it.
• Imperial Uncle Cao challenged the sage to a wager: he would retire if the campaign succeeded, but become chief chancellor if it failed; the sage accepted.
• At home, Zhang Xing told Bai Yousi that the sage launched the campaign because he wanted to prove his strength, then brushed off Li Ding’s warning as the household prepared for New Year’s Eve.

Zhang Xing witnessed the sage use a grand ceremony at the Great Golden Pillar to announce a third expedition against Dongyi, then watched Imperial Uncle Cao wager his retirement against the campaign’s failure. Back home on New Year’s Eve, Zhang Xing explained the sage’s motives to Bai Yousi and dismissed their alarm as Li Ding arrived with news that the sky was falling.

• Zhang Xing reflected on his anger toward Zhang Han and questioned whether people could evade responsibility by blaming Great Wei’s structural problems.
• The sage led officials and soldiers in a solemn march to the Great Golden Pillar, where Daoists gathered Radiant Light True Qi and the emperor performed the sacrifice.
• The sage announced that he would personally lead a spring expedition against Dongyi, and Su Wei asked him to stabilize the Jin Region first.
• Imperial Uncle Cao challenged the sage to a wager: he would retire if the campaign succeeded, but demanded appointment as chief chancellor if it failed; the sage accepted.
• At home, Zhang Xing told Bai Yousi that the sage attacked Dongyi to restore his pride, then brushed off her concerns as Li Ding arrived in alarm.

As Great Wei prepared for its third campaign against Dongyi, Zhang Xing explained why the emperor’s political defeat had already begun and watched anxiety spread over rumors and corvée labor. The court announced a massive mobilization, and Zhang Xing learned that Little Gu had died in the Heaven-Piercing Tower’s collapse months earlier.

• Zhang Xing assigned the Crouching Dragon Guard’s White Tower watch and discussed rumors about the Duke of Ying, the campaign, and court officials with Li Ding, Qin Bao, and Zhou Xingfan.
• Zhang Xing told Zhou Xingfan that the emperor had already lost politically by launching a campaign that further eroded the people’s allegiance.
• An elderly firewood deliveryman asked whether the court would conscript his son, and Li Ding explained that the campaign’s logistics would require corvée laborers.
• The court announced that five hundred thousand troops and a million civilian laborers would be mobilized for the eastern campaign, while recruiting Condensing the Core experts to accompany the emperor.
• After Zhang Xing returned from drinking and took his White Tower shift, Qian Tang told him that Little Gu had died in the Heaven-Piercing Tower’s collapse nearly five months earlier.