Winter passed and spring came, peach blossoms filling the banks of the Huai River.
The ladies and young misses who had holed up all winter gradually left their homes to enjoy the spring along the river, and the shipping routes grew considerably busier than before.
After surviving the downright disastrous third year of Jingning, Great Qian's Imperial Court finally changed the era name to "Dingxi," welcoming the first year of the new sovereign's reign.
With so much upheaval, many changes came to court and country. Lu Wuzhen, for instance, was restored to his position as Chief Astronomer, with full authority over the Various Sects and hundred schools,
to prevent several people in charge from fighting again.
The Protector of the State Temple, overseen by Monk Wuxin, became an institution akin to the Nine Gates Command, responsible only for the defense of Jingzhao Prefecture.
Duan Yuechou took Wei Wuyi's place as the new alliance leader of the Southern Region's Martial Dao. Although he was not granted a Deputy Director's seat again, the throne of Jianghu overlord was still enough to draw countless covetous eyes,
and since he had succeeded by order rather than fighting his way to the top, Zhang Jiwu of the Six Harmonies Hall even went to Feng Mountain to challenge him, intending to establish the Martial Dao rankings anew through strength. Once they fought, however, he discovered that Duan Yuechou was also a Dragon Suddenness Realm martial artist. The Jianghu immediately fell silent and revised the order of the Seven Martial Dao Heroes to Duan Yuechou, Long Boyuan, Xie Jinhuan, and Zhang Jiwu.
Confucian and Mohist martial artists such as Mu Yunling did not count among the Jianghu ranks, so the remaining three places were filled by rising talents such as Wei Kun of the Blood Rain Tower.