Chapter Summaries

Zhao Yuankan asked Huang Xiao to accompany him to Khitan as an open escort and representative of Great Song, where a marriage alliance was meant to restore friendly relations. Huang Xiao agreed to travel the next day, then reunited with Zhao Xin'er, who expressed relief and pride that he had defeated a Taixuan Sect disciple.

• Zhao Yuankan told Huang Xiao that he had recommended him to escort the prince to Khitan and that the emperor's decree would arrive soon.
• Zhao Yuankan explained that Huang Xiao would openly protect him and face challenges from Khitan's young experts on behalf of Great Song.
• Zhao Yuankan revealed that the trip would seek to restore friendly relations through a marriage alliance with a woman from Khitan's imperial clan.
• Zhao Yuankan said they would depart the next day and asked Huang Xiao to look after him during the journey.
• Huang Xiao visited Zhao Xin'er in her private garden, where she asked about his fight with a Taixuan Sect disciple and said she had been worried for him.

Huang Xiao said farewell to Zhao Xin'er before leaving the palace to accompany Zhao Yuankan to Khitan, promising to protect the prince and return safely. Zhao Yunhui then asked Huang Xiao to help her third brother and warned him to watch out for Huang Qitao.

• Zhao Xin'er worried that powerful elders might threaten Huang Xiao on his journey to Khitan, and he promised to return safely.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Xin'er discussed his ambition to catch up to Cao Wuxin, then shared an intimate moment before he prepared to leave.
• Zhao Xin'er said she would agree to be with Huang Xiao if he returned soon, and he jokingly said he would have a son with her.
• Zhao Yunhui asked Huang Xiao to help protect Zhao Yuankan, whom she described as a good person facing scrutiny from many rivals.
• Zhao Yunhui warned Huang Xiao that Huang Qitao might use the Khitan journey against him, and Huang Xiao promised to be careful and return safely.

Huang Xiao learned that Zhao Yuankan’s mission to Khitan would include him, and You Yidao and Zheng Zhiyi tried unsuccessfully to persuade Zhao Guangyi to withdraw the decree. Zhao Guangyi revealed that he planned to use the journey to draw out those in Great Song who might threaten Zhao Yuankan, leaving Huang Xiao to prepare to rely on himself.

• Huang Xiao told You Yidao and Zheng Zhiyi that Zhao Yuankan had requested him as a companion on the Khitan mission, while they warned that Huang Qitao might still arrange his death.
• You Yidao and Zheng Zhiyi went to the palace to ask Zhao Guangyi to cancel the decree, but returned without changing his decision.
• Huang Xiao doubted the decree could be withdrawn and resolved to rely on his own strength, though he feared a powerful assassin might target him.
• Eunuch Qiu asked Zhao Guangyi why he was sending Zhao Yuankan and Huang Xiao to Khitan, and Zhao Guangyi explained that the mission would test his son and expose conspirators within Great Song.

Zhao Guangyi revealed that he suspected Huang Xiao was connected to Ling Tianya and planned to test that possibility by sending him to Khitan, while considering how to use the connection against Huang Qitao and the Thousand Demons Sect. He then warned Eunuch Qiu about Wang Jien’s misconduct in Chengdu and unrest in Dali, ordering him to deliver a warning about the people Wang Jien associated with.

• Zhao Guangyi told Eunuch Qiu that he had arranged for Huang Xiao to accompany Zhao Yuankan to Khitan because he wanted to investigate Huang Xiao’s origins.
• Zhao Guangyi said Huang Xiao resembled Ling Tianya and that Jiang Ying, an expert from the Thousand Demons Sect’s Heavenly Qilin Pawnshop, was secretly protecting him.
• Zhao Guangyi decided the Khitan journey would test whether Huang Xiao was connected to Ling Tianya, while he considered using the situation to pressure Huang Qitao and the Thousand Demons Sect.
• Zhao Guangyi and Eunuch Qiu discussed Ling Tianya’s blood feud and whether Huang Xiao might influence him, while Zhao Guangyi acknowledged Huang Xiao’s relationship with Xin'er.
• Zhao Guangyi told Eunuch Qiu that Wang Jien had gone too far in Chengdu and ordered him to warn Wang to restrain himself and watch the unrest in Dali.
• Zhao Guangyi instructed Eunuch Qiu to tell Wang Jien that he disapproved of some of the people Wang had been associating with.

Huang Xiao accompanied Zhao Yuankan on the journey to Khitan, receiving advice from him and discussing Li Taibai’s legendary swordsmanship. Meanwhile, Cao Wuxin learned Huang Xiao had already left Kaifeng, abandoned his pursuit because Dali needed him, and sent a letter to Zhao Guangyi.

• Huang Xiao sought travel advice from You Yidao and Zheng Zhiyi, then set out from the Imperial Palace with Zhao Yuankan and his guards.
• Zhao Yuankan invited Huang Xiao into his carriage, shared Imperial Wine with him, and told him that Li Taibai had been a swordsmanship master.
• Cao Wuxin arrived in Kaifeng two days after Huang Xiao’s departure and considered pursuing him.
• Cao Wuxin decided to return to Dali because its situation had changed and he was needed there.
• Cao Wuxin wrote a letter for Zhao Guangyi and ordered his intelligence agent to deliver it to the Imperial Palace.

Zhao Guangyi learned that Cao Wuxin intended to take Third Princess Zhao Yunhui as his concubine and weighed how to resist the Taixuan Sect without provoking it. He considered using Huang Xiao as a possible betrothed to delay Cao Wuxin, and wondered whether Huang Xiao might be able to defeat him.

• Zhao Guangyi erupted in anger after reading Cao Wuxin’s letter demanding Zhao Yunhui as his concubine.
• Eunuch Qiu suggested intercepting Cao Wuxin on his way to Dali, but Zhao Guangyi refused, hoping to learn more about the Taixuan Sect’s plans and strength.
• Zhao Guangyi worried that the Taixuan Sect might later make its demand officially, leaving him unable to protect Zhao Yunhui from pressure at court.
• Eunuch Qiu proposed betrothing Zhao Yunhui to Huang Xiao as a delaying tactic, relying on his possible connection to Ling Tianya and the Thousand Demons Sect.
• Zhao Guangyi accepted the idea as a possibility and noted that Huang Xiao might be strong enough to defeat Cao Wuxin.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yuankan entered Khitan territory and were ambushed by attackers armed with Powerful Crossbows. As the guards fought to protect Zhao Yuankan, Huang Xiao watched the carriage driver face three hidden experts.

• Eunuch Qiu warned Zhao Guangyi that Huang Xiao was unlikely to defeat Cao Wuxin, and Zhao Guangyi said he hoped Huang Xiao had a connection to Ling Tianya.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yuankan crossed into Khitan territory, where Zhao Yuankan complained that no one had come to welcome them.
• Attackers ambushed the procession with hidden weapons, killing more than fifty guards before they raised Powerful Crossbows against Zhao Yuankan's carriage.
• The guards used refined-iron shields to protect the carriage while two squads charged the attackers, and Huang Xiao spotted three masked Peak Realm experts.
• The carriage driver charged the three experts, and Huang Xiao told Zhao Yuankan they were no match for him as the fight began.

Huang Xiao helped repel an ambush on Zhao Yuankan’s party, but a Khitan cavalry force soon confronted the Great Song envoys. After humiliating General Yelü Mengya and revealing his overwhelming skill, Huang Xiao asked to borrow Yelü Mengya’s head.

• Lord Gu fought three ambushers, while the guards drove back the remaining attackers and the survivors fled.
• Huang Xiao spotted approaching Khitan cavalry, and Zhao Yuankan’s party prepared to face nearly a thousand horsemen.
• General Yelü Mengya demanded to see Zhao Yuankan, but Huang Xiao stepped forward in his place.
• Huang Xiao used hidden force to throw Yelü Mengya and his two companions from their horses, then learned that Yelü Mengya was the son of Yelü Xi Jue.
• Huang Xiao told Yelü Mengya that he wanted to borrow his head.

Huang Xiao killed a Khitan officer who had taken part in an attack on Zhao Yuankan’s party, then used the matching clothes to make Yelü Mengya accept the officer as a traitor. After the party resumed its journey toward Linhuang Prefecture, Huang Xiao explained how he had identified the attacker and began to address Zhao Yuankan’s question about Yelü Mengya’s motive.

• Huang Xiao killed one of the attackers and presented his matching clothes as evidence that he had infiltrated Yelü Mengya’s command.
• Yelü Mengya thanked Huang Xiao for exposing the supposed traitor and agreed to escort Zhao Yuankan to Linhuang Prefecture.
• Zhao Yuankan praised Huang Xiao’s skill, and Huang Xiao explained how he had recognized the attacker’s aura and clothes.
• Zhao Yuankan questioned why Yelü Mengya would order an attack that could not kill him, and Huang Xiao said he did not find the motive strange.

Huang Xiao explained that Yelü Mengya’s ambush was meant to intimidate Zhao Yuankan rather than kill him, and the Song envoy continued toward Linhuang Prefecture under Khitan escort. In the Imperial Palace, Empress Dowager Xiao and her ministers learned Huang Xiao was a mid-peerless expert and worried that Yelü Mengya might be outmatched.

• Huang Xiao told Zhao Yuankan and Lord Gu that the ambush was intended to take Zhao Yuankan down a peg, not assassinate him.
• Huang Xiao said Yelü Mengya had no choice but to swallow the loss after Huang Xiao killed one of the attackers.
• Yelü Mengya escorted Zhao Yuankan’s party toward Linhuang Prefecture with a thousand cavalrymen while Zhao Yuankan described Khitan’s political situation to Huang Xiao.
• Liao Shengzong, Empress Dowager Xiao, Han Derang, and Yelü Xiezhen discussed Zhao Yuankan’s arrival and the risk that Yelü Mengya would clash with the Song envoys.
• Yelü Xiezhen revealed that Huang Xiao was a strong mid-peerless expert who had defeated Xu Wuyu, prompting Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao to reassess the danger to Yelü Mengya.

Liao Shengzong, Empress Dowager Xiao, Yelü Xiezhen, and Han Derang discussed Zhao Yuankan’s safety and the opportunity his visit gave Khitan to expose hidden enemies. Han Derang also revealed that the Sect Master had ordered Huang Xiao protected; three days later, Huang Xiao’s party arrived in Linhuang Prefecture and was escorted to the Envoys’ Residence.

• Han Derang advised Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao that Song’s threat to Zhao Yuankan was limited, while Khitan factions might try to exploit his arrival.
• Yelü Xiezhen agreed to prepare for the envoys and watch for Khitan conspirators, while Liao Shengzong asked to meet Huang Xiao.
• In a secret chamber, Han Derang told Empress Dowager Xiao that the Sect Master had ordered Huang Xiao protected because Huang Qitao’s plans had been disrupted.
• Empress Dowager Xiao agreed to arrange for a girl to meet Huang Xiao while keeping his identity secret, and Han Derang said the Sect Master had secretly sent people to help protect him.
• Three days later, Huang Xiao’s party reached Linhuang Prefecture, where General Liu escorted the Song envoys to the Envoys’ Residence on the Northern Privy Envoy’s orders.

Zhao Yuankan and Huang Xiao arrived at the Khitan Envoy Residence, where Zhao Yuankan insulted Khitan and Huang Xiao backed him up while Yelü Mengya concealed his anger. Huang Xiao noticed a familiar woman watching from a nearby wine shop, and General Liu suspected Yelü Mengya would send Yelü Mengdu after him.

• Huang Xiao observed that most Khitan commoners opposed war, while Yelü Mengya secretly considered having others kill him.
• Zhao Yuankan said the Khitan Envoy Residence looked shabby and praised Great Song, while Huang Xiao joined in taunting Yelü Mengya.
• Great Song guards searched the Envoy Residence, found no suspicious people, and took over its protection.
• Huang Xiao spotted a familiar woman among three women watching from a nearby wine shop, then entered the residence after Zhao Yuankan called him.
• Yelü Mengya left to report to the palace, and General Liu guessed he would seek help from Yelü Mengdu to challenge Huang Xiao.

You Lian'er, Sister Yin, and Younger Sister Yan discussed Sister Yin’s arranged marriage to Zhao Yuankan and revealed that each of them faced pressure over marriage. Younger Sister Yan hinted that the Empress Dowager had chosen a man for her, but she refused to explain who he was.

• Younger Sister Yan and You Lian'er reassured Sister Yin that Zhao Yuankan seemed like a decent match after seeing him with Huang Xiao.
• You Lian'er admitted that Zhang Pu had tried to arrange her marriage, explaining why she had fled to Khitan.
• Sister Yin noted that Younger Sister Yan had seemed troubled since visiting the Empress Dowager.
• Younger Sister Yan revealed that the Empress Dowager had chosen someone for her and said she would not accept him unless he met her conditions.

You Lian'er stayed to help elder sister Yin test a potential suitor, while Zhao Yuankan and Huang Xiao anticipated Khitan's response to their earlier conflict. At the palace gates, they encountered Yelü Mengya and his formidable younger brother Yelü Mengdu.

• You Lian'er decided to delay her journey to Great Song so she could support elder sister Yin, and little sister Yan proposed inviting the third prince to an appreciation gathering to test him.
• Zhao Yuankan predicted that Yelü Mengya would send his younger brother, Yelü Mengdu, to challenge Huang Xiao, and Huang Xiao learned that Mengdu was a peerless martial expert.
• An imperial decree summoned Zhao Yuankan to the palace, and he and Huang Xiao traveled there the next morning with Lord Wu.
• At the palace gates, Huang Xiao taunted Yelü Mengya, who endured the insults because he could not defeat him.
• Yelü Mengdu approached Zhao Yuankan and identified him as the third prince.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yuankan reached the Khitan palace as envoys, where Yelü Mengdu challenged Huang Xiao before Yelü Xiezhen intervened and ushered them inside. After palace guards confiscated Huang Xiao’s forgotten soft sword, the envoys entered the Main Hall to meet the Khitan emperor.

• Yelü Mengdu pressed Huang Xiao to spar, and Huang Xiao accepted despite Zhao Yuankan’s concern.
• Yelü Xiezhen arrived, stopped the confrontation, and ordered the Great Song envoys to enter the palace.
• Yelü Mengdu left after warning Huang Xiao that he would challenge him another time, and Yelü Mengya departed as well.
• Palace guards searched the envoys and confiscated Huang Xiao’s Snow-Chanting Soft Sword before telling them to wait for the emperor’s summons.
• A eunuch summoned the envoys, and Huang Xiao, Zhao Yuankan, and Lord Wu entered the Main Hall for their audience.

Zhao Yuankan, Huang Xiao, and Lord Wu negotiated a truce and marriage alliance with Khitan’s court, where Yelü Longxu tried to recruit Huang Xiao. As the delegation left the palace, a masked marquis suddenly attacked Huang Xiao.

• Zhao Yuankan greeted Yelü Longxu and proposed a truce, while Lord Wu presented a marriage alliance and promised to discuss Great Song’s terms of sincerity.
• Yelü Longxu offered to enfeoff Huang Xiao as a prince if he joined Khitan, but Huang Xiao politely declined to take the offer seriously.
• Huang Xiao noticed Han Derang’s formidable hidden strength as Lord Wu debated the proposed reconciliation with Khitan’s ministers.
• Han Derang arranged for officials to negotiate the terms, and Yelü Longxu said the Empress Dowager would decide which princess would be offered for the marriage alliance.
• As Huang Xiao, Zhao Yuankan, and Lord Wu left the palace, a masked marquis rushed at Huang Xiao and struck at him with a palm.

Huang Xiao was attacked by the Silver-Faced Marquis in the Khitan palace, then learned the masked expert was Princess Longli’s mysterious husband. The marquis reunited with his wife in the inner palace, where he criticized her landscape painting before noticing something that caught his attention.

• The Silver-Faced Marquis struck Huang Xiao, who blocked the blow and escaped serious injury, while the palace guards did not intervene.
• Zhao Yuankan and Lord Wu escorted Huang Xiao from the palace, and Lord Wu explained the marquis’s connection to Princess Longli and his mysterious origins.
• The Silver-Faced Marquis entered the inner palace and joined his wife, who was painting a landscape.
• The marquis pointed out that a pine tree in his wife’s painting leaned the wrong way, then bent close to examine the picture when his expression suddenly changed.

The Silver-Faced Marquis reconciled with the Princess after criticizing her painting, then they discussed their son’s growing strength and the dangers surrounding Poison God Valley. They decided to let him make his own name in Great Song for now, while keeping watch over threats and holding on to their plans for revenge.

• The Silver-Faced Marquis apologized to the Princess and praised the lifelike martial intent in her painting, which she said she had begun exploring after speaking with Yan.
• The Silver-Faced Marquis told the Princess that their son had entered the palace with the Great Song envoys, and they agreed that heaven had drawn him into the Jianghu despite their earlier efforts to keep him safe.
• The Princess and the Silver-Faced Marquis praised their son’s rapid cultivation progress and considered whether the elders of Poison God Valley had taught him.
• The Princess warned that the master of Medicine King Hall had emerged from seclusion, and the Silver-Faced Marquis worried that he might attack Poison God Valley and Medicine God Valley.
• The Princess worried about the people seeking their son and whether he would accept them as parents, but the Silver-Faced Marquis chose not to acknowledge him yet so he could build his own reputation in Great Song.
• The Silver-Faced Marquis said their son’s future influence could help them sweep across the land and take revenge.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yuankan accepted an invitation from Xiao Yan, the Xiao Clan’s third young lady, despite Lord Wu’s warning about the danger of her paintings. Huang Xiao then secretly met You Lian'er, who revealed that she knew Xiao Yan and began to explain why the visit mattered.

• A guard commander delivered invitations from Xiao Yan to Zhao Yuankan and Huang Xiao, and Lord Wu identified her as Xiao Jixian’s third daughter.
• Lord Wu warned that Xiao Yan’s paintings had reportedly injured or killed those who viewed them, but Zhao Yuankan decided he and Huang Xiao would visit the Xiao Residence the next morning.
• Huang Xiao found a note signed with the character “You,” slipped out of the Envoy Residence, and followed its address to meet You Lian'er.
• You Lian'er confirmed that she knew Xiao Yan, praised her beauty, and teased that Xiao Yan might take a liking to Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao asked You Lian'er to explain Xiao Yan’s invitation, and You Lian'er stopped joking and prepared to speak seriously.

You Lian'er told Huang Xiao that Yelü Yin, her close friend and a Khitan imperial cousin, might be married to Zhao Yuankan in a political alliance, and asked him to protect her if she went to Great Song. She warned Huang Xiao that a gathering the next day would bring him into contact with Khitan's elite, including Yelü Mengdu, while offering help with his cultivation in return for the Heavenly Demon Canon.

• You Lian'er explained that Yelü Yin wanted to meet Zhao Yuankan ahead of a possible marriage alliance, and Huang Xiao promised to look after her if she married into Great Song.
• You Lian'er warned Huang Xiao that the gathering would include renowned young talents and that he might become a target; Huang Xiao told her he had nearly fought Yelü Mengdu at the palace.
• You Lian'er sensed that Huang Xiao's strength was comparable to Xu Wuyu's and attributed his rapid progress to the Heavenly Demon Skill.
• You Lian'er assessed Yelü Mengdu as a Mid Peerless expert on par with Xu Wuyu, and Huang Xiao said he would do his best not to bring shame on Great Song.
• You Lian'er offered to assist Huang Xiao with cultivation, but he held back from accepting because he knew she wanted the Heavenly Demon Canon in exchange.